I remind myself that it could be like this! LOL! While I love a nice snow and some heat, the weather we’re about to get in the New York City area is brutal. Especially in the city where the bricks and buildings heat up and create what we call The Pizza Oven Effect. It truly feels like you’re being baked. But again, probably better than dealing with snow like this which fell on the Jersey Shore in December 2010. Hope you all have a Happy Friday Eve!
#ThrowbackThursday – Blizzard 2010
Spring is here! Goodbye snow! Oh wait, today’s throwback is to December 2010 and the blizzard that hit most of the Northeast. You don’t usually see snow accumulate on the sand, so it was an unusual sight. We easily had 3 to 4 feet of snow with higher drifts in spots.
The Writing Blizzard #WisdomWednesday
From that day in the fifth grade when my English teacher assigned our class project – to write a book – I knew I wanted to be a writer. I’d always been an avid reader, but until that day, it hadn’t occurred to me that the stories in my head could become a story that one day others would read.
I kept at it through high school, college, and law school. The child of immigrant parents and an immigrant myself, education was important, but so was a career that would pay the bills. My parents, especially my mom, didn’t think writing would do it and I am eternally grateful that I was an obedient child since my day job has provided me with many wonderful opportunities.
But so did the world of writing. New friends and new places to visit. Of course, that was balanced out by something I didn’t expect: the writing blizzard. The flurries of ideas that might not ever become anything more. The avalanche of rejection letters that gave way to an even greater avalanche of edits, marketing demands, business obligations, and more.
A lot of new writers I meet think that getting published is the hard part. I gently try to prepare them for the greater blizzard of work that comes after publication.
But if writing is your passion, you put your head down and weather the blizzard because something bright and wonderful emerges from the storm: a new story.
And then the blizzard begins all over again!
#TuesdayTip Shoveling that Snow
We’ve got a blizzard going today. Unfortunately, that means no Philadelphia Flower Show for me this year as I was supposed to be going today. So sad. I was really looking forward to the show. The theme was Holland this year and I absolutely love bulbs like daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and more!
Instead I will be shoveling and here are some tips for you to stay safe if you’re experiencing winter snow as well.
- Keep the loads light and try to push instead of lift.
- If you have to lift, do so with your knees and not your back.
- Keep your shoveling intervals short, no more than ten minutes at a time if you can.
- Dress appropriately! Hat, scarves, gloves and good boots to stay warm.
- Listen to your body and stop if you are feeling short of breath or dizzy.
And now, a photo of my snowy view this morning!
P.S. – I’m working on a new look for the website. Would love to hear what you think about it!
#ThrowbackThursday Hurry Up Spring!
With today’s blizzard happening right outside my window, it’s time for some flowers to keep me sane! These are from the 2012 Philadelphia Flower Show. So looking forward to the next one!
Stay safe and warm for those in the Northeast!
Click here if you would like to see more photos from the 2014 Philly Flower Show!
#ThrowbackThursday 2010 Blizzard
Except for the day of my daughter’s big move, we’ve had a fairly calm and easy winter. I hope that keeps up! This picture is a reminder of a winter that didn’t go so easily – the winter of 2010. We went to bed and woke up to this amazing deposit of snow!
10 Reasons to Fall in Love with Katherine Bordessa by Laura Kaye & #Giveaway
We’re very lucky to have with us today Laura Kaye, a friend and fellow author who is sharing her latest release with us. SEDUCED BY THE VAMPIRE is the Nocturne Cravings release mate to NIGHT OF THE COUGAR, my June erotic shapeshifter romance. I’m so loving the purple theme here! It’s such a rich and royal color.
So without further ado, here’s Laura . . .
I’m very excited to be celebrating my newest release, a dark paranormal romance called Seduced by the Vampire King, the second in my new Vampire Warrior Kings series. And I’m particularly excited to be sharing release months (again!) with Caridad—thanks so much for having me here! Seduced by the Vampire King offers a twist on an enemies-to-lovers story by pairing a vampire king who desires only vengeance with a human woman who has fled 5,000 from her home to escape her destiny in the service of vampires.
One of the things I love about Seduced by the Vampire King is the heroine. So here are ten reasons you just might fall in love with heroine Katherine Bordessa:
10. She’s multilingual, something I’m not, so I admire it greatly in others! Kate is fluent in English, French and Russian.
9. She knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want. And when something challenges those, she is open minded enough to consider the new information before she acts on it. A lot of this story is about Kate confronting that she wants something she thought she never would.
8. She keeps a level head in stressful situations. Attacked. Kidnapped. Imprisoned. And yet Kate holds herself together! Love that about her!
7. Kate’s not afraid to stand up to the big, intimidating and powerful men she encounters, despite being hurt and imprisoned. They all begrudgingly admire her for that, too!
6. She takes initiative. When she finds an injured man in a dark driveway in the middle of downtown Moscow, she doesn’t freak out. Instead, she assesses his injuries and calls the authorities. And then, when she realizes that man isn’t, well, a man, she takes charge of that situation, too.
5. Kate has more than her fair share of courage. Whether she’s getting bitten by a vampire, ambushed by a group of vampire warriors, or imprisoned, she handles herself, her emotions, and is always looking for a strategy and solution to her situation. She’s pretty bad ass, actually!
4. More evidence that Kate Bordessa kicks ass: when she finds what she soon realizes is an injured vampire unconscious out in public, Kate acts. First, to hide him. Second, to save him. Third, to defend him against would-be attackers.
3. Kate is selfless, giving and compassionate. Despite her rejection of a future serving vampires, she allows the dying vampire she finds feed from her to save his life. Then, later, she comforts him when he discovers just how bad the bite wound is. She is the perfect balance of standing up for herself and giving to others. And that slays Nikolai!
2. Kate takes such good care of Nikolai. She recognizes right away that he is hurting and grieving, and despite her fear, she offers compassion in return. And it’s exactly what she needs.
1. When the time comes, Kate gives herself over to the bloodlust that will bring her and Nikolai together once and for all. She’s magnificent in her desire for him in that moment, and her desire for his blood totally rocks Nikolai’s world! Don’t you love when a heroine has the power to do that to the hero?
For me, all of these add up to one fierce, kick-ass heroine, and I hope you’ll agree that she’s completely lovable and totally worthy of Nikolai, Warrior King of the Russian Vampires.
GIVEAWAY!
Would you like to know more about Kate? Post a question for her or her author lady, and we’d both be happy to chat with you! One commenter will win an ebook of Seduced by the Vampire King!
Thanks for reading!
Laura Kaye
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About Seduced by the Vampire King:
Book 2: Vampire Warrior Kings Series
American exchange student Kate Bordessa has fled to Russia to escape her family’s hopes that she’ll become one of the Proffered, human women who feed and mate with elite vampire warriors. But when she stumbles upon a wounded vampire in the streets of Moscow, she’s instinctively driven to protect him–and feels an undeniable spark of desire.
Grieving over the deaths of his brothers, Vampire Warrior King Nikolai Vasilyev has thrown himself into battling his enemies, focused only on vengeance. Until the attack that brought him to Kate. Their sexual attraction explodes into a night of uncontrolled passion–a night that marks them as mates. Is their connection strong enough to convince them to embrace a destiny neither of them was expecting?
About Laura Kaye:
Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of over a half-dozen books in paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance. Hearts in Darkness is the EPIC eBook Award Winner for Best Novella and HOLT Medallion Award of Merit Winner for Best Romance Novella, Forever Freed is the NJRW Golden Leaf Winner for Best Paranormal of 2011 and is a finalist for two GDRWA Booksellers’ Best Awards, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, is a finalist for a FF&P PRISM award, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives inMaryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of theChesapeake Bay every day.