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I hit the bigtime - I'm in a book! My friend Trisha Mills (aka 










Ever heard of TEXTNOVEL? My friend and fellow author, Jody
This is a sweet llama. My friend, C.J. Redwine, has a blog for
My first book, Wynter's Promise, was actually written on a 
MCRW writers retreat is coming up at the end of this

A friend of mine, author Jody Wallace, and I wrote a Round
I quit. That's right, no more will I commute almost 2 hours a 


HOORAY! There's a new RWA chapter and I've joined! It's for 
I'm in the home stretch on my YA book!
GOOD NEWS! I'm a great aunt! That's great as in Aunt 2.0. 
I've been sinning! That's right. I've got my copy 


Okay, I know my fav American Idol, ADAM LAMBERT, didn't


I've updated my website! I added pages 








Come on by and visit! Leave a post! Take your chances on some great author GIVE-AWAYS too. To unearth a centuries-old secret, an archaelologist The great thing about writers is that we can be desperately attempting to block images of, oh say, the Titanic during a cruise, and you can bet we’d find a way to use it in a story. Such is the case for me at the end of October. About this time every year we like to travel, it’s our way of celebrating our anniversary. This year we chose a short 4 day cruise to the Needless to say, when we hit open ocean it got pretty rough. And it grew worse as the night wore on. Not even the huge size of the cruise ship saved it from lurching through those waves. A couple hours of that and there were some pretty green looking passengers staggering around the decks. Fortunately hubby and I survived with our innards intact, but lots of folks weren’t so lucky. Here’s our secret – skip dinner and go to the spa for a relaxing massage. Worked like a charm! All in all, we had fun, I found inspiration, and I lived to write the tale. I’d say the trip was a smashing success! I’m discovering the world of YA and I’m so excited by the explosive growth of reading material for tweens and teens! I don't even have to mention Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, because they are just phenomenal. There is such a wonderful diversity of books available and it’s set my mind to thinking.
Summer is cruising by and so are my characters, Finnegan and Claire, in Emerald Fire. They have just braved a nest of modern day pirates and lived to tell the tale. Problem is, they're still hyped up on adrenaline and all alone on a yacht in middle of the Caribbean Sea. That sounds like a recipe for trouble if you ask me.
Here's the address: BARBARA VEY BLOG PARTY AT PUBLISHERS WEEKLY!
February 23, 2009
Natchez Trace State Park. Isn't it lovely? I'm spending the
weekend here for MCRW's annual writing retreat. A big group
of writing friends, creativity workshops, lots of food & chocolate,
it's an event I look soooo forward to attending every year. Not
only is it fun, it's motivating too. I'll come back home all fired up
to pound out my story, send out those queries, and if I'm lucky,
all that forward momentum will get me to organize my office.
Okay, who am I kidding? Like that's ever going to happen.
photo credit: jacksonsun.org

February 11, 2009
Okay, I confess to being a closet Jane Austen fan. I love the books, I love the movies, I love the romance of the historical era. So when good friend Beth Pattillo wrote this gem of a story, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. My day came Tuesday night at Davis-Kidd Booksellers where Beth hosted a reading, Q & A, then booksigning. I sat in the crowd like the total fan-girl I am! JANE AUSTEN RUINED MY LIFE is on the top of my to-be-read list as soon as I finish a romantic adventure called STOLEN FURY.
February 6, 2009

Last night I went to a hockey game. I know, it doesn't
really have anything to do with writing, except I went with
a writer buddy so it counts! The good news is that the
Preds won 4-2 and it was tons of fun! Fang fingers, the crowd yelling out 'you suck' to the opposing goalie, and the general mayhem on the ice, that arena hopped with excitment. Now I know what the draw is! Hockey is fangtastic fun...now I just need to find a way to include it in a book.
January 23, 2009

Glory Halluejah! The awesome
vampire drama 'MOONLIGHT'
is back on the airwaves! SciFi
channel is rerunning all episodes
starting tonight. Friday night's
at 8pm you know where I'll be.
Glued to the TV for another
round of my favorite vampire
show!
Thank you SciFi channel!!
January 19, 2009
This weekend I spent a fun hour and a half at lunch with Barbara Vey of Publishers Weekly and the gang from Music City Romance Writers. We all had a blast and Barbara was hilarious with her tales from the press box! Here we all are...that's me waving in the photo. I'm not really that tall, I was standing on a chair. haha

Check out the story on Barbara's January 19th blog entry...BEYOND HER BOOK!
January 15, 2009
I can't wait to read this book. Elisabeth is a fellow romantic adventure author who has debuted on the scene with a bang! Her book, STOLEN FURY, is in the bookstores right now and let me tell you, reviews are glowing!
Here it is in a nutshell...

must team up with the rakish thief who's stolen both an
ancient relic and her heart...
Don't that sound awesome? I love these kind of stories and wish there were many more of them on store bookshelves. One thing is certain - I have no doubt that STOLEN FURY will be on my keeper shelf.
JANUARY 1, 2009
It's a brand new year and you know what that means. I make resolutions just like everybody else, but they are a little different in my household. January 1 is always a day of financial goal setting. We do wish lists, everything from a new curio cabinet, landscaping projects, or vacation destinations. Then we go over last year's list, carry over or delete remaining items, and determine when or how to go about accomplishing the things most important to us. It's really not as much work as it sounds like, plus it's a great way to grow together in a relationship. Common goals, his and hers wishes, it's a fun and productive way to gain material things and create dreams!
This year, in light of the current economic crisis, I think a financial road map is more needed than ever before. Believe me, despite a shaky market we still want to take that vacation to Australia's Great Barrier Reef come this September. The scuba diver in me has GBR on the list of must see places!

With a lot of luck and some heavy-duty planning, we're on the road to the southern hemisphere for some serious down-underwater adventure!
DECEMBER 2008
The holidays have slowed the writing time, but I'm still working away at my YA manuscript. I'm a third of the way through it and I still don't have a name for it. I should. I've always had a working title. This one stumps me though. Jenna Masters, a 16 year old born and bred explorer who is currently on her 5th trip up the Amazon River. It involves rare plants, snake-bite cures, and one cute Peace Corps volunteer who constantly needs babysitting. Lots of adventure, lots of action, and absolutely no name. Maybe I should start a contest. Name that book!
Jenna's Amazon Adventure
Jenna vs. the Wild
The Misadventures of Jenna
The Amazon Quest
See what I mean? I have no idea what to call it. Maybe I'm going to need to finish it before I figure out the title!
NOVEMBER 2008
By the time we hit 
So in the space of 4 days we survived a pirate attack, gale force winds, and a wild night of wave-surfing in a cruise ship. And the best part is – I took a ton of notes. Like how the ship felt rolling beneath our feet, what the furious waves looked like, and the varied reactions of fellow cruisers. Plus, the trip gave me a great idea for a book. I spent most of our wait time at the airport jotting down characters, plot details, and a long list of events to work with.
OCTOBER 2008
Congratulations are in order! I've just been elected President of my writing chapter, Music City Romance Writers. It's a 2 year term and I'm excited to begin! Only, I have no agenda, no plans, and no idea what I'm doing. So let's get started, right?
In the meantime, I've got more good news to share! Good friend Trish Milburn has her first book on the bookshelves right now! A Firefighter In The Family is great, I've already picked up my copy and can't wait to read it. Click on the book to see more!

SEPTEMBER 2008
AUGUST 2008
Speaking of characters, here's a story for you. Ever heard of author Sherrilyn Kenyon and her Dark-Hunter novels? Yeah, I thought so. You know they are fabulous and if you're like me, when you start one you can't put it down. Well, at long last she's written Acheron's story and it's set to release August 5th. The fun news? The start of her book launch tour is here in Nashville, at the Parthenon (a life-sized replica of the Greek ruins). Guess who's going? That's right, me. I'm so incredibly excited! I'll have to post an update after the event because it will no doubt be noteworthy!
MORE GOOD NEWS! Good friends Jody Wallace and Marie-Nicole Ryan have new Samhain book releases! Click on the book to see more!

DARK-HUNTER UPDATE! Oh my God. That book launch party at the Parthenon was amazing. There were Dark-Hunters, vampires, people in costume everywhere, and what a perfect place to launch Ascheron's story! He was there too, I saw him! So was Publishers Weekly blogger, Barbara Vey, and she has some great pictures and a write-up on her blog about it. Check it out - BEYOND HER BOOK. I had a great time just watching everyone and eating strawberries that I dipped into a chocolate fountain. Sherrilyn Keyon signed books at the base of a 40' statue of the Goddess Athena and there was a never-ending line of eager fans! It was a smashing success and I'm right proud to have been a tiny little part of it! Here's a picture of where it was held - Pretty cool, huh?

JULY 2008
This month started off with a week long hiatus from the writing so I could vacation with my 9 yr old nephew & 11 yr old niece. Talk about an adventure! We went to the
During my time off I started reading J.R. Ward’s vampire series. A friend recommended the books to me and ooooohh, I’m totally hooked. I’m well into the second one and already feel the urge to get down to my local Barnes & Noble for the third in the series. Those books should come with a warning label – Danger! Hot Vampires and Steamy Love Scenes! ***thud***
Okay, fanning through the vampire induced hot-flash so I can get back to my mini-vacation story. It, and the fun reading, has served to freshen up my own writing and motivation. I’m slogging through the middle of Emerald Fire, braiding all those threads together and keeping the action moving. It’s such a lot of hard work, but for some crazy reason, I love it. There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment you get when you’ve penned a great sentence, paragraph, or chapter. And you actually like where the story is taking you! So I'm going to get back at it while the going is good!!
JUNE 2008
Good news, bad news. First the good. I'm attending a writers conference in Ohio this month and I'm very excited about it. Spending quality time with other authors, editors, agents, doing a book swap, and the luncheons! It's going to be great fun. Talk about motivation! I plan on soaking up every little drop.
Bad news. CBS did the unthinkable and cancelled my all time favorite TV program. I'm devastated. Moonlight is such a fabulous show with compelling characters, lots of action, and sizzling romance. I'm so overcome with angst that I want to scream at something. Mainly CBS. Instead, I've joined campaigns to help find another network home for our beloved show. SciFi? TNT? DirecTV? Anybody willing to take a chance on a program that comes with 8 million viewers, has the People's Choice Award for best new drama, and TV Guide's Sexiest Sci-Fi guy in Alex O'Loughlin?
And we're not above bribing either...just saying... :~)

MAY 2008
This past week I did some things that were long overdue, like spending quality time working in the yard. And wow. The aches and pains I felt afterward really brought home just how much time I've spent sitting at my computer over the winter. Writing can be so absorbing, I tend to forget I need to get up and move once in a while. :~)
Even though I've spent a lot of productive time at the keyboard, I've managed to do a few other things too. I almost became the newsletter editor for my writing chapter. I did become the secretary for my property owners association. And oh, I gave blood to save a vampire! It was a nationwide campaign to push CBS into announcing a second season for my favorite TV drama - Moonlight. Believe it or not, I actually want to write a piece of fan fiction for the show. I've never done that before. Still, I'm trying my best to resist, because I want to finish Emerald Fire first. But it's sooo tempting...
APRIL 2008
Spring has arrived and with it a new energy for writing. Things can move slow in this business. It takes a lot of time and energy to write your book, and there's nothing too quick about the submission process either! The upside is...there are days when you are really in sync with the words. These are the times you love being a writer. And lately, I've really loved it. These past few weeks I've been in the zone. And to my utter amazement, I'll proofread something a few days after writing it and think...Wow! Did I write that? To quote my favorite vampire on Moonlight..."it's a giant thrill ride that never ends!" Not only that, I'm also making online friends in the writing community, which is fabulous. Other people like me, that don't freak out when you ask a question like...If I had a yacht and wanted to commit insurance fraud, how does one go about finding a reliable pirate to do the job?
MARCH 2008
Check out my cool new banner! I wish I was talented enough to make something this fabulous, but I had to farm out that kind of creativity. Rae Monet stepped up and did a wonderful job.

She does more than banners though - check out her website... www.RaeMonetinc.com
So, in the spirit of research I went to see the movie Fool’s Gold. After all, romantic adventure is my genre, be it movies or books, so I was naturally curious. First thing I noticed was the hero, played by the dashing Matthew McConaughey, was named Finnegan. Which just so happens to be my story hero’s name in Emerald Fire. Well, this time, I don’t care. I had it first and I’m keeping it. Too bad I didn’t have that kind of moxie when Leonardo DiCaprio came out with the movie Blood Diamond. It’s because of him that my first book is now titled Diamond Legacy!
Both are good movies, however, and well worth seeing. And I fervently hope my books live up to their cinematic counterparts. Which, of course, they do and I don’t know why I even worry. Both Diamond Legacy and Emerald Fire positively scream blockbuster! It’s only a matter of time.