Pictures and the First Shout Out

FURY, WRATH, RAGE, radiates from me right now. Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths. I had just written a HUGE blog with links, pics and all that stuff and I don't know how, but I lost half of it. My entire body is just vibrating I'm so mad. It only saved less than half of what I had written. So we'll take a DEEEEEEEEEP breath and try again. And SAVE, SAVE, SAVE this time!

Ok, so I'm really getting into this whole blogging thing. I have been able to keep up with some friends that way via the comments and able to see what they are doing in their lives and vice versa. So much easier and cheaper than a phone call - this coming from someone who has a whopping 3.00 and change (yes, that's three dollars) in my bank account until my new job starts. Talk about times being tight. I'm thinking about selling some of the jewelry I make just to have something in the bank. I just might post pics of some of the jewelry I've made, here on the blog and ask for feed back to see if it is anything worth pursuing.

Ok, so now for the real pics. I tried this the other night but when I pub'd it, my whole bio and link section was gone, as in kaplooey, abracadabra, disappeared. I had to do this involved little thing and shrink the pics from their original size. not necessarily time consuming, but a pain nonetheless.

We'll see if it works today.


Yes, I know this is an old picture, but I'm proud to live in a red state. Though I don't always agree with Bush, I'd much rather have him in the WH than Kerry, who couldn't seem to talk about anything with conviction except for Vietnam, which was a total farce as well.


Can you imagine looking through a telescope into space and God is looking back in the other end of the telescope? This is a real picture that NASA took with the Hubble Telescope. It is simply called "The Eye Of God". Apropos, no?

And finally on our little picture journey:


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHA! HA! I just love this cartoon.


Now for the Shout Outs. This Shout Out is to a trio of smokin' "hott", savvy ladies, hence the flames on the font. They started out as Critique Partners (CP's) many years ago and are still at it. They are the golden trio. Unpubbed when they started, they are now ALL multi-multi pub'd, award winning authors. The are members of RWA/ARWA (see the links on the side) and I am happy to say that they are my friends.

Alrighty, so let's get started first with the deeeeeeelightful Dee Davis. I'm doing this alphabetically and this is my blog. Not to mention I'm in the middle of reviewing her "fabulous" book Enigma. More on that in a few. Dee is a goddess. No, seriously, she is a goddess of chocolate. Mmmmmmmmmm, sweet, nummy chocolate. She is the goddess of Godiva and Ferraro Rocher. Mmmmmmmmm, hazelnutty goodness hidden behind a cripsy chocolate cover. *drool* Ok, this is about Dee and NOT the chocolate. Dee was one of my biggest cheerleaders when I first started in RWA/ARWA. She offered me a towering tray of Ferraro Rochers one time as encouragement and incentive and though the circumstances behind that offer have changed, Dee, when I get pub'd I'll still take you up on the offer, ok?! Dee writes Suspense with romantic elements (SWRE for future reference) and not Romantic Suspense (RS). HUH? There's a difference? Yes there is, and I'll enlighten you to it now. With RS, the developing romance is the central part of the book, whereas with the SWRE the suspense and mystery take center stage and the romance is a secondary part of the book. Dee takes SWRE to a new level and is entirely at the head of her game in this genre. I was thrilled byond belief when she emailed me last week asking me if I would maybe, perhaps, like to review her newest book for her before she opened it up to the general ARWA membership for first dibs on the review. Uh-huh! I jumped all over that like a chicken on a junebug. I had the great priviledge to review a prior work of hers for a Christmastime anthology called "Silent Night". Her novella, Still of the Night received rave reviews and was the strongest novella of the three that were in there. Anyway, Enigma is book two in her delightful "E" trilogy. It comes out in June. (BUY IT, people)

Why is it good to be a reviewer? Oooohhhh, *rubs hands with glee* let me tell you. #1) even though the book is in ms form and not the actual book format, you still get to read it before it hits the shelves. #2) your review gets published in the monthly newsletter and has the possibility of getting picked up in other newsletters across the country.

So, here are the "E" series books by Dee complete with street dates.

Already in stores - BUY IT already, people!
The one I'm reviewing - Comes out in June. BUY IT, people!
Comes out in September. BUY IT, people!

Ok, do you know how difficult it is to get one Single Title (350-400 page size) book published with deadlines and all, much less three in 6 months? KUDOS to you Dee and a big tray of Ferraro Rochers for you!


Ok, the next stop on our Shout Out tour is the FAAAAAAAAAAAAAABULOUS Julie Kenner. She is SOOOO SMOKING HOT that her book - which hasn't even come out yet - Carpe Demon, has had the movie rights sold to it already. The premise of Carpe Demon is "what would happen if Buffy got married and kept her past a secret." I was so green when another ARWA member snapped it up to review. I've had the extreme pleasure of reviewing one of Julie's sizzling spy books The Spy Who Loved Me. I know, I know, I think the publishers screwed the pooch with that title b/c it is ripped from a Bond movie. Julie's original title was so much better. It was The Secret Life of Phineus Teague . Julie is known for her outrageously popular "Aphrodite" series about superheroes living among the normal, everyday, human race and protecting them from the Outcasts - superheroes gone bad. Julie has 5, yes 5 books coming out this year. Talk about a busy beaver! Another of her books that I am EAGERLY awaiting is The Givenchy Code. The one line pitch for it is "a heel-breaking adventure in code-breaking that will bring out the math geek and the fashionista in you."

The book covers for Carpe Demon and The Ginvenchy Code are below along with links to excerpts and shelf dates.

The Givenchy Code hits the shelves in June. BUY IT, people!
Carpe Demon hits the shelves in July. BUY IT, people!

Another cool thing about the Carpe Demon movie deal: Julie gets to play a demon in the movie. Will you be able to spot her?

The final stop on our Shout Out tour is the kicky Kathleen O'Reilly. Some HUGE KUDOS for her: Kathleen's newest book, The Diva's Guide to Selling Your Soul got some SERIOUS blog exposure last week when the delightful DistressedJeans wrote about Kathleen's book on her blog, . The Cool thing about this is...the site gets over 10,000 hits a day! You can see the blog here. Another cool thing is that the extremely well known and incredibly popular gossip columnist Michael Gross is quoted on the front of the cover as saying "The Diva's Guide is, as the Shangri-la's once sang, good-bad, not evil." Kathleen's excellent premise for this divine Diva book is this:

She's the talk of the town...
Don't hate me because I'm beautiful . . .

Call me V. I used to be a nobody, just a girl from New Jersey who was probably going to hell anyway-or worse, mediocrity and a size 14. Now I get whatever I desire just by casting a little spell . . . a flawless body, a luxury penthouse, and a Fifth Avenue shop where rich women clamor for my overpriced handbags. Even better, I have power. I can taunt my ex-husband, break hearts without guilt, and love every minute of it. My secret? I lost the one thing I never needed in the first place: my soul. I sold it. And you'll never guess who's got it now.

She's a devil in disguise.

You know her as the dishiest gossip columnist in the city's trashiest tabloid. I call her Lucy. And our deal is this: the more clients I recruit for her Life Enrichment Program, the greater my rewards.

But just between us, my fast track to heartless apathy has hit a few speed bumps-lately, I've had the totally annoying impulse to do things that are . . . good.

First there was rescuing a kid in the park. Then there was the date with the handsome, decent guy who wasn't even a celebrity. What's next, giving to charity or something? All I know is Lucy doesn't like it, not one little bit. And when she finds out, there will be hell to pay. . . .

Find out more about The Diva's Guide by clicking on the picture below. I've read it and it is a truly unique and delightful chicklit book! I've had the pleasure of reviewing a couple of Kathleen's books for Harlequin's Temptation line. I think that Diva is going to be her "breakout novel". She just keeps getting better and better with every book she writes! How does she do it? Maybe she sold her soul to the devil? Nah, just kidding there! BUY THE BOOK, people! It'll tickle you in all the right places.

In stores now! I highly recommend it.

Ok, so that's it for this blog entry. FINALLY, I got it done. Enjoy the reading recommendations! They're perfect for a lazy day Summer read - and I guarantee, these'll end up on your keeper shelf! You'll want to read them more than once.