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!

Fun Friday – Authors After Dark 2010

I had a chance to go to the wonderful Authors After Dark conference and had a blast. I’m sharing these fun photos and videos with you today to get the weekend started right.

I’m also giving you another something special today! Visit with me at the Fang-tastic Books blog to find out what makes me write paranormals and also, leave a comment at Fangtastic for a chance to win some goodies. (And yes, that’s me as a little chica!)

If you can’t see the slideshow below, you can click here for the photo album or cut and paste this link into your browser:

Check out this video of some of my friends having fun Night at the Roxbury-Style! If you can’t see the video below, you can click here for the video or cut and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1589756220377

Thursday 13 – Breaking Writer’s Block

Writer’s Block. Two of the most dreaded words for writers besides synopsis and revisions. Writer’s Block happens to all of us. Sometimes it lasts a day or so. Other times it lasts for weeks. What can you do to help break past the walls that are blocking your creativity? Well, here are 13 suggestions for getting those creative juices flowing!

1. Take a long shower or bath. Try to think of nothing except the warmth of the water or slickness of the soap and just how relaxing it is.

2. Savor a favorite drink. Whether it’s hot chocolate, wine or coffee, sit down and focus on just the drink and nothing else. Let yourself enjoy the nuances of it, from heat to nuttiness to floral overtones.

3. Take a long walk. Preferably near somewhere scenic. Again, think about nothing except what is around you. The wind, the smells, the sights and the sounds should take priority.

4. Ground yourself. I have to say I have not done this myself, but my trainer at the Y says it works. Take off your shoes and go outside and tickle your toesies in the grass/dirt for at least thirty to forty-five minutes. Imagine yourself becoming one with the Earth once again.

5. Exercise. Whether it’s yoga, strength training, a jog, etc. get the blood flowing throughout your body and brain.

6. Read a good book. I like to read books outside my genre to see how the author puts the story together.

7. Watch a movie. Much like reading a book, let your mind process the scenes and how they flow (or don’t) and think about what made the movie work.

8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. No matter what, watching one of the old shows helps me see how wonderful characters are created and sharp dialogue can deliver a jab as potent as any punch.

9. Go to Writer’s group or workshop. I belong to the Liberty States Fiction Writers and I find that going to meetings and listening to the workshops always inspires me to write.

10. Shut off your network card. Oftentimes I find that my “block” is actually just distraction caused by the Internet and the time suck it creates.

11. Visit a new place. Go somewhere interesting and explore the sights. It doesn’t have to be far. I took a short trip to Sandy Hook which inspired tons of scenes for my SIN HUNTER series.

12. Visit a favorite place. Remember what it was about that place that made it special. Explore once again the sights, sounds and feel that made it favorite.

13. Talk to a friend. Sometimes you just need to vent. If they’re a writer friend, they’ll understand and may be able to offer up an idea to deal with whatever plot/character/setting problem has stopped you in your tracks.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Thursday Thirteen. I welcome you to add any of your suggestions for breaking writer’s block in the comments section.

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Wicked Wednesday Caddy Girls by V.K. Sykes

There’s a body switch going on today since I have with me fellow author V.K. Sykes while I’ll be over later at the Writerspace blog. Please drop by for a visit to find out why I wanted to hate Jesse Bradford, the hero of my upcoming November 2010 paranormal romance release STRONGER THAN SIN.

But for now…..drum roll please….

Please welcome V.K. Sykes. V.K. Sykes is actually the pseudonym for a wife/husband team that writes sexy contemporary romance for Carina Press. Vanessa and Randy can be found on the web at: http://www.vksykes.com. Vanessa also writes Regency-set historical romance under her own name, Vanessa Kelly. You can visit her on the web at: http://www.vanessakellyauthor.com.

CADDYGIRLS is their new release from Carina Press.

Here’s a little teaser for you!

Torrey Green once had a promising golf career, but now she’s stuck caddying for butt-pinching businessmen. She doesn’t mind playing dumb while hauling clubs if it means she can get her golf career back on track, and she’s going to need an influx of cash to focus on the pro circuit. A booking from video game mogul Julian Grant could be Torrey’s cash-flow solution.

In Las Vegas for a business deal, Julian’s partners plan for a little action on the greens. They’re looking for some fun with their rent-a-caddy girls, and have a lot riding on who can score, on the course and off. This type of gamble isn’t Julian’s style, but he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his partners happy – even if that includes breaking a few hearts along the way.

Julian soon discovers that Torrey is more than just a caddy girl and they spark an intriguing attraction – but if Torrey discovers the truth behind his idiotic wager, all bets are off…

Excerpt from CADDY GIRLS by V.K. Sykes

On their first date together, Julian takes Torrey to a black light, mini-putt golf course…

Julian had never been to Pirate’s Cove, but he’d walked and driven past it dozens of times. Cheesy was the first word that had sprung to mind whenever he’d noticed the popular Strip attraction. The entrance to the course was a pirate ship’s prow that looked like it had been molded from a dingy chunk of Styrofoam. Precariously balanced on the edge of the prow stood a twenty-foot statue of Pirate Pete, saber pointing defiantly skyward. Too bad the tip of Pete’s nose had broken off, spoiling the ferocious effect.

Pirate’s Cove actually had two mini-golf courses—one regular and one black light.

“Which one should we try?” he asked, leaving the decision up to her.

She didn’t hesitate. “The black light sounds like more fun.”

Julian paid, grabbed the putters and balls and led her through into the black light course. A flood of lurid colors washed over them—bizarre shades of blue, purple, pink, red and green. Even the putters and balls glowed in the dark. Garish, pirate-themed props—some hanging in mid-air—popped out of the darkness.

He turned to Torrey, intending to rip on the tackiness of it all, but the sarcastic remark died on his lips. Her black dress had essentially vanished under the black light, leaving her white underwear clearly visible, almost as if she were in an x-ray machine. She took the putter from his hand, obviously unaware of the rather spectacular display of her lush body.

His throat felt suddenly dry and prickly. One minute she’d been in a severe black dress—the next, her feminine undergarments and what they covered were in full, glorious view. Actually, her lacy bra and panties seemed quite demure, not like the scraps of fabric some of his dates had sported. Still, the glowing white shapes of her full breasts and deliciously curvy ass were the sexiest things he’d seen in a long time. He was getting an embarrassing hard-on in the middle of a family amusement center.

“Torrey?” He handed her a radioactive-looking ball as he dragged his eyes level with her face.

“This is going to be fun, Julian. You want me to go first?”

“I was thinking that maybe this isn’t such a great idea after all. I’m afraid everybody can see your underwear in this crazy light.”

She cast her gaze down and let out a tiny gasp. “Oh, my God, you’re right.” She looked up at him, her eyes even bigger than usual. “But why can’t I see yours?” She glanced across the room and pointed at a woman a couple of holes ahead. “I can see that woman’s panties, too!”

“It looks like the light picks up white things under dark outerwear,” Julian said, mentally kicking himself for his lame idea. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass her. “Why don’t we try the regular course instead? Or we could just leave, if you want.”

She grinned, her teeth glowing an unnatural shade of white. “No, let’s stay here. I can handle it, Julian,” she said with a little laugh. “I’ve worn bikinis that reveal a lot more.”

He smiled back. I’d like to see those.

“Okay,” he replied. “Just don’t be surprised if I can’t keep my eyes on the game.”

“Oh, you’re too much of a gentleman for such sexist behavior.”

“Tell that to my hormones.”

She tilted her head and feigned exasperation. “Are we going to play some golf or stand around here jawing all night?”

He laughed, so turned on by her easy self-confidence that he wanted nothing more than to haul her back to his hotel room and make love to her for the rest of the night.

Later, he promised himself.

*****

If you’d like to buy CADDY GIRLS, you can follow one of these links to your preferred bookseller:

Buy from Carina Press
Buy from Amazon
Buy From MobiPocket
Buy from B&N

Tuesday Tip – Credit Cards and Credit Scores

Every time you turn around you’re hearing about “your credit score” and what a poor credit score can do to you. Besides making it difficult to get a mortgage if you’re interested in buying a home, it can also raise rates on things like car insurance so it’s important to try and take steps to improve your credit score.

There’s a detailed article on credit scores at today’s Yahoo Finance, but I think we can all appreciate the basics:

  • 1. Pay cash for items.
  • 2. Do not keep a running balance on your credit card.
  • 3. If you have a running balance, pay it on time.
  • 4. Pay your other bills on time as well.

One interesting tidbit from the Yahoo Finance article was that companies calculating your credit score looked at the balance on your card whether or not you paid it off on time in order to calculate your score. Bothersome for me because I use my credit cards as a way to keep track of all my monthly expenses by charging them and also, to earn points through the various reward programs.

As for that running balance, I know that sometimes it’s hard for people to entirely pay off what they’ve charged at the end of the month. In cases of financial hardship where the credit cards are providing the cash to keep a household afloat that’s understandable. But if it’s more a case of want instead of need, think about this for a moment.

Revolving credit card rates range from anywhere to 7% (rare) to the 20something% range (some are even close to 30%). If you had $5,000 in revolving credit, you could be spending a couple of thousand dollars a year just for paying the interest on your credit card. You can do some comparisons of what you would save at MSN Money.

What about those reward programs? They sound so wonderful to begin with and sometimes they can be. Smart Money reviewed some of the more common credit card reward programs You can also click here for the MSN Money round up of rewards.

There’s just one thing to remember when it comes to the rewards: If you’ve got a running balance, the interest rate you’re paying may eat up any kind of reward you’re earning.

Hope this helped you on today’s Tuesday Tip!

Guilty Pleasure Monday Jeffrey Donovan

My husband has gotten me hooked on BURN NOTICE. It’s hard not to get involved with not only the interesting tidbits provided by ex-CIA Agent Michael Weston during the narration which appeal to the suspense writer in me, but also the wonderful cast of characters.

I love explosion-happy Fiona in particular, but there’s also no denying that the dapper and unflappable Michael Weston (played by Jeffrey Donovan) is a big draw.

If you haven’t watched the show, try to catch it in re-runs or online. The mix of suspense, comedy and romance (although could we get a little more of this BURN NOTICE writers!) is great.

RWA Conference 2010

Today is a different adventure on Travel Tuesday, this time pictures from my recent visit to the 2010 RWA National Conference!

I had a great time meeting with fans, fellow authors, editors and agents. The book signings went well and at the public book signing, RWA raised $55,000 to contribute to its literacy campaign. Awesome news.

The days were long and filled with appointments, even on Thursday when a few of us went over to do a run through all four Disney parks. Yes, four of them in one day!

It was wonderful to share the time with my friends and fellow authors, especially my buddy Shelley who was visiting Disney for the first time. Big hoorah to Rayna for organizing a whirlwind tour of the parks for us. Not only did we see so many interesting things and enjoy a mess of rides, while waiting in line we worked on book plots and titles and discussed market trends. We even met an interested reader on the little tram on the way back to our car!

So don’t be surprised if I end up doing a story titled ONE DAY PARK HOPPER. LOL!