Live to Love on the Edge Blog

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Guilty Pleasure Monday – Blair Underwood

This morning’s Guilty Pleasure is Blair Underwood who is probably best known for his stint on L.A. Law many years ago where he played a determined young attorney.

Blair has done a number of movies and stints on various television shows. His current role is on THE EVÆŽNT as Cuban-American President Elias Martinez. Hubby and I have been watching THE EVÆŽNT, although we really don’t know why. It’s being hailed as a combination of LOST and 24 and yet the paranormal elements are just not there enough for me and the suspense is there, but more low-key than the driving action in 24.

How about for you? Are you watching THE EVÆŽNT? What do you think of it so far?

Photo Credit: Alan Light@en.wikipedia.com

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Fun Friday – Halloween Treats

Halloween is around the corner, so it’s time to start decorating and think of some neat treats to celebrate a paranormal writer’s favorite time of year (besides Christmas!)

Here are some interesting recipes to try this Halloween!

Courtesy of Pillsbury:

Thanks to Dangerous Reader Mimmi for sharing these treats with me and the other Dangerous Women.

Also check out these other fun treats from Kraft:

    Under-a-Spell Red Devil Cake
    Hot Spiced Witches’ Brew
    Spaghetti and Oozing Eyeballs

Hope these help you get into the Halloween spirit! Have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thirteen – Books on My Keeper Shelf

There are some books that never leave you even years after you’ve read them – the “keepers”. My husband’s one keeper is Ayn Rand’s ATLAS SHRUGGED. His yellowed and faded copy sits in his office. I have yet to read it, but plan on doing so soon since it intrigues me.

But I do have my “keeper shelf” whether it is in my office at home or in my brain, it still means to me those books that have influenced who I am today in some way, both as a writer and as a person. So today’s Thursday Thirteen is a list of those “keepers.”

1. WOLF AND THE DOVE by Kathleen Woodiwiss. Loved this book! Strong heroine and wonderful hero.

2. WE by Eugene Zamiatin. Wonderful dystopian novel.

3. Anything in the IN DEATH series by J.D. Robb. I’m amazed how story after story Nora Roberts manages to lure us in and provide a superb tale.

4. SKYE O’MALLEY by Bertrice Small. Amazing heroine who defies the odds over and over.

5. GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell. Frankly, Scarlet, I do give a damn.

6. TO KILL A MOCKINGBORD by Harper Lee. How do you follow such a masterpiece?

7. THE SUN DANCERS by Barbara Faith. The first time I ever saw anything Latino portrayed in a mass market novel. Wonderful story about a female matador.

8. WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte. Catherine. Heathcliff. Catherine. Heathcliff. Those damn wet moors, but I loved every second of it.

9. LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE by Laura Esquivel. Mystical tale of love unrequited. Lovely.

10. THE THORN BIRDS by Colleen McCullough. Another tale of unrequited love. Hmm. A pattern perhaps?

11. A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE by Barbara Taylor Bradford. An inspiring tale.

12. SHANNA by Kathleen Woodiwiss. My first real introduction to romance novels and I’ve been hooked every since.

13. PALOMINO by Danielle Steele. The heroine, Samantha, was a model of courage and determination.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Thursday Thirteen. I welcome you to add any of the names of your keeper books in the comments section.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

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Wicked Wednesday – Voices on the Waves and a Contest

Today we have fellow author Jessica Chambers who is here to tell us about her debut novel, a sweet holiday read called VOICE ON THE WAVES, which is now available from Red Rose Publishing.

Jessica was born in the UK in 1982, and currently lives with her family and crazy Staffordshire bull terrier in the English town of Windsor, most famous for its castle and nearby Eton College. At the age of five, she was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition that has left her almost totally blind.

Jessica has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. As a shy person, she loves being able to escape into another world, and the sense of power that comes with controlling everything that goes on in that world. She especially loves writing women’s fiction centered around memorable characters that leap off the page.

Jessica is also being kind enough to have a contest to celebrate this release and her blog tour! Everyone who comments on any of her blog posts during the tour is automatically entered into the drawing to win a $15 gift voucher for either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. The five winners will be announced on October 31st over at Jessica’s blog at www.jessicachambers.co.uk/blog.

***Excerpt***


Not pausing to consider, Karenza marched back up the stairs and along the landing. Reaching Marcus’s room, she hammered on the door.

“Hang on, I’m not de—” came the protest from within, but she had already flung open the door to reveal Marcus hoisting up his trousers.

“I don’t remember asking you to come in,” he spat, “or do you think you’re so special you can barge into other people’s room’s uninvited?”

Karenza ignored him, her gaze on the bed where a discarded pair of trousers lay in a stained and crumpled heap. “What happened to you?”

“I would have thought that was obvious. I accidentally spilled coffee down me.”

“How careless. Not like you at all, Marcus.”

Marcus’s features tautened. “Get out.”

Unperturbed, Karenza shut the door behind her and leaned against it.

“I told you to get out,” Marcus snarled, advancing on her. “Go on, or I’ll have to make you.”

“Please, spare me.” Karenza fastened him with a cool gaze. “What have you done to Leah?”

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

“No? Then why was she so upset when I saw her a minute ago?”

Marcus made an impatient gesture. “How the hell should I know?”

“Don’t play the innocent with me. You were downstairs with her, weren’t you?”

“No,” he said, then recoiled as Karenza took a menacing step towards him. “Well, all right, yes, but it wasn’t my fault, if that’s what you mean. It was just a misunderstanding.”

“Is that so?” Karenza raised her eyebrows. “I don’t suppose this ‘misunderstanding’ had anything to do with you coming on to Leah and her, being an intelligent girl, rejecting you?”

“How dare you!”

“And then, so desperate to get away from you, she spilled coffee all over your Armani’s.”

Marcus reddened. “I won’t have you accusing me of crimes I haven’t committed. For your information, Sherlock, it was Leah who made a pass at me. I tried to let her down gently, but once she realized I wasn’t interested, she ran off in floods. The silly child had got the ridiculous notion into her head that I’ve been sending out signals. Naturally I was forced to put her straight.”

Karenza moved to stand right in front of him, her eyes locked on his. “So whose handprint is that on your face?”

Marcus stared at her in silence for a long moment, then dropped his gaze.

“You bastard,” she said in a low hiss. “How dare you drag Leah down to your disgusting level just because she’s too sensible to fall for you. See, you don’t fool me. You might be laboring under the delusion that you’re God’s gift to women, that no one could possibly resist you, but you’re sadly mistaken. It’s high time you learned that some women—decent women, that is—just aren’t stupid or desperate enough to let you use them to satisfy your sordid little desires!”

And before Marcus could utter a suitable retort, Karenza swept from the room, shutting the door behind her with a reverberating slam.

******

You can buy VOICES ON THE WAVES now from Red Rose Publishing, by clicking here or cutting and pasting this link:
http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?products_id=853

Tomorrow, the VOICES ON THE WAVES Blog Tour continues over at Beary Good Books, where Jessica is sharing the first chapter of her novel.

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Kiss Me, Kill Me Tuesday – Revisions

It seems somehow appropriate on this dreary and rainy Tuesday to discuss something about which all writers worry. No, not the Dreaded Synopsis.

Revisions.

It’s especially appropriate since I just turned in a manuscript which required revisions and since at my Saturday workshop someone asked, “What do you do when someone asks you to change your work?”

The answer was simple: You do the revisions.

It’s one of those things that I often warn aspiring authors about – being a diva. I’ve heard more than one writer say that they won’t make any changes to their work and I often wonder whether they’ll ever get published or if they do, will they be able to sustain a career.

Although some believe that editors are like carpenters with a hammer and nail, give them paper and a pen and they want to make changes, the reality of it is that editors know the market and what’s selling. They understand voice and pacing and conflict. They oftentimes will see past what’s on the page to what the writer wants to accomplish because many times the writer has become so involved in their work and knows it so intimately that they fail to get what’s up in their heads down on paper.

It’s the editor’s job to make sure that gets done and a good editor will accomplish just that.

What if what the editor wants you to do is totally different than what you want to do?

That’s a tough situation for sure and the answer is not so simple. The first thing to do is divest your ego from the work. Look at it as an outsider would. Are the editor’s comments justified? Do you think that they might possibly make the work better or more marketable? If the answer is “yes”, then take a moment and try rewriting the first ten or so pages with the editor’s suggestions.

Now step back and look at it again. Is it better? More marketable? Then dig in and start rewriting.

You may have noticed that I’ve used that “marketable” word multiple times already because the reality is that if you’re writing commercial fiction (as in selling to the mass market), what you’re writing needs to sell. That means it needs to meet certain reader and bookseller expectations.

Your editor is the one who can best tell you whether or not you’ve managed to do that.

If you’re still not convinced about all the changes, then try a conciliatory approach rather than a confrontational one. For example, when I first wrote DARKNESS CALLS one of the revision requests was that I have the heroine, Diana Reyes, become a vampire at the end of the novel. In my heart I felt that the story was much too complicated and rich for that kind of ending. I also felt that there would be greater emotion and impact for the readers if the characters had that conflict hanging over their heads – Love me even though I will die before you do. It spoke of a much greater love and commitment if Ryder and Diana chose to get together despite that fact.

I discussed it with my editors and we agreed I would write the ending as I envisioned it and that if it did not work, I would revise it. Bottom line was, the ending worked and we left it as is. Everyone was happy with the compromise we reached initially and the end result.

So the bottom line is, be open to change. Be willing to compromise. Your editors know what’s best and what’s selling. Trust them to help you craft a better book.

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Guilty Pleasure Monday – Ryan Kwanten

Today’s Guilty Pleasure Monday is Ryan Kwanten. Before his role on TRUE BLOOD, my daughter and I used to love him on SUMMERLAND which was packed with lots of cuties, like Zac Efron, Jesse McCartney and Shawn Christian.

The first season of SUMMERLAND was awesome and we just loved the story of how a sister (Lori Loughlin) deals with taking guardianship of her neices and nephews. Ryan was one of the sister’s roommates and turned out to play a pretty interesting characters, besides being totally adorable!

On this Guilty Pleasure Monday, I’ve got some news for you about some upcoming contests.

Starting November 1 you can sign up for my newsletter and be entered for the ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH? contest (as well as all future monthly contests!).

Grand Prize in the contest is a PRS300SC Reader Pocket Edition (silver), copy of SINS OF THE FLESH, STRONGER THAN SIN t-shirt and tote bag, Bath and Body Works Shower Gel, Jesse Bradford rubber ducky, bookmark, cover flats and other goodies.

Second Chance Bonus Prize $25 Gift Card

You can be eligible for a Second Chance Bonus Prize. Start gathering bonus points right now and you’ll have a chance to win a $25 Gift Card! The winner will be selected from all individuals who have entered the main contest and have also hunted up 5 bonus points. To get those points, you can do any of the following:

  • Post a review of STRONGER THAN SIN at one of the online bookstores for 4 points. Just e-mail me a link to the review at caridadpineiro @ gmail dot com.
  • Leave a comment on any of the blogs on my upcoming blog tour. You can click here for a list of the blogs on the tour. (Maximum 3 blog comments for 3 points. Each comment must be on a different blog). Some blogs are also doing giveaways, so this is another chance to win a fun prize!
  • Like Caridad’s Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/Caridad.Author and get 2 points for the Like
  • Twitter this phrase exactly: PLZ RT Author @CaridadPineiro STRONGER THAN SIN Release Party/Contest LIVE: https://www.caridad.com #giveaway
    1 point per tweet (maximum 3 points for 3 tweets. Please don’t tweet them all at the same time. Please spread them out throughout the day or they won’t count)
  • Place one of these banners on your website or blog for 3 points. Just e-mail me a link to the banner at caridadpineiro @ gmail dot com.



Special Pricing on SINS OF THE FLESH E-book Version

Starting November 1, you can download the SINS OF THE FLESH e-book for only $1.99. Visit your favorite online bookstore on November 1 to obtain the special pricing!

Buy from: Amazon | B&N | Borders | Diesel

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Fun Friday – Guest Blog with Tawny Weber

Sorry I’ve been MIA, but I’ve been swamped at work and with the revisions. Good news is the revisions are almost done and I’m loving the book – THE LOST – which is the next one in the SINS series.

If you’ve got some time, drop by Tawny Weber’s fabulous blog and spend some time with me today! You can click here or cut and paste this link: http://blog.tawnyweber.com/2010/10/15/quick-six-with-caridad-pineiro/

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