Hello and ...

 Hello world, it's been a long time. I'm not writing any more ... well, I'm not writing any less either (sorry about the stolen line LOL). 

I'm posting this because I want everybody to know what's going on ... why I'm no longer here, or writing, or ... 

They call it Mild Cognitive Decline, and that's what the doctors and I are looking at, or will be as soon as I can get my health insurance going again. 

Words ... oh gosh how to put this ... they aren't there. I'm not talking about a writer's block type of word-napping but more of my mind burying words in some graveyard in the recesses of my mind and - my scythe isn't quite sharp enough to get there anymore. 

Words ... the wrong ones, a substitution of a "something" that has no connection to the word it was meant to be. A text to my sister-in-law the other day where I kept using the word "expansion" instead of "inspection". They don't go together unless the local fire department is going to expand on the inspection of the apartment complex. 

Words ... it used to be that when I couldn't remember a word I could at least bookmark it somehow and keep going, but no - the mind won't move away from it and I become so obsessed in finding that word that I lose whatever train of thought I had, and I'm always hanging my train of thought on a thread anyway. Describe the word? Doesn't work either because I can no more describe the word than think of it - even synonyms won't work. If I can't grab the word close enough to see it, I can't grab it close enough to understand what it is. 

Words ... I had a stupendous vocabulary, a plethora of nouns and their sisters pro, verb, and adverb. Forget about dangling participles because I can't remember from hence it dangles. Is "hence" right? It doesn't feel right and now I'm worried that the entire sentence makes no sense whatsoever ... 

Words ... I start the sentence and forget it before I can even finish typing it ... and sometimes before I can even type "it" ... my train of thought jumps the tracks, heads down the side of the mountain and disappears in a fog at the bottom of the cliff. It's gone, it's not coming back ... 

Anyway, that's where I am ... how I am ... who I am ... and what I'll never be again. 

ADDED: I've edited, fixed and whatever the goofs I've made and probably didn't get most of them ... and this took a week to write so ... if there's more goofs, it's my mind ... and it's goofy ... 

The Slow Burn of Silence

An artist fills the viewers mind with broad brushstrokes and tiny smidges, colors vividly springing to life on the canvas in front of them. 

When does something begin and end? The ripples from a stone cast into a pond, do they start with the smoothness of the pebble that first attracts the eye, the impulse to feel it against the palm, to make it skip over water … do they end with the last tiny lap of a wave on the distant shore …

Loreth Anne White fills the viewers mind with images painted through the written word, each phrase dripping on the pages, oils and charcoal the tools of her craft. 

It’s not often that I refer to a mystery as poetical in its prose, each word not to tell the story, but rather to put the reader into the scene, walking along with each character.  Thomas H. Cook is the only other that comes to mind, a painter of pictures of the mind.

An Indian summer. He’d forgotten the taste of it. The feel of it. The sound of it. The way the breeze whispered in his ears with the voices of dead leaves, brittle grasses, crackling twigs, the soft swishing of drought-browned conifer tips. It was a dialogue that could only come after a killing frost. This valley was tinderbox dry, ripe for fire, whispering for it. Or for rain.

Jeb Cullen returns to Snowy Creek after serving almost 10 years in prison for a crime he never committed … or did he?  With flashbacks indicating something violent in his past, can he really be trusted? A review of the case gets him released by the courts, but not technically “not guilty”. He comes home, his guilt still evident in the eyes of the townspeople, in the doubting eyes of the woman he once loved.  The woman whose testimony helped put him away. Jeb wants to reclaim, needs to reclaim, the life that was taken from him … and the woman who has never left his heart.  But could he face down a town full of hatred and suspicion. 

But it was what he wanted, a stark spotlight which under everyone would be exposed and held accountable, under which he could stand up and show he had nothing to hide. Where he could look into the faces of the men who’d lied, into the eyes of those who believed in his guilt, and let people know he would not back down. It was the only tool he had. Darkness bred shadows, secrets, easy violence without consequence.

Rachel Salonen lost her innocence and her soul mate on one fateful night almost 10 years before, a night that she pushed back into the recesses of her mind as she went on with her life; a life that included a fiancé, a life that was happy.  But then her sister and brother –in-law die in a house fire and she becomes the guardian of their little girl.  A child she barely knows, a child that ends up tying her to the one man she never dared see again.

I try to swallow against the tightness closing my throat. My skin is hot. Dark memories thread into my mind like ink tendrils into water, swirling, curling, clouding the present, blurring plans for the future with Trey. We’ve all worked so hard to bury the past, the whole town has. But sometimes all one can do is plaster over the cracks with the concrete of industry; because underneath the fissures remain, waiting for some little tremor to open them up into black maws hungry to swallow you up again. Like now.

The Slow Burn of Silence is a book full of suspense, tension, danger and romance.  From a writer with an exceptional grasp of the English language, this book can finally move Loreth Anne White in with the best romantic suspense writers today.  Go buy the book, you won’t regret it.

http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Silence-Snowy-Creek-Novel-ebook/dp/B00IJILY50/ref=la_B001HMNJRG_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393009656&sr=1-1

Goodbye 2012

 Every New Year's I post the notable deaths of the year. Usually I'd post pictures with them, but unfortunately I've discovered that I can't really do that ... copyright and such. So here's the list ... of course it doesn't include everyone and there may be some you don't recognize but you can view the full list here.

In alphabetical order:

Richard Arlen                                                                         Whitney Houston

Neil Armstrong                                                                       John Ingle

Maeve Binchy                                                                         Senator Daniel Inouye

Ernest Borgnine                                                                      Davy Jones

Robert Bork                                                                            Kathryn Joosten

Ray Bradbury                                                                         Rodney King

Helen Gurley Brown                                                                Thomas Kinkade

Dave Brubeck                                                                         Jack Klugman

Frank Cady                                                                             Jon Lord

Hector “Macho” Camacho                                                      Tony Martin

Dick Clark                                                                              George McGovern

Gary Collins                                                                            Dorothy McGuire

Don Cornelius                                                                         Rev. Sun Myrung Moon

Stephen R. Covey                                                                   LeRoy Neiman

Judith Crist                                                                              Jerry Nelson

Hal David                                                                               Ron Palillo

Richard Dawson                                                                     Deborah Raffin

Phyllis Diller                                                                            Sally Ride

Michael Clarke Duncan                                                          Ann Rutherford

Charles Durning                                                                      Steve Sabol

Chad Everett                                                                          Vidal Sassoon

Al Freeman Jr.                                                                        Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf

Robin Gibb                                                                             Tony Scott

Art Ginsburg                                                                           Earl Scruggs

Don Grady                                                                             Maurice Sendak

Andy Griffith                                                                           Arlen Specter

Larry Hagman                                                                         Donna Summer

Marvin Hamlisch                                                                     Gore Vidal

Levon Helm                                                                            Bob Welch

Sherman Hemsley                                                                   Kitty Wells

Celeste Holm                                                                          Andy Williams

My Old Man

Aidan ....

Isn't he beautiful?  He wasn't always .. when I first saw him he was a scared short-haired little tuxedo kitten, so weak and pitiful; fleas were all over him and he walked/crawled with a limp.  And he was very, very quiet.  Unusual for a stray kitten in unknown territory surrounded by giant two-legged ones.  But there he was in my co-workers cat carrier on his way to the pound.  The pound.  So tiny and helpless.  She'd found him that morning in the trash dumpster at her apartment complex.  She already had a big bully cat and couldn't take in another animal; hence the pound.  I wasn't supposed to have any more cats, I was already owned by 2 .. but there he was ... looking at me through the bars of the case.  Calm, quiet and ... I don't know .. but the next thing I knew I had convinced her to not take him in just yet.  I wanted to run him by my vets office to find out what was wrong with his leg .. I wanted to give him a chance.  It was my half-day at work so soon we were on our way.  From the carrier, now strapped into the front seat of my car, he was still quiet ... laying in the back, sleeping.

Mine

The vet said that his little back leg wasn't broken, but that someone had either kicked or hit him so hard that it was permanently damaged.  And he was around 7 weeks old .. just a baby.  The doctor sprayed him with flea stuff and you could just see them hopping off of this poor baby; they were killing him.  Then Dr. Prewitt pointed something else out ... some of the kittens whiskers were very short, others curling.  Huh?  Wait .. let me rephrase that .. some of his whiskers were cut off and others had been burned.  Beyond kicking/hitting this helpless little baby, someone had burned off some of his whiskers!  The pound?  It was the vet's opinion that they wouldn't do much with an un-adoptable handicapped kitten and would probably put this baby to sleep.  I had a very easy decision to make.

Our beginning

So I took him home ... and I had my lap kitty.  Ever since the death of my Alexandria, I had wanted another lap kitty.  Neither my then present cats Siobhan or Cassidy were lap kitties; they were lay-next-to-you-a-bit kitties.  But this one curled up on my lap and slept and slept and .... yeah, you get the point.  After his bath of course.  And some food.  But he was still so very quiet, not even much of a purr.  The next morning, however, was something else entirely .. suddenly I had a somewhat active kitten.  He was awake, rested and feeling much better.  And you know what?  He gave a little raspy meow.  Then it hit me .. he had been in that trash dumpster long enough to scream himself hoarse. I didn't have a quiet kitten, I had one with laryngitis.  Lap kitty?  Oh hell no ... he was all kitten, scrambling up and down everything by the end of the day, bad leg not keeping him still one bit.  Jumping .. leaping .. e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e .... BonBon hated him, Cassidy tolerated his presence and life went on ....

Today

That short-haired kitten?  Oh no, not now, not long after another month in my home.  It sprung.  Fluff everywhere and oh my is it soft, silky.  Turns out he's got a bit of Maine Coon in him.  Did you know that their fur tolerates the cold/wet weather of New England because moisture slides down it .. doesn't get wet easily, therefore it cuts down on their freezing.  See?  I can teach you stuff on this blog.  Anyway, I shudder now thinking about what would have happened to him had Carol not found him .. you see, he was about 1 hour from being picked up by the garbage truck.  But because she did and because I was willing to take him in, this 11 year old fur-baby is alive and healthy today.

Miss Mousie

Senior cats are interesting.  Aidan is the oldest cat I have ever had.  Watching the changes in him, the slowing down of his routine, has been a delight ... most of the time.  We've had some scares .. his inability to groom himself as well anymore has led to big hairball issues for one thing .. but we are both learning what old age is for cats every single day of our lives together.  I'm helping him and he's helping me.  But you can help another senior kitty .. her name is Miss Mousie and she is the foster cat of Harlequin Romance author Melissa McClone.  Miss Mousie really needs TECA (Total Ear Canal Ablation) surgery and costs are up there ... $5,000.  Melissa has put up a chip-in with funds going directly to West Columbia Gorge Humane Society for the operation costs.  Oh, and Miss Mousie has a FB page and a blog.  The blog is full of writers and their cats ... blog posts from the likes of Kay Hooper, Lorna Barrett and Sue-Ellen Welfonder.  Great stories, great posts.  If you are a published writer and you wish to help, contact Melissa and let her know.  And if you aren't and want to help anyway .. just sneak in posts on your own blogs and spread the word .... 

Don't hide away 

Donate .. help .... there's a senior kitty out there that needs you ..... 

For the Love of a Cat

His name was Devlin …

April 5, 2005 was like any other day, mom was still “mom” and Alzheimer’s was just beginning to show it’s ugly head.  And then it happened … one of the feral cats left a newborn kitten on the back porch.  So tiny … so very helpless … so very much mine.  Up every 4 hours for feedings, burping, voiding the ol’ bladder …. Everything a momma kitty would be doing.  And talking, cuddling .. I knew he couldn’t see or hear me but I kept babbling at him anyway.  Taking him to the vet for weekly weighing, the tech would lay him on the table away from me and he would lift his nose in the air and scramble around to get to me.  He smelled me.  I was momma and he was my only baby. 

 

Fast forward to around July of that year.  We’d hit a problem, he wasn’t growing and was experiencing bowel problems.  We fought, the vet and me, and we got through it.  Close call though because money was extremely tight and we were already bursting at the seams on the budget department.

March 2006 it began … seizures.  Out of the blue he started experiencing seizures.  Running through the house at full speed, stopping to bite his tail, sometimes every hour or so, other times every fifteen minutes; and the battle began again.  Money we didn’t have went out the door.  The seizures intensified, despite anti-seizure medication.  Specialist?  No money for that. 

April 11, 2006 was like any other day, mom was a little less “mom” and Alzheimer’s was creeping up on us.  And then it happened … another seizure, this time worse than the others.  Up to the vet …. gone.  I had to let him go.  You see, mom was getting hard to handle and there were no options like a Miss Mousie page for me.  We had no money for further treatment.  I had to let my baby go. 

August 31, 2012 and I’m still bawling my eyes out over my baby.  His name was Devlin … and I vowed the day he died that I would do whatever I could to help others not lose a baby because of money.  No animal should suffer from lack of care because they don’t have the funds available.  Melissa McClone has done this wonderful thing for a foster kitty named Miss Mousie. 

Please go here to read about Miss Mousie … and please, help if you can.  Spread the word if you can’t help financially.  No animal should suffer … always remember that.

For Devlin

You came to me so small

Tiny body perfect for the palm

Of my hand

No face you saw,

No voice you heard

My touch, my smell was

All you knew

Your cries I soothed

With a calming touch

A soft nuzzle

A gentle rock

I’d speak and croon

Though you could not hear

My lullabies for you

Whimpers to mews,

Crawls and scoots

To gangly legs

You grew through struggles

Not your own but natures grip

You fought the battle and won

The round, this time the victor

But death waits for no one

And the time

Came when the fight could

No longer be fought

And our time together

Had come to an end

Too soon

So I said goodbye

A soft nuzzle

A gentle touch

And I crooned lullabies

Full of words of love

You could no longer hear

Sweet baby, goodbye.

Goodbye .. 2011

You know I do this every year, or at least I used to, once upon a blogger.  So, on this New Year's Eve, I'll do it once more.  Goodbye to some of the notables we lost in 2011.  In no certain order:

Harry Morgan

Alan Sues (Laugh-In) 

Bil Keane (Family Circus)

Andy Rooney

Roger Williams

Steve Jobs
Cliff Robertson
Nick Ashford

Bubba Smith
Dan Peek

Amy Winehouse
Sherwood Schwartz









Betty Ford
Peter Falk
Carl Gardner



James Arness
Dr. Jack Kevorkian
Jeff Conaway
Randy Savage
Jackie Cooper
Phoebe Snow



Geraldine Ferraro
Elizabeth Taylor
Jane Russell
Betty Garrett
Brian Jacques

Jack LaLanne
David Nelson
Margaret Whiting

We Will Never Forget ....

 DECEMBER 7, 1941

Goodbye Regis Philbin

Regis who?  My response for a while, since I only really noticed him on the odd days that mom was home from work.  It wasn’t until mom retired that I really started watching the show with her, and then still periodically (confession, I couldn’t stand Kathy Lee).  When I started taking care of mom it became a morning staple.  Besides, Kelly Ripa had joined by then and I found myself really enjoying the show.  So a morning routine was established.  Mom would get up, I’d make breakfast, we’d sit at the table until time for Regis and Kelly then move on into the den.  They became a part of our lives.  In fact, that’s how we found out about Sept. 11 … I had turned on the TV for the show and well, we know what. But anyway, back to Regis, because it really is all about Regis.  Mom had a bit of a crush on him, and as her dementia deepened he remained a steady part of our lives.  People’s names might disappear from her mind, but never Regis.

I’d get mom up in the morning, help her get dressed. 

She’d say “guess who came by last night?”

No, mom, who? 

“Regis and Joy” (his wife for those that don’t know). 

Oh they did? 

“Yes” a giggle and a secret smile. 

I’d say something like “why didn’t he mow the lawn while he was here?” 

Yes, Regis and Joy made many night time visits to my mom’s room … and she was ecstatic about it, until the sister-in-law stepped in.  Yeah, my sister-law Bev helped to take care of mom.  At some point mom started calling her “riffraff” and acted kinda cold towards her. 

“I don’t want that lady here” she’d say. 

“Beverly? Why?” 

Mom would look at me and say “You know”. 

“No mom, I don’t”

“She’s trying to take away my boyfriend.”

“Regis?”

“Yes”.

Always Regis …

So you see, saying goodbye to Regis is almost like saying goodbye to mom again.  I’ll be right in front of the TV, and I’ll probably cry a little.  No, I’ll probably cry a lot … so long Regis Philbin, I wish you the best at whatever you go on to do.  And I know that a lady up in Heaven will be watching you too.

Suddenly

You're probably thinking ... where are those funny posts?  Well, there are times when funny just has to wait.  Monday a good friend of mine lost her husband ... suddenly.  On Sunday she mentioned that he'd had severe heartburn for a few days and they would be going to the doctor on Monday.  Monday morning we wake up to the news that he'd had a severe heart attack during the night, had coded in the ambulance where they almost lost him and that he had a 50/50 chance.  That night I came home from work to the news that he was gone.  51.  Yes, he was 51.  One day he was there, the next he's gone and my friend Dorah is a widow.  Of course, when I first heard of the heartburn, I thought of the heart but didn't say anything.  Would it have helped - no.  One artery was 100% blocked and they said they couldn't do anything about that at the moment; the other was 99% and did get a stint.  But it was too late .. the damage was too severe.  The DNR was signed and Eric was gone. I'm assuming that he had coded again.  So at first I felt guilty because I hadn't said "go to the emergency room now" but then came the realization that those few hours wouldn't have made a big difference.  Or so I've been told so don't tell me otherwise.

But this is a reminder that death can come at any moment.  That we never know when we may lose a loved one.  We need to tell the people we love that they matter to us .. every single day, for we never know when that day will be the last.

Death often happens ..... suddenly .....

5 Years

This is from Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

*The son went to his mother.

He picked her up and rocked her

back and forth, back and forth,

back and forth.

And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my Mommy you'll be.

I can't remember your voice ... but I still remember your smell, the way your bones would creak as I laid my head on your shoulder.  As long as I remember .... my mommy you'll be.

Mary

November 15, 1928 - October 14, 2006

*Love you Forever by Robert Munsch, Illustrated by Sheila McGraw, Firefly Books Ltd., Canada, 1989

The Week

And so it begins, my own personal week from hell.  Every year is different, every year I approach it from far differing emotional spectrums.  But this year has been hard.

I've known it was coming, aware of its significance for a few months.  Five years since mom died, 11 for dad.  As I was closer to mom it's that particular anniversary that is haunting me more.  As I sat in a room full of writers Saturday night, my mind kept jumping "5 years from tomorrow mom went into hospice".  Five years ago today .. I called Bebo in panic, I don't remember exactly why now, but something mother did while laying in her bedroom scared me.  I didn't want to be alone when she died. Bebo left work and spent the week with me.

But that's today ... and Friday ..... and ..  tomorrow is about dad. Yes, 11 years ago he was in hospice too, had been forever it seemed.  And therein lies the contrast ... the house was filled with family, food came from church and family members.  I was never alone.  With mom .. it was Bebo and myself.  No food to help us through this time, no real support.  Don't get me wrong .. Cathie was in a nursing home and David was in Missouri.  But still, the difference was so .. stark. 

But finally, after a couple of weeks, dad passed late in the evening of October 11.  I'll never forget my cousin Theresa's face as she listened through her stethoscope.  After days of waiting for the pacemaker to give out, it had happened.  I can still see the funeral parlor's hearse in the driveway, a dark silhouette against the street lights.  Bebo, Theresa and I stood outside for a while and watched a falling star, a fitting end to a long life.  I knew my dad was happy, free from the body that had failed him, had kept him virtually a prisoner in his own home. 

So my week begins ....

Harry

May 31, 1922 - October 11, 2000

One Knight Only

A snarky Faery princess, a Scottish knight with a gambling problem, and a murderous earl all add up to one thing: Trouble. Maggie’s medieval education never prepared her for life in the Middle Ages!

I haven’t had the opportunity to read this book, but I had the privilege of seeing portions while it was being written  – enough to have developed a love for it.  I found the characters engaging, the storyline interesting and sprinkled with humor (a must in order to be on my “must read” list).  So I was delighted when Michelle Miles agreed to join us again today to talk about her recent release.

So Michelle, tell us a bit about One Knight Only.

Maggie is a modern day woman who is thrust back in time to the mid-1300s into the bed of a very hot Scotsman, Sir Finian. She’s tasked with keeping Finn alive at a jousting tournament by a snotty Faery princess in order to get back to her time. Only, things never really go as planned once she’s back in the Middle Ages. There’s jousting, chivalry, knights in shining armor, faeries, medieval swearing, gambling, magic, romance, and an evil earl.

How did you come up with this plotline?

It was a long time coming. I actually started the book in 2005 as a straight historical romance. I knew I wanted to set it during the Middle Ages at a jousting tournament but the storyline never quite jelled. I stopped writing. A few years later, I picked it back up again, rewrote the beginning and decided it was a time travel and there were faeries involved and eventually the story came together. Once I figured out the story, I wrote it in a couple of months and sold it in a week. That was a great feeling.

What compelled you to pick it back up?

I love jousts and the Middle Ages. There is something romantic about it for me. I really wanted to finish the story, especially since it is set during a jousting tournament. Even though I hadn’t been working on it, it had always been on the back-burner as a project I really wanted to finish. I picked it up again in 2008 and that’s when I changed it from straight historical to paranormal. I added the time travel element and the Faery princess. But it would still be two more years before the first draft was completed.

Will there be a sequel?

Yes! The second book will be Elyne’s and Derron’s (the two Fae characters) story. At the end of the first book, Elyne is in some pretty hot water with her mother, the Queen of Faery. She’s used magic in the human realm which is against Fae Law and now she has to answer for her crimes.

What’s your favorite scene?

There are so many! I think one of my favorite parts is when Maggie actually jousts for Finn. You’ll have to read the book to see how she gets into that predicament. ;) But there are a lot of other scenes that I love. Here is one of my favorites:

“Show off,” Elyne muttered.

“You know him?” Maggie nodded in Sir Derron’s direction.

“Oh aye. I know him all right.”

Glancing at her, Maggie could see the angry lines creasing her forehead. Angry lines? Or concerned lines? Maggie couldn’t decide which. Sir Derron caught her gaze then, flashed a bright smile and dismounted the horse, surrendering it to his young squire.

“I see you decided to make an appearance,” he greeted, bowing with a flourish to Elyne. “I’m truly honored by your presence.” Dimples framed his mouth as he gave her a crooked smile.

“You endanger yourself here and you know it.”

“Ah, but what other time can I practice my skills than at tourney?”

“You don’t need to practice any skills. You should be—” She paused, giving Maggie a sidelong glance. “You know where you should be.”

“Court is so boring.” Derron yawned to prove his point. “Why should I waste my time lounging around there with those hangers-on who want nothing but to serve, serve, serve. It makes me weary. And don’t get me started on all the bores in the rest of the Otherworld.”

“It’s your duty.” Fire flashed in Elyne’s eyes as she bit out her curt words.

Maggie watched the verbal volley between the two, trying to deduce exactly who Derron Chevalier was to Elyne. Clearly, he was a Fae of some importance. And Maggie knew Elyne was a princess. Was he related to her somehow? They argued as if they’d been together a long while.

“Humans are much more interesting.”

Was Derron Chevalier a Fae royal? Could it be possible? Maggie had lived nearly twenty-six years not believing in faeries and yet in a fortnight she’d met two.

Derron turned to Maggie then, upping the charm. “Mine eyes hath seen nothing as bonny as you, fair maiden, so pray forgive my rudeness.” He bowed low. “May I ask your name?”

“Lady Margaret.” Elyne answered before Maggie could. Her gaze clawed him like talons. “And she’s none of your concern.”

Clearly unflustered by the irate princess, Derron took Maggie’s hand, kissed it with warm lips soft as velvet. His touch sent a wave of desire right through her, shaking her to her soul. “The pleasure is mine, Lady Margaret.”

Oh, she had a thousand and one questions to ask the man. She had to know everything about him. She wanted to know how he managed to win so many tournaments without so much as an injury. Was it because he was a Fae he cheated death? How many hours did he practice? What made him so good? If he was Fae, did he have magic like Elyne? Did he use it to make him a god in the lists?

“I’m delighted to make your acquaintance, Sir Derron.”

Still holding her hand in his, he chuckled. It was a deep sound, rumbling around in a broad chest.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the banquet?” Elyne ripped out her words impatiently.

“All in good time, dear Elyne. First I intend to get to know Lady Margaret.” He tucked her hand in his elbow.

Standing so close to him, Maggie sensed something very ancient and otherworldly about him. It had to be the Fae in him. Even so, her knees nearly buckled at the thought of spending time, alone, with her idol. What could she learn? How she wished she had a mini recorder.

Still ignoring Elyne, he said, “Will you be attending banquet tonight, Lady Margaret?”

She blushed, lowering her gaze to the ground as a delicious shudder tingled her spine. “I will, sir knight.”

“Then yes, I should make my way posthaste to my tent and begin preparing to meet you again.”

“Stop using your Fae charms on her,” Elyne demanded.

He blinked, feigning innocence, and Maggie suddenly realized that’s why she felt so weak and lightheaded. He was doing something to her, on purpose.

“Unhand her.”

The big booming voice sounded through the practice field, turning heads. Derron kept his grasp firm on Maggie’s arm, meeting Finn’s feral gaze as he charged across the field, sword in his hand gleaming in the afternoon light.

“Uh oh,” Maggie whispered.

“You’re not kidding,” Elyne agreed.

Finn stopped, pointed the sword a mere inch from Derron’s face. “Release her.”

“I don’t think she really wants to be released.” Derron offered Maggie an arresting smile, pulling her closer. His ancient, spicy scent pressed into her, making her head spin.

“I said, let the lass go.”

“And then what? You’ll take her under your protective wing?” Derron laughed. “Much like you did Lady Juliet?”

“Oh, here we go.” Elyne rolled her eyes.

Maggie gasped. The last person she’d want to make angry was Finn. He was the only one who could keep her safe in this wretched place after all. She tried to pull free. “Really, I should probably go—”

“Now, why would you do that, Lady Margaret, when we’re just getting to know each other so well? You don’t want to go with this brute of a man, do you?” Derron wasn’t even bothered by the sword point in his face.

Oh, love it!

Will One Knight Only be available in print at some point?

The publisher decides what books go to print, but I’m told it meets length requirements so hopefully it will. You’ll be the first to know. ;)

Thanks Michelle!! 

You’re welcome! Thanks for having me!

You can get a copy of One Knight Only at Ellora's Cave or Amazon 

I'm Fall - ing

Aww the arrival of fall .. how wonderful these last couple of days have been.  I didn’t have to turn on the a/c on Friday or today .. just had the windows open all day.  My regular readers know that I hate summer .. actually, if summer had an average high of 72, I’d love it.  So let’s just say that I hate heat.  I really have mood fluctuations depending upon the time of the year, but it’s not the normal SAD that everyone is familiar with.  SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder is normally referred to as the winter-time blues.  It’s said that the body needs a certain amount of sunlight in order to function properly.  But there is a lesser known side of SAD – those who become depressed during the summer months.  Yes, me.  In fact, I’ve read some recent literature indicating a relationship between bipolar and SAD, which is interesting to me since I am bipolar.  In the summer, my windows are closed up tight, blinds closed, heavy curtains drawn.  My rooms are dark, or as dark as I can get them.  But in the cooler months, I love to have the windows, blinds and curtains wide open.  F

So what about you?  Are you a Spring/Summer person or a Fall/Winter?  

Yeah?

So it's groaner Friday instead .. these are a few email funnies that I've been holding onto for just such a day.  What day?  The "I don't have anything else to post" day, that's what.

When asked by a young patrol officer "Do You know you were speeding?" 
This 83-year-old woman gave the young officer an ear to ear smile and stated: 
"Yes , but .... I had to get there before I forgot where I was going." 
The officer put his ticket book away and bid her good day. 
Makes perfectly good sense to me.  

And finally .....

MURDER AT WHOLE FOODS
Tired of constantly being broke & stuck in an unhappy marriage, a young husband decided to solve both problems by taking out a large insurance policy on his wife with himself as the beneficiary, and then arranging to have her killed. 

A 'friend of a friend' put him in touch with a nefarious dark-side underworld figure who went by the name of 'Artie.' Artie explained to the husband that his going price for 

snuffing out a spouse was $5,000.  The husband said he was willing to pay that amount, but that he wouldn't have any cash on hand until he could collect his wife's insurance money. Artie insisted on being paid at least something up front, so the man opened
his wallet, displaying the single dollar bill that rested inside. Artie sighed, rolled his eyes, & reluctantly agreed to accept the dollar as down payment for the dirty deed.

A few days later, Artie followed the man's wife to the local Whole Foods Supermarket store. There, he surprised her in the produce department & proceeded to strangle her with his gloved hands. As the poor unsuspecting woman drew her last breath & slumped to the floor, the manager of the produce department stumbled unexpectedly onto the murder scene. Unwilling to leave any living witnesses behind, ol' Artie had no choice but to strangle the produce manager as well.

However, unknown to Artie, the entire proceedings were captured by the hidden security cameras & observed by the store's security guard, who immediately called the police. Artie was caught and arrested before he could even leave the store.  Under intense questioning at the police station, Artie revealed the whole sordid plan, including his unusual financial arrangements with the hapless husband who was also quickly arrested. 
The next day in the newspaper, the headline declared...

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(You're going to hate me for this...) 
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'ARTIE CHOKES 2 for $1.00 at Whole Foods'

Is Anything Real?

What’s she doing?

Looking for a heroine for her story.

Oh no!!!!!! Don’t do it Bailey!!!!

What? What’s the matter Ern?

No matter how bad it appears, don’t, don’t turn to drugs …

Ern .. not that heroine … heroine, like in a female hero.

Wouldn’t a female hero be transgendered?

*Bud shakes imaginary head*  You totally drive me nuts

No I don’t, they won’t let me have a license.

I’m ignoring the last bit of this conversation.

Yeah, like you always ignore me.

I wish.  Anyway, she’s looking for a lady for her hero to fall in love with.  She’s looking for Casey.

You mean as in “Casey at Bat”?  Kinda hard to have a book without the title character.  Even I can figure that out.

Then that makes it a major “duh”.  So, she’s clicking through pictures, trying to find …

STOP!!!  That’s her!!!

Ern, that’s a mannequin.

No, I’m sure it’s a female .. and I don’t care if she’s kin or not …

*Bud buries imaginary head in hands*  No, a mannequin .. a plastic doll that’s used to show clothes in department stores.

Oh, a model …

Close .. anyway, she’s not real

That’s what you keep telling me .. that we’re not real.  So if we’re not real and we speak to folks, and she’s not real …..

No Ern, can’t do it.  A mannequin can not be the heroine in a romance novel.

Can too .. I saw it in a movie …

Movies aren’t real …

Would you stop that!!!!  Is anything real???

Well Descartes, that is a good question …

What cart?  The lunch cart????

Say bye Ern ….

By Ern …..

A Matter of Character

I figured out what my problem is with this book.  My characters.  When Jo Davis was at chapter the other day, we talked about how her books are character driven as opposed to plot, and I agreed saying so were mine.  We both agreed that if you know your characters well enough, then the book practically writes itself as you know how your characters will react in any given situation.  Think about it.  Think about the person that you know best in your life.  Then say this person is in a traffic accident, the other person approaches the car with a menacing look on their face .. how would this person react?  How about if someone told you that they were planning a surprise party for this person – how would they react to that?  If you know someone well enough, you can pretty much figure out how they will react to anything.  And that’s the problem. I don’t know my characters that well.  Normally when I write a book, I have the characters “picked out” (i.e. magazine photos, etc.), their names and all of that chit.  This one hit me without all of that and I just started typing.  Do you know that I’m really not sure what Casey, my heroine, even looks like?  I think she’s a blue-eyed blond, but I’m not sure.  Nick, my hero, is Hugh Jackman .. that’s a given. 

The only other character I’m sure about is a secondary character named Jit, who is portrayed by Michael Jeter.

  Recently I decided on my H/H for the next book – Deacon and Halley – and I know that he’s Josh Holloway.  

But that’s pretty much it.  

I need to sit down and sketch them out.  I need to find Casey.  I need to .. yeah, I got work to do.

All My Children

This week marks the end of All My Children (possible reincarnation on web aside). While I haven’t watched the show in years, I do mourn its passing. Or maybe I mourn the passing of a genre. After One Life to Live  leaves, there will only be 4 soups on television. Four? I remember when they ruled the daytime airwaves. And now they are almost all gone. I don’t like it .. I don’t like the replacement of actors with hosts any more than I like the replacement of checkers with those grocery store self check-out lines. A lot more people lose their jobs when a soap leaves than are given jobs with the creation of a talk show. Just saying. I love Anderson Cooper, but I have no intention of watching his show, or The Chew (what a name?), merely on quiet protest, not like they’ll notice.


But back to the point. All My Children. Once upon the time I watched ABC soaps religiously .. started with Ryan’s Hope and ended the day with Edge of Night. I laughed at Delia, rooted for Joe/Mary; loved Greg/Jenny; went through the ringer with Karen; was appalled and then fell in love with a man named Luke. (sorry Edge of Night, only remember Lori Loughlin was on it.) Soaps were .. in a strange way … romances novels. Or more like love stories – because they weren’t happily ever after, which is why I quit watching them, but that’s another blog. All My Children gave us Kim Delaney, Josh Duhamel, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lauren Holly, Eva LaRue, Jesse McCartney, Kelly Ripa, Laura San Giacomo and Christian Slater, among others.

All My Children meant more than Greg and Jenny, it was Erica and her many husbands, the endearing love of Joe and Ruth Martin (whose portrayer, Mary Fickett, passed away a few days ago), Tad the Cad. It was the first soap that took on abortion, birth control and lesbian relationships, among others. Agnes Nixon opened the door to many previously taboo subjects and made AMC one of the hits of an era, an era I’m sorry to say is ending. Some blame OJ (audiences never did pick up after this trial knocked soaps off for weeks), some blame boredom – regurgitated stories or storylines that went too far over the edge. I quit because I was tired of rooting for the hero/heroine to only have they ripped apart sometimes the day after the much rooted for “kiss” “wedding” “reunion” – you name it.

This week is All My Children’s last week. I wish I wasn’t working; I would love to watch it. I understand that each day will be a tribute to something – like the weddings through the years – Wednesday will be a tribute to Mary Fickett’s Ruth Martin. I’ll be watching on Friday though .. to say my goodbye to a once loved show.

Gonna be a Bad day

Thanks Susan.  Arthritis kept me from blogging for Wednesday .. cold front came through Wednesday night and I woke up Thursday morning sneezing my head off, nose dripping, head has the wooley feeling ... cheekbones a bit achy.  So I'm sitting down with some chicken noodle soup and then probably a nap. But I couldn't let Funny Friday go by without something to giggle at.  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Entangled

I know this is Me Monday, but bear with me because at the end you’ll see that this is about me. I have a special guest today who is here to talk about a wonderful project. Michelle Miles is not only a chapter mate, but she is one of the authors in a new anthology out today called Entangled. Please welcome Michelle to the road.

Hi and welcome to the road, watch out there are some wild drivers out here. I want to start out by you telling us what Entangled is about and what makes it special.

Thanks for having me! I’m really happy to be here to talk about this amazing anthology. I’m so honored to be in such great company.

Entangled is a paranormal anthology by Authors4theCure, eleven authors banding together that include award-winning, USA Today and New York Times bestselling authors, as well as two breast cancer survivors. We are donating proceeds from the sale of the anthology to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

BCRF-funded research has helped save lives and improved the quality of care and rate of survival for tens of thousands of breast cancer patients in the past decade. Their research has revealed that the "cure" is a mosaic made up of as many approaches to diagnosing, treating, preventing and surviving as there are different types of breast cancer. The anthology is also a mosaic made up of many stories donated for this worthwhile cause.

The anthology includes me, Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, and Edie Ramer, plus a novella by Allison Brennan. Stacia Kane contributed the foreword and the book’s formatting and cover art were also donated to the project.

How did you get involved with this book?

My very good friend and awesome writer, Misty Evans, invited me to participate in the anthology. When she described it to me and what the proceeds would benefit, I knew it was something I wanted to be involved in. Cancer has affected my family personally. If there’s a way to stop this ugly disease from affecting lives and devastating families, I want to help fight it. This is a great way to do that.

Was there a certain criteria for the stories? Like, did they have to have a connecting theme?

Yes, all of them were to be under 10,000 words and have a paranormal/Halloween theme. I think you’ll find there’s something for everyone in this anthology.

What is the name of your story and how did you come up with the idea?

My story is Sinfully Sweet and it’s about a witch on the run and a sexy half-demon/half-witch come to warn her that she’s in danger. I’ve never done a witch story before so I thought this would be a lot of fun. As for the idea, I’d been brewing (no pun) an idea for a magic bakery and kicked around some ideas for it with Misty. Chloe’s Sugar Mamma’s Bakery was born.

Here’s the blurb:

When Chloe bakes a little magic into her pastries, she attracts the attention of Edward, the sexy half-demon, half-witch, who’s come to warn her that those who murdered her sister are now after her.

Where can Entangled by found?

It’s available as an ebook from B&N, Kindle, Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, and other online distributors.

Thank you for coming by today, Michelle. Now get back to writing my book.

LOL You’re welcome! And, again I say, you’re such a slave driver! :)

About me? I want you to buy this book. If you can’t buy it, I want you to promote the hell out of it. Why? This book is for me. This book is for my mother’s sisters Alice and Golda who won. This book is for her niece Martha who won. This book is for my dad’s sister Ruth who won. It’s for his niece Sharon who won.

This book is for my father’s sister Evelyn …. who lost. And most importantly, for mom’s niece Beth who is fighting it as we speak.

This book is for me …. It is to help prevent any more breast cancer in my family.

This book is my hope.

Thank you for coming by today.