An Interview with Author Toni Blake, continued
TB: That’s another great question, and for me, the theme grows from the story itself and the conflict between the characters. For instance, in my upcoming book from Avon, (LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER, June,) one of the themes is forgiveness, but I was well into writing the book before it hit me that both characters had done really big things in their lives that they needed forgiveness for, and by the end, they require forgiveness from each other, too. For me, it’s often about looking at all the story elements as they evolve and finding the parallels.
What is one thing readers would be surprised to learn about Toni Blake, romance author? TB: Oh gosh, I could probably come up with lots of things ; ) That I’ve been watching ALL MY CHILDREN since I was 8 years old? That I make quilts by hand in homage to my Appalachian roots? That I’m a mega Criss Angel fan and even went to great lengths to meet him last May? That I have a serious addiction to the Winter X Games? That I also have a serious addiction to purses. (No, wait, that last one won’t surprise anyone who knows me.)
If you were stranded on a desert island (SWEPT AWAY) what five non-food items would be essential to your survival? And why? TB: ~ My iPod (and yes, I realize I’d need a way to charge it, but I’m ignoring that.) Because I love music and it’s a big part of my life – and even of my books, actually. ~ My, um TV? Yeah, yeah, I know I couldn’t plug it in, but I’m an addict, so maybe I’d somehow magically find a way. ~ My … car? I love my car – his name is ZZ and he’s a cute little blue convertible (yeah, I’m one of those dorks who names her cars.) And he’d make it much easier to zip around the island in style. (And I’ll find the gas somewhere.) ~ My husband, who would probably not enjoy being referred to as an “item,” but he’s a lot of fun and very snuggly. ~ A box of books – because no, I can’t choose just one. As you can see, I would do quite poorly on a desert island, probably even worse than my heroine Kat did in SWEPT AWAY. As an aside, for promo purposes, I actually created a desert island survival list in Kat’s point of view when SWEPT AWAY came out (still accessible through the SWEPT AWAY page on my website, I think) and she did a much better job than I just did.
What’s the most surprising thing that’s happened to you in your writing career? TB: I’ve survived it ; ) Seriously, I had a lot of setbacks early in my career, including being dumped by a well-known publisher, and I’m proud to have persevered through the bad times. And, oh, I also had my work excerpted in Cosmo last year! That was pretty darn surprising! And fun!
Give us the inside scoop on your upcoming titles: LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER (Avon, available from May 27th, 2008) and THE POWER OF LOVE (NAL, June 3rd, 2008). TB: I’m so excited about the release of LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER! And I absolutely adore the cover of this book! (Thank you, cover gods!) I was inspired to write this book after a trip to the Canadian Rockies – the most beautiful, peaceful place I’ve ever been. I actually set the book in Montana, but the peaceful mountain feel is the same. To describe the book in a nutshell, I usually say: Think Sex and the City meets Men in Trees. Or think Carrie Bradshaw meets Grizzly Adams – although my hero is way hotter than Grizzly ever was ; ) Like most of my recent books, it’s very sexy but also has a lot of emotion, a lot of humor, a hero with a past, and a strong heroine – although Lindsey is a little more unique, I think, in that she recognizes her flaws and doesn’t try to deny them. And she was incredibly fun to write – among my favorite scenes is one where her purse gets mauled when the hero throws the purse off the trail to distract an approaching bear. Lindsey says, “I can’t believe that happened!” Rob says, “Yeah, that was one big, scary bear.” And Lindsey says, “No, I mean I can’t believe your threw my purse away! It was Prada!” Thanks for asking, too, about THE POWER OF LOVE, which is a very special project I was honored to be a part of. Lori Foster headlines this anthology featuring stories by 12 authors and each is in some way about empowering women. All author and agent proceeds are being donated to they YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter in Cincinnati, where Lori, I, and some of the other authors live. So it’s a wonderful book for a great cause. My story in the book, AFTER HOURS, is very sexy and features a woman who is forced to choose between her dream man and her dream career.
Where can readers find you in the next few months? TB: The best place to keep up with me and my books is always my website: www.ToniBlake.com and I’m also very active on MySpace: www.MySpace.com/ToniBlake and I welcome all new friends! As for personal appearances, I will be at the Lori Foster Reader and Writer Event in Cincinnati in June (a great time for all who attend – trust me on this!) and at the RWA National Conference in San Francisco in July.
What are you working on now? Maintaining my sanity? Just kidding. But between now and June I have four projects being released:
April 1 – SEVEN NIGHTS OF SIN, an erotica novel by Lacey Alexander from Penguin/NAL May 13 – a short story e-book called YOU SEND ME, which is being released through Avon and is a prequel to LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER May 27 – LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER June 3 – THE POWER OF LOVE anthology.
So lately I feel pretty overwhelmed with promo stuff and e-mail. ; ) But in between I’m also starting to work on a Lacey novella for Ellora’s Cave, the last in the City Heat series, which is thrilling because I’ve been trying to finish this series for a couple of years now, and I look forward to finally getting the last installments out to the readers who have been waiting. And I hope to soon start on my next book for Avon, as well. Thank you for a wonderful interview, Lori! I really enjoyed it! Eight Golden Rules of Organization, continued
Two – Prioritize If you have a few short, easily accomplished items on your list, do those first. It will put you in the mental state of mind of being productive. By the time you settle down to longer, more complicated tasks, you’ll already feel fired up and successful. “Called Grandma and chatted for no more than ten minutes.” Cool! Cross it off. Three – Small increments This is related to the first two items. Think about the day’s tasks in bite-sized chunks to keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed by all you have to accomplish. Having a list to keep you on track and clearing it of quick jobs first is part of an entire mindset of compartmentalization. (See Hugh Grant’s opening monologue in About a Boy for a funny bit about a life lived in increments.) Four – Establish habits Even if you’re totally swamped, at least write a quick one hundred to five hundred words every day to maintain the habit. It’s akin to skipping one work-out and soon finding you’re not doing your exercise regimen at all. Keep your hand in writing even if you can only manage a little and even if you don’t think what you’ve produced is very good. At least you’ll be establishing a habit. Five – Throw it out! Your outer space represents your inner life. I believe if you keep a neat work and living area, your thoughts will be more organized too. Don’t be afraid to toss things. If you haven’t used it, worn it or looked at it within a reasonable length of time, you don’t need it. This doesn’t include holiday decorations you only use once a year, but does include your children’s old baby clothes or that exercise machine you never use. Done reading magazines? Toss them. Don’t let them lie around your living room. Clutter is your enemy. Simplicity is your friend. Six – Don’t second guess Don’t dither over decisions, and once you’ve made them, don’t second guess yourself. You’ll be much more productive if you keep moving forward fearlessly. If it becomes glaringly obvious you’ve made a mistake, don’t berate yourself, but move on from there taking a valuable lesson with you. Don’t get mired in negativity. Fix the situation if you can, then begin something new. Seven – Multi-task I think it goes without saying that if it’s possible to direct your attention to more than one task at a time, you should do so. For example, while heating water to boil noodles, prepare a mailing or write a paragraph or two. There are many jobs that can be accomplished simultaneously. Just don’t spread yourself so thin you start to feel fragmented or you burn a hole in the bottom of a pan. Eight – Write “no matter what” If we all waited until we were in the mood to do things, certainly very few people would go into work every day! If writing is your business, you must learn to do it even when you’re not feeling creative or inspired. Sometimes just the act of sitting down and typing will get the creative juices flowing. Other times it will be a struggle. But developing the habit is everything. Okay, this is basically Rule Four reiterated, but I can’t emphasize it enough. I hope my tips are useful. They certainly keep me on track—especially the lists and sticky notes to remind me of what the hell I’m supposed to be doing. I couldn’t get through a day without those prompts. Which reminds me of a funny blonde joke, but I’ll make it “dumb chick” to be more PC. Dumb chick wearing headphones walks into a hair salon. The hairdresser tells her she’ll have to remove them in order to get a trim. The dumb chick resists, but eventually the hairdresser gets her to take off the headphones. Almost instantly the woman starts gasping, her face turns blue and she falls to the floor, dead. The horrified hairdresser picks up the headphones and listens. “Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.”
Whether you're a fan of contemporary, paranormal or historical romance, you'll find something to enjoy among Bonnie Dee's many books. Her special interest is in flawed, often damaged characters who find the fulfillment they seek in one another. Learn more at http://bonniedee.com. When you have to push the closet door closed
The one good thing about my house is there’s a ton of closets, big ones. My walk-in closet has to be bigger than my first apartment. All the closet space allows me to be as much of a pack rat as I want for at least a year. Then, of course, the cleaning activity is much, much bigger. I can spend an entire day cleaning one closet, which leaves me with a pile of stuff to find a new place for. That leads me to the second closet, and so on and so on. *sigh* So I have three choices. First choice is easy. I can purge the closets and go to Goodwill or The Salvation Army, which I’ve done a lot, especially when I was moving. The second choice is one of my favorites, ebay. I’ve spent way too many hours browsing on that site, but I’ve found some treasures and sold some junk. You know what they say, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, right? Honestly, if you can’t find something on ebay, I don’t think it exists. The third choice is to have a tag/yard/garage sale (pick your name, depends on what part of the country you’re in). That, ladies and gentlemen, is like twice the work. First you clean the closets, then you arrange the tag sale, put up signs, and work your ass off for some extra bucks. Last year I had my first solo tag sale and made $300 or so, not a bad haul. The idea of a tag sale is a great one, but be prepared to sacrifice time and energy to host one. It’s your choice of easy, medium and hard, with a tax break or extra cash, depending on your needs and wants. These address the problem of all the extra stuff, but not the behavior that made it build up in the first place. Now, of course, I have to turn my attentions back to why the pack rattishness happens in the first place. I think I might need that thing one day, or perhaps I bought new towels, or a new tablecloth – anything that requires storage space. The key is to resist the impulse to store it and to categorize your storage closets. Let me explain. If you have a linen closet, make a rule that you will store no more than six towels. Stick to that rule and if you buy new towels, take some of the old ones and either toss them, recycle them as rags or donate them. If you keep up with the “stuff”, you don’t become a pack rat like me. Another rule for clothes and shoes if you haven’t worn them in a year, they’re gone. Now for the categorizing. I have my shelves and closets organized by the type of stuff. Linen closets are easy, of course, but then I have a coat closet, a closet for vacuums and cleaning supplies, the clothes closets (with extra shelves for games/puzzles in the kid's rooms) and my “everything” closet. We even call it that when we’re talking. “Where is the atlas?” “In the everything closet on the top shelf.” My system isn’t perfect, especially if you don’t have a lot of closets, but if you stick to the “rules” you set up for them, the clutter won’t build up so quickly or so high. In the meantime, I have five closets and one storage area to clean (gulp). My neighbor and I are planning a tag sale on Memorial Day weekend. Yes, I know, glutton for punishment, but you know, if I’m going to spend the energy cleaning the closets, I might as well get some cash from it, right? So for today, I’m going to keep moving things aside, pushing that box in with my foot, and latching the closet door. :)
Beth Williamson is the author of more than eighteen novels and novellas. Her current print release with Samhain, Devils on Horseback: Jake, the second book in the devils series is filled with action, emotion and the grittiness of post-war life in the South. Beth lives just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two sons. Born and raised in New York, she holds a B.F.A. in writing from New York University. She spends her days as a technical writer, and her nights immersed in writing hot romances for her readers. You can find her online at www.bethwilliamson.com/ or on her blog at myblog.bethwilliamson.com/ Spring Cleaning, continued
This problem ultimately affects my spring cleaning, as everyone knows, spring is the time for action. Uhm. Hi. Okay. So…what was I just talking about? Oh yes, lists! So, in order to help me and those I love, at least the ones who haven’t moved as far away as possible (yet), I create lists. I personally have five notebooks all filled with various lists that I keep with me at all times. Each one is filled with tasks requiring fulfillment within specified and unspecified time frames. Spring time, though, is so much more exciting for me as I can now bring out the Spring Cleaning List pad, the fabulous SCL. Yes! Using the SCL, I draw up lists. Lists of things to remove and replace. Lists of things to clean. Lists of things to buy, sell and trash. Lists for me, the family, the friends, the cats… Even the trash collectors have paused, stared at my house in awe and bowed their heads upon receiving one of my lists taped to the side of the trash cans. This is not related at all to the pile of garbage slowly accumulating in our front yard. These little slips of paper appear to be trivial, but the Willing household wouldn’t survive without their very presence. They are essential for the magical transformation of our home’s dowdy winter cloak to glowing spring fashion. How else would we remember to swap the green comforter in the guest room for the blue one with the pretty embroidered lambs? Would anyone think to turn the House Mouse ornament on the mantelpiece to face the window without this powerful reminder? Just think, spring cleaning is a symbolic act of rejoicing in a new world. Spring is the time of multiplying. Plants bloom, animals breed, clutter collects. It is a season of opening our souls to the infinite possibilities that life and new décor can bring—a time to open your mind, boot out the old and loot the attic to bring back the even older. Where would we be without grandma’s 'fifty-year-old-moth-eaten throw' decorating the couch and making the family room look like the back of a dump truck? It’s these little things that refresh those favorite memories which make the family spirits soar. Lists enable us to remember the tiny details. My wife, like me, is also ecstatic at this time. Every year, in her eagerness to clean and tidy, she accidentally throws her list away with the trash. Each time, as I return the list to her, she thanks me with a heartfelt tear of gratitude in her eyes. So touched is she by this act of kindness, I’ve sometimes found her, moments later, hiding in the bedroom and weeping for joy. Then, when all the items are crossed out and the tasks completed, we have the ritual “Burning of the SCL”. It is a time of peacefulness and thankfulness where the family meditates on all the wonderful reasons why we still love each other, and my wife also burns the divorce papers she was filling out for a friend. Spring cleaning is done, the air is fresh and clear and our time is our own again. Hang on, wait a minute. I’ve got a list of writing tasks to do… P.S. This account of life in the Willing home is only partly fiction—seriously.
S.J. Willing, author/creator of Poseidon VII, the PIACT Undercover agent series and the Agent Double D.3 Exposes, is reputedly sane. Don't believe that outrageous lie. Find out more and join the hilarious insanity at his web page (www.sjwilling.com) and forum (www.sjwillingforum.com) - bring your steel underwear.
What's In Your Carry-On?, continued
This month I went to my fellow authors and asked them for their best tips for packing lean and mean for, primarily, air travel. But these tips work for any kind of travel. Universally, they all said “Start with a list!” Why is this essential? It helps keep you on track – if it’s not on your list, you don’t need it. Defends against last minute “I might need this” syndrome. The best thing to do is use a basic list you can customize depending on your destination. Having been burned by lost or delivered-two-days-later luggage, I always carry on my person my drop-dead survival essentials. I’ve learned from hard experience that it’s possible to live without ninety percent of what I packed, if necessary. So, what’s in my carry-on?
Note: Don’t forget to put your liquids/gels/lip balms and meds in QUART size plastic bags. TSA frowns on gallon-size bags. More tips for packing light:
When it comes to packing clothing, here is where I really need some help! It turned to my fellow authors for advice, and as usual they didn’t fail me!
Pam Champagne: www.pamchampagne.net I pack a wrinkle-free, four-piece black outfit (skirt, dress, jacket and pants) and generally a white jersey, perhaps a red one and accessories like scarves and jewelry to make each outfit unique.
Emily Veinglory: www.veinglory.com
Angela James, Executive Editor, Samhain Publishing: www.nicemommy-evileditor.com/blog I make a list, not just of what I need to take, but what I'm going to wear each day, so I pack just enough clothes/shoes, and can coordinate my clothes/shoes to work with different outfits. I allow myself two outfits per day (day outfit and evening outfit) and then set a limit to the "extra" clothes that I can take. If I didn't do it that way, I'd just be throwing clothes in left and right and I'd need four suitcases for a three-day trip!
Lynne Connolly: www.lynneconnolly.com Pick two colors and stick to them, except for a few accents and stuff. Then you can make two tops go with one skirt, that kind of thing. I'm not exactly a military precision type of girl. Oh yes, and those handy-dandy travel size containers for shampoo, conditioner etc are quite good. I have been known to carry sachets of whatever to last me a day or two then go out and buy what I need.
Katriena Knights: http://katrienaknights.kabeka.com/ I don't carry any shampoo or conditioner, etc., and just use what's in the hotel. The reason for this isn't so much to travel light, but because they literally explode going back and forth from my altitude to sea level!
Bianca D’Arc: www.biancadarc.com I buy coordinating separates so I can have clothing with me that will perform "double duty," as it were. You only have to really pack a bunch of different tops to make up different outfits. Oh, and flatpacking—that's the big space saver. Pack everything flat and then stick things like socks, panythose, underwear, etc, in around the big flat pile of clothes. It works wonders!
Jean Marie Ward: www.wardsmith.com Define "light." LOL - When I'm packing for appearances, I figure out what kind of clothes I'll need (casual, business, formal or a combination thereof), then build an interchangeable wardrobe around a single color. If I use black, for example, I'll pack black pants, black top, black skirt, black purse and black shoes or boots, and fill in with pieces of various bright colors which coordinate with black and (ideally) each other. Notwithstanding, my husband claims I need sherpas. Mais non! That's why they put wheels on suitcases and big strong men on airplanes who feel compelled to heft women's suitcases over their heads. ;-)
Jody Wallace: www.jodywallace.com
Kate Johnson: www.katejohnson.co.uk
As a former
check-in agent myself, my advice is to really,
really
don't argue with the check-in agent. She's been up since 3:30 (yes,
I know you have, too, but she does this every day and doesn't get a
holiday at the end of it), and she gets paid minimum wage. If you
make her life more stressful, she will search for the harassed
couple with baby twins/party of rowdy schoolchildren/obese smelly
businessman, and seat you there. Oh! And don’t forget your TSA lock.
Jane Lovering: www.janelovering.co.uk Tubes of TravelWash. That way you only need to take two pairs of knickers (one on and one on the hotel radiator). Don't try washing underwear with soap or shampoo, I did and I've still got the rash. Don't take anything you can buy at the far end. Unless you're going somewhere you don't speak the language, where you'll end up in the chemist pointing and grunting and coming out with more condoms and hairnets than anyone can find a use for. If you're traveling with your other half, share his clothes. OK, take your own trousers and stuff, but you can wear his shirts, tees, socks, etc. Oh, but don't try sharing evening wear, my other half gets annoyed when I crumple his cocktail frock.
Maia Strong: www.maiastrong.com
Nothing in the
world will serve you better on trips (esp. long trips) than hiking
underwear. You can wash it at night and it's dry by morning—and if
you get caught in a sudden downpour, well, it'll get dry well before
the rest of you does. ;) (Was that TMI? Oh well! LOL)
Clothes are
separates. I love designer black jeans because they dress up, dress
down, and are comfortable. (I get mine at Mervyns, the Gloria
Vanderbilt line). I use the "pick a color palate" method for My best way now to pack lighter is to let DH pack for me. Since he regards packing as an adventure in problem solving, he's generous about doing it. One of his hints is to put small things like socks inside shoes, etc. Also I try to be realistic about how many books I'll be able to read while I'm away and not shlep enough to equip me for a year on a desert island.
Jennifer Dunne: www.jenniferdunne.com
For a
conference, pick out the color palette that I'll be wearing
(generally emerald and blue... but sometimes burgundy) and choose
slacks and jackets that work with that palette -- generally one in
each color plus black. The black is so that if I should happen to
spill something on the colored pants, I'll have something that works
as a backup for either. :-)
I work out every
day, so part of my gear is sneakers, shorts, swimsuit, and T-shirt.
That sucks up some room. I stuff my sneakers with socks and
underwear and roll up the workout gear and tuck it into the sides.
Lacey Alexander: www.laceyalexander.net
I usually do the
thing where I roll up my clothes. This really is an AMAZING space
saver, and most things come out looking much better than you’d
imagine with this method, formal dresses in particular are usually
made of materials that don’t particularly wrinkle.
Um, this is
probably not practical, but I sometimes buy clothes at the
destination. And when it's time to fly home, fitting this stuff in
my suitcase isn't a problem because it's expandable.
Tina Gerow: www.tinagerow.com
Febreeze is a MUST! Especially when the bar is a smoking zone like
last year at RT! Yuck! ---- References/Handy Tools:
http://www.onebag. com/pack. html Before the Movie, There Was the Book, continued
Instead of despairing, as I expect many of us, including me, would
do—Give me drugs, NOW!--Jean-Dominique examined his constrained
circumstances and determined to live as fully in his mind as he once
did in his body. Trapped inside his "diving bell", he relived the
sensual experiences of a lifetime. He prepared imaginary meals. "I
treat myself to a dozen snails, a plate of Alsatian sausage with
sauerkraut, and a bottle of late-vintage golden Gewurztraminer; or
else I savor a simple soft-boiled egg with fingers of toast and
lightly salted butter. What a banquet! The yolk flows warmly over
my palate and down my throat. And indigestion is never a problem."
He visited the woman he loved. "[I] slide down beside
her and stroke her still-sleeping face." He took fantasy trips.
"They are strange wanderings...Little bits of the world... The sour
smell of a New York bar... The white icy nights of Saint Petersburg,
or the unbelievably molten sun at Furnace Creek in the Nevada
desert." Not Feeling Creative? In Praise of Slowing Down, continued
I venture to say these feelings aren’t new for humans. A hundred years ago there were people attempting to keep up with the Jones’s, wearing the “right” clothes for the job, staying on trend, following the celebrities of the day. History repeats itself without fail, yet we can choose to slow down. We can discover that not being stressed and harried is a matter of choice. We Are Borg In our world of Bluetooth, iPod, iMac, digital cameras in cell phones and dozens of other items that make us believe everything should be done yesterday, I say let’s slow down. One of my favorite jokes is to say I’ll never be “Borg.” What’s a Borg? In one of the Star Trek movies (can’t remember which one) Jean Luc Picard and the gang encountered aliens that wanted to assimilate everyone. As the Borg was concerned, you would either become one with them or you’d die. Borg said more than once, “Resistance is futile.” If I’m not wearing a Bluetooth because other people are, I’m refusing to assimilate into the world that says it’s good to run on that never-ending treadmill. Simply doesn’t make sense for my lifestyle. I’m happiest if I choose to do things in a less manic pace. Plus, it wouldn’t fit in my ears (small ear canals). Problem solved. I never thought about slowing down until I realized I wasn’t...well...slowing down. When I was a kid there were no personal computers, no cell phones (not even car phones), no iPods or iMacs or answering machines. Nope. It’s not that people couldn’t fill up their days with activities or run themselves ragged overworking. They often did. When I was a child, though, reading a book was my A-number-one favorite pastime. Not even a good episode of Lassie or Bullwinkle and Squirrel could tug me away from favorite books. Now a good spooky movie might do it. Ahem. Reading for more than a few minutes without thinking of something else I “should” be doing takes an act of congress. Even some of the “shoulds” threaten to derail my writing time. Which, if you think about it, is patently absurd. After all, writing is my career. My job. Yet laundry will scream my name far too often, or volunteering for this or that will interfere. Even in my twenties I found I could lie down on my couch without music or TV blaring and read and read and read. What in the name of gumption happened? Stop and Live In The Now In these days of so much automation, many of us think “stop and smell the roses” means giving in to laziness. Stress is a banner of accomplishment worn on some go-getter’s sleeves with great pride. Feeling overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated is somehow looked upon as "in". If my list isn’t longer than yours, well by golly I must be doing something wrong. If I’m not promoting my books in eighty-five different places on the Internet, surely I’m doing something incorrect. Don’t get me wrong...if you do have eighty-five different places you are promoting your books and it isn’t stressing you or taking you away from your main job of writing the books, then by all means keep promoting in eighty-five different places. Everyone has their own comfortable pace. That’s the kicker, though. Do you know what your comfortable pace is? Or have you abandoned it in favor of what someone said your pace should be? Dumpin’ The Monkey Mind Eric Maisel, author and creativity coach, suggests that if authors want to access the guts of what makes them an author, they have to chill the “monkey mind”. And ya know, I think he’s right. If you can’t access a depth of emotion other than feeling like a rat running a maze, your work will show it. I have major monkey mind, and I know that when I force myself to stop and smell the roses, boy do I feel better and wow does my writing benefit. Not only have I written a piece that is more emotionally connecting for the reader, but my mind is free to use the rich imagination I possess. Take some time...yeah, that’s it. Put down the cell phone...step away from the cell phone, ma’am. There. Now, take a deep breath. Sit in one place. Forget the laundry and dishes. Ah. Pick up a book and read. Walk in the garden and smell the roses. Sit on the porch and do absolutely nothing. Doesn’t that feel better?
Romantic Times Book Review Magazine calls Denise A. Agnew’s novels “top-notch” and she’s received a TOP PICK. Denise’s record proves that with paranormal, time travel, romantic comedy, contemporary, historical, erotic romance and romantic suspense novels under her belt, she enjoys writing about a diverse range of subjects. Her experiences with archaeology and archery have crept into her work. Denise lives in Sierra Vista, Arizona with her real life hero, her husband. Stop by her website at www.deniseagnew.com for excerpts, contests and the latest scoop on her novels. Tips for Online Shopping, continued
However, more and more people are turning to the Internet to shop for their clothing and accessories. As websites become more user-friendly and the security increases, people are finding that shopping online is as safe and fun as going to their usual brick-and-mortar stores. Aside from not wanting to push their way through the crowds, these shoppers have found that shopping online has many benefits. These benefits include –
With all these perks to lure the average shopper, it’s not difficult to understand why more and more people are turning to shopping online. But the question the first-time online shopper has is usually a simple one. Where do I go to shop online? How do I find what I’m searching for? Here are my suggestions for online shopping –
You get the idea, right? But where do you go to find bargains online? Do online stores have the great sales the mall stores have? Will you have to sacrifice quality for a low price? All these are questions usually answered in the online store’s Frequently Asked Questions area. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite online stores and shopping sites. Visit them and see if they become yours too. Coldwater Creek – Whether you’re a size four or have more meat on your bones like me, you’ll find a wide selection of women’s clothing, purses, shoes, jewelry and more. This store sometimes gives free shipping (with a minimum order amount) as well as Internet discounts and exclusive items. Plus, the shopper has the option of returning items via the mail or to their local store. Find this wonderful store at www.coldwatercreek.com. Target – If you hate trudging through the throngs that inhabit this popular store, try shopping online. Whether you’re hunting trendy new jeans for your picky teen or inexpensive tennis shoes for your six year old, Target’s prices are as good online as they are inside the store. Plus, many big name stores like Wal-Mart and Best Buy (aren’t cell phones a fashion accessory now?) are offering a “shop at home and pick up at the store” option. You can find what you’re wanting online, buy it, and then go to the Customer Service desk at the store and pick up the item. No waiting for the item to be shipped. Go to www.target.com . BizRate.com Online Comparison Shopping – By using a comparison shopping site such as BizRate.com or Pricegrabber.com, the savvy shopper can shop at more than one store for the same item. These sites will find the cheapest price and compare the stores’ selections and shipping costs. To find more comparison shopping sites, use that trusty search engine again and type “comparison shopping” in the search box. Shop at Shopzilla.com – If you’re always looking for a bargain and want to compare prices for the same item at different stores, try using an online bargain site for great coupons and discounts. My favorite bargain sites are Bargainshopping.org and Shopzilla.com. Instead of running from one store and then another hoping to find the best deal possible, these comparison-style sites do it for you. Find Shopzilla at www.shopzilla.com . Ebay – Although most people don’t think of Ebay as a clothing store, the vigilant shopper can often find that one-of-a-kind item in an auction. From a vintage purse, to a slightly-worn-but-just-like-new wedding gown, to a hard-to-find item like a size three dojo karate uniform, a shopper can enjoy the thrill of an auction or simply use the Buy It Now option when available. The above stores and website are my favorites, but I’m sure there are many more. Use the tools I’ve suggested and visit these stores or find your own favorites. Whichever method you use, I wish you Happy Online Shopping!
Beverly's witty, sexy, romantic, action-packed stories leave readers experiencing a whole range of emotions. Read more about her and books at www.beverlyrae.com. FENG SHUI Tips, continued
For Fame and Success 1. You should always face the door when you sit at your desk. 2. Add something red to the middle of the front of your desk. Red brings energy. 3. Throw a party! Surround yourself with friends and laughter to stir up stagnant creativity.
Enhance Relationships 1. No television or office in the bedroom. These create distractions to love and harmony. 2. No weapons hanging in the bedroom, not even your favorite medieval sword or research pictures. 3. If you are trying to attract a mate, pair up for success. Two candles, two pillows, two nightstands, etc.
Find Your Life’s Path and Purpose 1. Always use the front door of your house; it makes you feel important and projects a sense of authority. 2. Be certain nothing hampers the front door swinging completely open—this blocks energy from entering completely. Remove anything from behind the door including plants, coat-racks and pictures. 3. Make certain your doorbell works, your door doesn’t stick, and it looks clean and inviting. 4. If you feel you need protection, hide some children’s army men on either side of the walkway leading up to your house—or guard-dogs, dragons (fire-breathing and/or carnivorous work best), werewolves, were-cats, giant man-eating snakes, fairy-godmothers, angels, Viking berserkers, Pict warriors, Scottish Highlanders, paladins, elves or anything else that you can possibly think of.
Remember, any time your life feels stagnant or disconnected, moving stuff around creates energy and excitement. Clean out that old file drawer by your desk, that hall closet that hasn’t been opened in over a decade or that pile of clothes stacked in the hamper by your bed. Stir up your life, get some groove going on! Gia Dawn is a multi-published author who writes fun fantasy romance with the heat turned up. Her current release is Princess of Thieves, with Dunmore Rising to follow in June 2008. www.giadawn.com
Writers: Be Cautious Of What You Share, continued
Here is a list of suggestions you can use to protect yourself from unpleasant persons:
Incorporating these suggestions and taking sensible precautions will help you to avoid future trouble with crazy fans. Being educated and informed can give you some peace of mind. You want to spend your time writing and not worrying about being stalked.
Diane Craver is a multi-published author and you can check her out at www.dianecraver.com FICTION, Unbreakable, Part I The dress fit to perfection, accentuating every slender curve. His imagination went to places he’d forgotten existed. He smiled smugly to himself as the three other male patrons of the bar stopped their lively conversation to stare open-mouthed as she walked past them without so much as a second glance and took a seat at the bar. He picked up the photo once again. The hundred-acre ranch outside the small town of Shepard’s Way, New Zealand. It was almost within his grasp now. Just one final obligation and then with any luck, he’d never have to be involved in the shadow world again, and maybe someday he could sleep through the night. Still, something about this last case had him spooked. It reminded him of all that he stood to lose if something went wrong—and it always did. It made him wonder if maybe he’d stayed too long in the game. Would this final mission prove to be his ultimate downfall? He knew this enemy. Had unwillingly become intricately involved in their plans for the U.S. He knew they would stop at nothing to accomplish their goal. Jack placed the photo back on the table, irritated with himself. Thinking like that would get him killed. Besides, he was just there to offer advice, nothing more. Denny would be in charge and he owed this and so much more to his friend. He couldn’t let Denny down again. Against his will, his thoughts went to the past. He couldn’t be in the city and not remember it. And he couldn’t think about his past life here and the mistakes he’d made and not remember Norah. Jack gave himself a mental shake. It was over and done years ago. Why couldn’t he move beyond it? Denny had. Denny had found the happiness he deserved after Norah. And as Denny was quick to point out, Jack needed to do the same. Easier said than done... The commotion at the bar captured his attention and brought it back to the present. Jack’s gaze went to the woman. One of the three men had braved his friends' teasing in an attempt to talk to her. He could tell from her body language alone that she wasn’t happy with the intrusion. The man swayed closer, touching her arm and entering her personal space. He was obviously drunk. “Stay out of it, Riley. It’s none of your business,” Jack muttered under his breath while trying to ignore the "situation" developing at the bar. Annoyed with himself, his glance slid to the bartender, who was busy watching reruns of golf and deliberately ignoring the trouble around him. “She can take care of herself...” But even as he said the words, the drunk moved closer, his hand fumbling to cover her breast. Jack was on his feet, cursing himself for stopping at the bar in the first place. Honor wouldn’t let him stand by and do nothing.
“Hi there, pretty lady. My friends and me noticed you looked a little lonely. You need some company?” Carrie didn’t even have to turn around to know this would be one of the three men she’d seen leering at her when she’d walked in the bar. She tried to keep from showing her annoyance with the situation. “Um, thank you, that’s very kind of you, but I’m waiting for someone.” She gave him her best apologetic smile, hoping he would take the hint. She could smell the number of drinks he’d consumed on his breath as he leaned in closer, ignoring what she wanted entirely. Were all men deaf? “Come on, baby, don’t be like that. I have money.” He whispered close to her ear. God, he thought she was a hooker too. It was the outfit. She knew it! Carrie’s smile faltered a little. Somehow, she managed to keep her voice level. “Thank you, that’s very sweet. But I don’t think so.” He reached inside his pants pocket and pulled out a wad of bills. “How much?” Could he be this dense or just extremely drunk? “Sorry, but you don’t have that much, I’m afraid,” Carrie told him sweetly, waving the bartender off before he could come to her rescue. Being top of her self-defense class at Quantico taught her how to take care of herself. Carrie turned away from the man hoping he’d take the hint. Outside a hard rain continued to batter the shuttered windows of the hotel’s bar like waves along the beachfront. She hadn’t quite made it inside the safety of the hotel before the predicted storm hit the Federal district, drenching everything in sight, including her. One glance at her soaked figure in the mirror of the lobby had made it official. This had to be the worst day ever! The slim-fitting, black Vera Wang dinner dress clung to the curves of her body like a second skin and made her conscious of every single move she made. And apparently, she wasn’t the only one to notice. She must have been crazy letting Melinda talk her into buying a four-hundred-dollar dress in the first place. Especially on bureau salary. “Girl, you look great in it. Stop acting like a tight-ass fed for once and do something in that dress tonight that will make us both proud. Get laid!” Melinda, her former roommate from the University of Virginia and Carrie’s closet friend, shunned all government jobs in spite of living in D.C., a city that survived off government bureaucracy. Instead, Melinda chose to go into family law and smirked every single time Carrie talked about her button-down job with the Bureau. “Not going to happen. I barely have time in my life for my dog. There’s no room for a man.” In spite of all her denials, it hadn’t stopped Melinda from stopping at Carrie’s apartment to help with her makeup. Which was probably why she resembled a hooker right now. The matching three-inch stiletto heels Melinda told her worked perfectly with the dress made her ankles sway unsteadily as she walked across the foyer to the bar. She stopped in the doorway long enough to survey the room. Standard Bureau training. Never enter a situation uninformed. Close to the front and clearly highly intoxicated were three men, dressed in business suits talking too loud. Harmless even if they were drunk. The bar appeared to be empty. Carrie’s gaze swept the dark corners. She’d almost missed him sitting alone at the table. The tiny light above the table was burned out or disconnected deliberately. Only a small candle burned on the table. Enough for him to see by but not enough light to allow anyone curious to make out much about the man. The hair at the back of her neck warned her he was someone to watch out for. She could handle the drunks. But this guy unnerved her. At that moment, he glanced up from studying something to make eye contact briefly. Something unfamiliar rushed through her body like an electrical current. Carrie broke contact immediately but couldn’t stop the rush of heat that swept over her. She was turned on by him. A stranger. Someone who her gut instinct told her wasn’t just your normal bar patron. She forced herself to walk to the bar, ignoring the three men who had stopped talking and were gawking at her legs. She couldn’t dismiss the man in the corner. His gaze followed her across the room. She could feel their heat. Carrie moved to the far end of the bar from the three, but still in surveillance of the room and more importantly the threat in the corner. She ordered the first thing to come to mind when the bartender asked her what she wanted. Her once elegant upswept hair, so un-Carrie-like, felt like it might be plastered against her head. A hell of a way to end what had started out as the perfect day. An unfamiliar uneasiness crept along her spine. It was just this damn case. It had everyone spooked. Everything was riding on solving it quickly, including her career. For months now, she’d noticed a distant spike in chatter amongst the terrorist cells she’d been tracking as part of her duties as intelligence analyst for the bureau. Three weeks ago, a new player came onto the scene, claiming to be Red Jihad, a splinter cell of Al Quaeda, and the chatter went off the charts. After a whole lot of smoke and shadows along with some major complaining about civil rights infringement from the ISP, Carrie had managed to trace the email location to a coffee shop in Richmond. A little too close for comfort. After briefing her direct command, Dennis Hernandez, who in turn asked her to brief the deputy director of counterterrorism, the likelihood of another attack seemed not only possible but also eminent. The severity of the situation warranted immediate action. The deputy director ordered a taskforce organized to find the threat and stop it before they had another 9/11 on their hands. She couldn’t wait to share the news with her father. But instead of being proud of his daughter’s contribution to the country’s safety or pleased with her accomplishments, Martin Bennedict chose tonight of all nights to bring up the same old argument. He just couldn’t understand how Carrie could waste her career sitting behind a computer screen. The argument escalated into its usual shouting match, which resulted in her walking out of her father’s house before she said something further she’d need to apologize for. She’d walked for hours before the storm drove her to seek cover in this particular bar. “Another Stolie, straight up.” She told the bartender and then waited for him to request the usual proof of age. Apparently, it had been a long night for him as well. He shrugged, walked away, and returned a few minutes later with her drink. She was tempted to tell him to keep them coming. Her reflection in the mirror over the bar shocked her. She looked like a call girl—granted a high-priced, drenched call girl—but a call girl just the same. Thanks a lot, Melinda. This wasn’t her. This was daddy’s version of his little girl acting the part. Well, okay, so maybe not the call girl part, but the dressed-to-the-nines in designer wear part. Carrie preferred just about anything to these ridiculous haute couture fashion shows and predicable dinner parties her father loved to host. She glanced at her watch. Almost midnight. She’d been walking off her anger for hours.
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