Thoughtful Thursday – The Economy

moneyI’m not normally one to dream much less remember them, but lately I have been dreaming. Or maybe it’s better to say I’ve been having worries at night and like many people, those worries revolve around money.

The market is up, although some are calling it a “dead cat bounce.” (Wonder where they got that term). In other words, the slight up phase might not last.

The Fed is printing lots of money to buy bonds. Hmm. . . . If I could print more money for my bills . . .

Anyway, there was one article the other day about how people are cutting back to save by eliminating things like house cleaning services, taking shirts to the laundry and eating out less. Estimated savings for this one family – $10,000 in a year.

A big savings. Playing devil’s advocate here – it’s also not stimulating the economy since now there’s someone with less work cleaning, laundering and cooking/serving food.

Still, I totally understand the reaction to not spend. I’ve cut back by brown bagging it everyday for lunch, finding ways of using up stuff in the pantry before buying new things, shopping at the outlets, big box stores and using coupons (well I always did those last two anyway!).

Have you changed your spending habits lately? Are there any tips you can offer for saving during these worrisome times?

Guest Blogs and more contests!

danceI know I’ve posted about this before, but I truly believe that guest blogs are one of the best ways of meeting people and getting the word out about your book. Plus, you guys seems to love them and the fun prizes at each stop.

So – the fun continues this week and up until midnight EST on March 20th! Visit any of these blogs and leave a message and you could win a copy of SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD, an autographed ARC of SINS OF THE FLESH and a CALLING T-shirt. Also drop by Fresh Fiction on March 20th because they are featuring FURY CALLS as their Fresh Pick! (So excited about this!)

Share some coffee and chat with me at Over Coffee:
http://siamckye.blogspot.com/2009/03/balancing-work-and-passion.html

Single Titles Interview:
http://singletitles.com/?p=1607

Loves Romances and More:
http://loveromancesandmore.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome-to-caridad-pineiros-guest-blog.html

For those of you who participated in last week’s b’day bash, here are the lucky blog winners:

Beyond Her Book blog:

  • Beth C – A copy of HOLIDAY WITH A VAMPIRE, DESIRE CALLS and FURY CALLS as well as a CALLING t-shirt
  • Long and Short Reviews Blog:

  • Vickie C – a copy of SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD
  • Gail H – SINS OF THE FLESH t-shirt
  • Rachel G – a copy of MOON FEVER
  • Liberty States Fiction Writers Blog:

  • Pat C – SINS OF THE FLESH T-shirt and a copy of DESIRE CALLS
  • Fresh Fiction Blog:

  • Rachael G – Copy of SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD and CALLING T-shirt
  • Five Scribes Blog:

  • Fannie W – SINS OF THE FLESH T-shirt and a copy of DESIRE CALLS
  • Drum Roll please – the winner of the $25 Godiva Gift Card is Julie Robinson!

    If you’re one of the lucky winners, please send your postal address to [email protected].

    Guilty Pleasures Monday – David Boreanaz

    BONES DVD Season 1Today’s Guilty Pleasure Monday was a tough one. I thought about who to pick all during my walk to work.

    Finally, I have to give a nod to an old favorite – David Boreanaz. Many will remember him as the sexy Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was so intense and sexy in the early seasons before he got spun off to his own show.

    Now he’s charming and sexy on BONES, one of my favorite shows. If you caught onto BONES, you can watch the episodes only, just click here. If you haven’t caught Buffy . . . oh no! Rush out and get the DVDs. They are available quite inexpensively now and Seasons 1 to 3 are amazing. Season 5 is probably the best and Spike . . . oh he will get his Monday soon!

    I will be posting the names of last week’s b’day bash winners later tonight!

    Also take a moment to stop by this morning and share some coffee and chat with me at Over Coffee:

    http://siamckye.blogspot.com/2009/03/balancing-work-and-passion.html

    Leave a comment for a chance to win a SINS OF THE FLESH T-shirt! They are really cute!

    sinstishirtsml

    Fun Friday – Superstitions and Another Contest!

    It’s Friday the 13th, so what better Fun Friday discussion than superstitions! Growing up in a Latin household we had a bunch of them and I’ll share just a few that seem to remain with me.

    First – No hats on the bed! It’s a symbol of death since the doctor who visited your loved one when they were ill would place their hat on the bed.

    Second – No shoes on the bed! Another symbol of death since shoes were placed on the bed when they were preparing your loved one for burial.

    Third – Never measure yourself from head to toe with a measuring tape! You guessed it, death again. Why? That’s what the undertaker does to prepare your casket.

    What about vampires and the superstitions around them? Well, here’s one poor woman who was buried with a brick in her mouth for fear she was a vampire. Check out this link provided by my dear friend and fellow author Irene Peterson!
    http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=12424584&ch=4226726&src=news

    You may know some of the more popular vampire superstitions, such as that they can’t come in uninvited, can’t eat garlic, don’t like the cross, have no reflection in a mirror and can’t come out in the sunlight.

    Here are some other fun ones you may not know!

    • Spread thorns or poppy seeds in the path leaving the graveyard. The vamp must pick them up and it will take so long, they will not be able to do so before the sun rises. (Courtesy http://www.angelfire.com/mi/bunaziua/vampires.html)
    • Iron shavings, nails or other iron objects could be placed around someone needing protection from a vampire. (Courtesy http://www.pantheon.org/articles/v/vampire.html)
    • Vampires cannot cross running water.
    • In Europe, sprinkling mustard seeds on the roof of a house was said to keep them away. (Courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire)

    The Kiang-shi (or chiang-shi) vampired depicted in FURY CALLS, has its own rules and superstitions. The Kiang-shi are actually reanimated corpses who hop around draining people of their life energy. They were particularly vicious and had strong sexual drives. Kiang-shi were created after a particularly violent death, an improper burial or dishonor at birth. You’ll see that I’ve included some of these superstitions in the book.

    Amazingly, Kiang-shi also have problems with crossing running water, but they traditionally did not drink blood. This is a trait that was added later with the influence of European vampires.

    Hope you enjoyed today’s Fun Friday superstitions!

    Finally for those who loyally follow the blog, here’s an additional opportunity to win a prize – a copy of a SINS OF THE FLESH T-shirt and a copy of DESIRE CALLS. Just visit my pals at the Five Scribes blog and leave a comment today before midnight EST. Just click here to visit my guest blog there (after 8am EST) or paste this link into your browser: http://fivescribes.blogspot.com/

    Also, don’t forget this week’s b’day bash as your chances of leaving a comment to win a prize end at midnight EST tonight! Just visit any of the blogs listed below this week and leave a comment and you’ll be eligible to win a prize from me! At Barbara Vey’s blog, there are tons of other prizes as well!

    I’ll be visiting all of these blogs and if you’ve left a comment at any of them, you’ll also be eligible to win a $25 Godiva gift card! The more times I see your name at the different blogs, the more your chances improve to win the gift card. So take a moment and stop by one or all to improve your chances of winning a prize.

    The contest ends on Friday, March 13th at midnight EST, so be sure to get your comments in there on time!

    Barbara Vey’s Beyond Her Book Blog for lots of fun and giveaways!
    http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/1240041524.html

    Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=1602

    Harlequin Paranormal Romance blog: http://paranormalromanceblog.wordpress.com/

    Liberty States Fiction Writers (leave a comment on any of the blog posts): http://www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com/blog-read-around-the-world/

    Long and Short Reviews: http://longandshortarchives.blogspot.com/search/label/Caridad%20Pineiro

    The Dreaded Info Dump

    dumpI was rewriting a chapter yesterday and when I read it to my critique group, I didn’t need them to tell me what I was doing wrong.

    I knew I was doing the Dreaded Info Dump.

    What’s that? you might ask.

    Well, if you’re a reader it’s something you hopefully will not see in a book. It goes something like this:

    Mary realized that it was Dr. Smith. He had treated her for bunions three years ago. Then again two years later for a heel spur. Now she was there to see him for an ingrown nail, but suspected it was much more than that. For two weeks her toe had been hurting. It had first been a slightly pink color. Then a few days later a little brighter red. Then after a week it had started getting really nasty. Finally a day ago she realized it was time to go see her favorite foot doctor.

    Yes, I know we wouldn’t be interested in a story about her feet, but imagine that the story was a romantic suspense and all that information was about what had happened to the heroine in the last three months – an info dump.

    Much like the person in the photo I posted, info dumps inundate a reader with too much info at one shot and in general, are boring. It’s like reading an encyclopedia entry for your hero or heroine.

    If you need to provide the reader some backstory, it should be layered throughout the chapter and provide subtle hints and information about what’s put the protagonists in their current situation. In fact, the less you say and make the reader intuit, the more they will be drawn into the story you are writing because the reader is participating in the story.

    Of course, don’t make it so confusing or obtuse that the reader will say, “I just don’t get it,” and disengage from the story.

    The hints should be clear and lead the reader toward an understanding of what’s happening. They should be like the breadcrumbs that Hansel and Gretel leave behind, enough so they can be followed to a particular point where you, the writer, are leading them.

    How do you know you are doing the dreaded info dump as a writer? Look for long paragraphs filled with too much information. Dense paragraphs like that are a clear sign that something is up that you should revisit.

    I hope you found this Tuesday Tip helpful.

    Also, don’t forget this week’s b’day bash. Just visit any of the blogs listed below this week and leave a comment and you’ll be eligible to win a prize from me! At Barbara Vey’s blog, there are tons of other prizes as well!

    I’ll be visiting all of these blogs and if you’ve left a comment at any of them, you’ll also be eligible to win a $25 Godiva gift card! The more times I see your name at the different blogs, the more your chances improve to win the gift card. So take a moment and stop by one or all to improve your chances of winning a prize.

    The contest ends on Friday, March 13th at midnight EST, so be sure to get your comments in there on time!

    Barbara Vey’s Beyond Her Book Blog for lots of fun and giveaways!
    http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/1240041524.html

    Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=1602

    Harlequin Paranormal Romance blog: http://paranormalromanceblog.wordpress.com/

    Liberty States Fiction Writers (leave a comment on any of the blog posts): http://www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com/blog-read-around-the-world/

    Long and Short Reviews: http://longandshortarchives.blogspot.com/search/label/Caridad%20Pineiro

    Guilty Pleasures Monday and a Birthday Bash!

    Dennis Quaid - Photo in the Public DomainEvery time I see Dennis Quaid I think, man he’s still got it! Now, his latest movie VANTAGE POINT was so not good, but he looked great in it.

    One of my favorite Quaid movies is FREQUENCY which also starred Jim Cavaziel (another cutie!). THE ROOKIE is another good one with a very inspiring message to always follow your dreams!

    bday1.gifAs you all may know, I’ve been very lucky to be able to follow my dreams as well. It’s wonderful to be able to write for you and share my books and to celebrate that and my b’day, we are having a birthday bash week!

    Just visit any of the blogs listed below this week and leave a comment and you’ll be eligible to win a prize from me! At Barbara Vey’s blog, there are tons of other prizes as well!

    I’ll be visiting all of these blogs and if you’ve left a comment at any of them, you’ll also be eligible to win a $25 Godiva gift card! The more times I see your name at the different blogs, the more your chances improve to win the gift card. So take a moment and stop by one or all to improve your chances of winning a prize.

    The contest ends on Friday, March 13th at midnight EST, so be sure to get your comments in there on time!

    Barbara Vey’s Beyond Her Book Blog for lots of fun and giveaways!
    http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/1240041524.html

    Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=1602

    Harlequin Paranormal Romance blog: http://paranormalromanceblog.wordpress.com/

    Liberty States Fiction Writers (leave a comment on any of the blog posts): http://www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com/blog-read-around-the-world/

    Long and Short Reviews: http://longandshortarchives.blogspot.com/search/label/Caridad%20Pineiro

    Fun Friday – Laptop Skins

    It’s rare for me to go anywhere without my laptop. I use it every day to write and on the weekends. Take it on vacations, you name it.

    So it’s nice to keep it safe and also clean. I even found a fun way to decorate it – laptop skins! This is one from Skinit.com where you can also customize a skin. I’m thinking it might be a good way to do some advertising.

    There’s a couple of other places as well besides Skinit.com. Here’s some of them in case you want to check them out on this Fun Friday!

    http://www.schtickers.com/
    http://www.gelaskins.com/
    http://skinweaver.com/
    http://www.decalgirl.com/browse.cfm/2,224.htm

    Let me know if you check them out and like them or decide to order one!

    Just a reminder that next week will be a big b’day bash! Look for a number of guest blogs and prize opportunities next week.