Live to Love on the Edge Blog

A lot of actors have played Superman, but one of my favorites has got to be Dean Cain, from the Lois & Clark television series. What a cutie! Not to mention that he graduated from Princeton which means he must have some smarts. Before turning to acting, Dean had been drafted by the Buffalo Bills, but a knee injury during training camp ended his football career.

Dean has appeared in a number of shows recently, including CSI, LAS VEGAS, SMALLVILLE and Lifetime’s THE DIVISION.

Thanks to Mazi7366 for this Dean Cain YouTube video!

Ever wonder what it would feel like to see your name in lights? Up on a marquee somewhere? Do you have someone who is totally into the movies who you would like to surprise with something like this?

Check out this fun site — ATOM SMASHER — where you can make your own Street Signs!

I made one for THE CALLING. What do you think?

Besides the most common questions asked of me as a writer, namely, “How do you write a book?” and “Do you want to write about my life?” (yes, that is asked repeatedly), the next most common question is, “Where do you get your ideas for the books?”

I have to say that most times, something around me piques my interest and gets my mind going in a game of “What would happen if . . .”

A lot of the times that happens when I’m traveling, like my recent trip to Mexico! While strolling around Tlaquepaque after the meetings were done, my colleague and I were treated to a wonderful historic center which boasted two beautiful churches, a lovely square filled with all kinds of vendors and lined by restaurants featuring dueling mariachi bands.

As we strolled, I noticed some postcards with an odd winged figure and some other things that mentioned the CHAMUCOS. Hmm . . . Winged and scary looking? Right up my alley.

I did a little research now that I got home. Apparently EL CHAMUCO is another name of the devil. Maybe I could eventually spin that into a story, maybe not. But it sure had my mind going for a bit.

A few years ago I got to visit Panama during a legal conference and the highlight of the trip was going through several locks of the Panama Canal. I spent some time chilling with friends who were native Panamanians and listened to the fervor in their voices as they described the stories about how the Canal was built. The failure of the French and the Americans who came in to finish it.

Got me to thinking of the hardships to build the canal and the hubris as well. We need to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific so let’s just cut right through a country!!

But back to the birth of an idea for a novel. Lovely Panamanian woman, of high birth. Earnest and handsome American engineer who has come to work on the project. Probably a military man as well. Way sexy. We’ve got cultural differences. Malaria. The dangerous work of cutting out jungle and rock to build the Canal. Hmm . . . Now that I could work into a story!!

Needless to say, my friends helped me pick out a number of good books on the history of the Canal and combined with their wonderful tales, I hope that one day I’ll find the time to do such a story.

So, if you’ve been wondering how an idea for a book is born, there it is!

It was in the thirties this morning, which means Autumn has firmly grabbed hold in New York. That also means that the annuals will start to die back, leaving only the hardier of the late blooming perennials to offer color in the garden, unless you are going to add some chrysanthemums and flowering kale to prolong life in your October garden.

I love the bold colors of chrysanthemums, but hate the smell of their leaves and sometimes the flowers. This also could explain why the flowers are used to make pyrethrines, a form of natural pesticide.

In Asia, however, the flowers are used as a medicinal tea and the leaves are steamed or boiled and eaten as greens.

Did you also know that in many parts of the world, chrysanthemums are symbolic of death and only used for funerals or on graves? Many years ago a dear neighbor brought over a huge bouquet of purple chrysanthemums to welcome our new Italian au pair and she flinched at the sight of the flowers! The moment was quickly smoothed over with an explanation that in America the flowers do not have that signficance.

You can click here to read more about chrysanthemums! I’m going to hit the stores in the next week or so and pick up a few hardy ones to plant in the yard for some October color.

Speaking of October, it’s a paranormal writer’s favorite month! Spooky things and vampires abound and to celebrate them, as well as my upcoming December release, SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD, I’ve got two great contests going! Just follow the links below to check out the prizes and enter.

Contest at Writerspace: http://www.writerspace.com/contests/caridadpineiro.html

To celebrate every vamp writer’s favorite holiday, Halloween, as well as Caridad’s upcoming releases, SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD (December 2008, Silhouette Romantic Suspense), HONOR CALLS (Nocturne Bite, February 2009) and FURY CALLS (Nocturne, March 2009), Caridad is having a spectacular October paranormal contest! Enter here for a chance to win a prize package which includes a CALLING T-shirt as well as Vampire Vaccine Candy, Vampire Bat Plush Box with candy, Vampire squeeze water tube, Ellora’s Caveman Calendar, Christine Feehan‘s DARK HUNGER graphic novel and signed cover flat, HELL’S BELLES by Jackie Kessler, EVERLASTING BAD BOYS anthology, THE HOST hardcover by Stephanie Meyer, PLAYING WITH FIRE by Gena Showalter as well as autographed copies of DANGER CALLS, DEATH CALLS and BLOOD CALLS by Caridad Piñeiro.

Contest at Fresh Fiction:
http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=1351

Win copies of MORE THAN A MISSION, SECRET AGENT REUNION, DANGER CALLS, TEMPTATION CALLS, DEATH CALLS, FRIDAY NIGHT CHICAS, a CALLING T-shirt as well as a $25 American Express Gift Card to help you with those everyday needs or a special gift!

Join USA TODAY and NY TIMES Bestseller Caridad Pineiro in her celebration of her upcoming releases – SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD in December 2008 and FURY CALLS, the next book in THE CALLING Vampire Series in March 2009. Enjoy her sexy romantic suspense and the unique paranormal romantic suspense of THE CALLING Vampire Novels.

Don’t you just love men with a power tool? LOL! That’s why this week’s Guilty Pleasure is HGTV’s Bad Boy carpenter Carter Oosterhouse.

I first noticed him when he was the carpenter on TLC’s Trading Spaces, but now Carter has the show CARTER CAN on HGTV and DIY. You can also catch him at a number of home shows and he also behind CARTER’S KIDS, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating and promoting awareness of fitness and self-esteem for America’s youth.

Carter seems like an all around nice guy! Hope you enjoyed today’s Guilty Pleasure. Here’s some more of Carter on his DIY show!

By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way to Mexico for a business trip!

But before I go . . .

Harlequin is offering a free read of my DESIRE CALLS novella at the Harlequin Paranormal Romance Blog. You can check it out by clicking here!

Have a great rest of the week and see you next Monday!