Maria Zannini

More Than You Want to Know

2012-02-02T07:01:00.006-06:00

I've been doing research for my next book in the series The Frugal Way, Smart Grocery Shopping.

Research, you say. On groceries?

Yup.

Food is a lot scarier than any horror story you'll read in fiction. Did you know that in any given grocery store, the majority of packaged foods are made up primarily of six foodstuffs, corn being the number one ingredient?

I thought this was crazy-talk at first. How do you get cheese out of corn?

Apparently, the boys and girls in the lab have been busy extracting key components, primarily from corn and soybeans, and introducing them into the food chain as...FOOD.

The vegetable itself isn't used for food, but rather the molecular chain they extract out of it, producing sugars, starches, and gums. Look at the ingredients list on any processed food. Those words you can't pronounce? Those are very likely corn or soybean extracts.

Good for replacing nutrients and adding filler to processed foods. Not so good for health.

And you can't get away from it--not from the grocery stores and certainly not when you eat out. These ingredients are in virtually everything.

This leaves you with one of three choices. Grow your own food. Avoid all processed foods. Shop certified organic stores.

I'm no doctor, but I wonder if people would have less migraines, diabetes, and high blood pressure if they avoided these processed foods all together.

I don't think the derivatives themselves are harmful (in small doses), it's the fact that processed foods are artificially 'stuffed' with these extracts rather than actual food. These derivatives are what add flavor, bulk and preservatives.

Why is it so hard to get away from processed foods? It comes down to two very insidious reasons.

1. The extracts make the food taste good. The sweetness and fat are palatable to our taste buds.

2. It makes food incredibly cheap. In the US, we have become so efficient at producing corn that we can undercut anyone in the world. That's why you can buy a burger for a dollar. The corn grown to raise that beef and create the preservatives in that bread is so cheap, the fast food chains can make their burgers for pennies.

If you were to raise your own cow, grow your own wheat, lettuce, cucumber, tomato and mustard seed, that hamburger would be outrageously expensive. The agri-giants have lulled us so deep into complacency that we don't even question how our food is made--until someone dies and it makes the evening news.

My book on Smart Grocery Shopping is about saving money at the grocery store, but I couldn't write it until I researched why you can get certain products so cheap.

It's a double-edged sword--one few of us can avoid.

If you'd like to learn more about where your food comes from, I suggest watching the documentary, Food, Inc. (on Netflix) or reading Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food.

Even though I'm not using much of this research in the actual writing of my Smart Grocery Shopping book, it gave me a base of knowledge so I could write the book more intelligently.

Have you ever wondered about our food supply? Or are you too afraid to ask? I wouldn't blame you. Very scary stuff.

Smart Grocery Shopping should be ready in March. If you haven't picked up Smart Budgets for Busy People, you might want to start with that first.

Oh, and don't forget there's a companion Facebook page for The Frugal Way series. I regularly post freebies, discounts and the occasional frugal tip.

Subscribe to The Frugal Way.

Pig Bladders: from Canning to Condoms

2012-01-31T07:00:00.002-06:00

Please welcome Krista D. Ball who never fails to entertain with her eclectic knowledge on all things weird.

***

Pig Bladders

You’reputting a pig bladder on what?

Itall started last fall during a discussion about the use of intestines andbladders for condoms in Europe a couple hundred years ago. Someone piped up,“How did they ever come up with that?”

Thiswas such an odd question. It was obvious where the idea came from, right?Right? Apparently not. I said that intestines and bladders had been usedin food preparation for easily a thousand years, and probably more.

Cuelooks of horror.

Aftertraumatizing this group of canning and freezing women, I’ve decided to take theshow on the road. To the internet, where I can traumatize large groups ofpeople!

Okay,honestly I just love sharing tidbits of history with people, so I asked Mariaif I could come on and discuss the history of food preservation. In particular,canning.

Igrew up in Newfoundland where we “bottled” everything (we never called itcanning). We preserved jams, apple pie fillings, moose stew, lobstermeat, turkey soup, and just about anything else we could think up. It was themodern method we all know: mason jars, sealing tops, metal rings, boilingwater, tongs, popping of cooling tops.

Butwhat did people use before the auto-sealing covers and rings?

Mostpeople know about wax. Paraffin wax poured a half inch to an inch on top of thefood will keep out the bacteria and oxygen and the goodies inside all fresh andsafe. In fact, many people still use paraffin wax.

Beforethe advent of paraffin wax and the Mason company, there were other ways topreserve foods. There are the typical ways – smoking your ham hung in thechimney, drying fish on rocks, pouring melted butter over shrimps in a smalljar, and covering ceramic jars with pig bladders.

Saywha?

Inreading many period British cookbooks, recipes mention putting “bladders” overthe jam. Well, in many cases that meant a pig’s bladder. After all, a bladderis meant to hold liquid, so they are stretchy and waterproof. Plus, they shrinkwhen they dry out.

Topreserve jams and the like, the wife and her horde of daughters would cook uptheir pots of jam and pour into their crock jars. Then, they’d cut dampbladders to the size of the openings. As the bladders dried out, they’d shrinkand form a tight seal around the jar tops.

Andwhile I try to replicate as many period recipes and cooking styles as possible,I’ll be leaving this particular one for the history books.

-Canadian authorKrista D. Ball combines her love of the fantastical, an obsession with potage,and a history degree from Mount Allison University to bring fantasy writers andfood lovers a new and unique reference guide. Her guide, What Kings Ateand Wizards Drank, will be available autumn 2012.

Agent Contracts: A Disturbing Turn

2012-01-30T07:01:00.003-06:00

I had planned a different post today, but this was too important not to share. For those looking for an agent, or those who've recently been offered representation, PLEASE read that contract thoroughly.

Theresa from Editorrent has two posts about a rumor (subsequently confirmed) that at least two agencies are inserting into their contracts a clause that takes a standard commission on an author's SELF-PUBLISHED books.

I could barely believe it so I had to read it twice.

The theory Theresa proposes (and I agree with) is that since the agent is building the author's career, he is entitled to a cut of the author's other revenue streams from books.

These agents are counting on the desperate, or the person who doesn't read their contract carefully to sign on the dotted line. Either way, it's bad news. It also calls attention to the fact that agents are also desperate. Revenue from traditional publishing is drying up for them and they're frantic to hang on to their careers no matter what that takes.

Please, please, please. I know some of you would give your eye teeth for a chance at representation, but be careful what you wish for. This is such a crock I can't believe any agent would have the temerity to include it in their contracts.

Read Theresa's posts here and here.

Whatever you decide, be careful out there. If there are two agencies pulling this crap, you can bet they're not the only ones.

Tomorrow: Today might have been a crock of offal, but tomorrow we go right to the bladder. Pig's bladder. Stop by and visit with Krista D. Ball when she talks about preserving food (and other things) the old timey way.

Please chime in. What do you think it means for the industry when agents start to expect compensation for work they didn't sell, or agents who start their own self-publishing companies? Are we looking at the beginning of the end or something more complex?

State of the Homestead

2012-01-26T07:00:00.008-06:00

I started reading blogs again only to discover several old friends decided to call it quits and go on to other pursuits. Two other friends simply stopped blogging without public explanation. It almost felt like an epidemic. All told, eight friends have either given up writing or put it on a permanent back-burner. I know it's crossed my mind a time or two. There's so much I want to do now that I have the time.

The homestead has been busy. We burned a couple of big brush piles, tilled and fertilized the garden, and started a big bed of onions and garlic. We culled the rest of the roosters, and now the hens are producing eggs like crazy.

I don't mean to sound sexist, but I'm always surprised how much calmer the hens are when we get rid of most of the roosters. Those bullies just agitate everyone.

My big surprise this week is that we FINALLY got a green egg. I was so disappointed because my Americaunas (known as the Easter egg chickens) hadn't produced any green or blue eggs. They were all brown. But at least one hen from our new batch of layers is laying green eggs. Now to find out which one because I want more of her babies.

Outside: I started my seedlings for the spring. I'm trying to hide them from Iko because he loves to pull out the tender plants and carry them around like limp trophies. I have no idea why he enjoys pulling them out. It's not like they fight back.

Inside: We'll be spending a good chunk of change this year. I painted two of the guest rooms and the carpeting guys are coming in a couple of weeks to lay carpet. We're also replacing our Corian kitchen counter top with granite. I just left the showroom and picked out my stone.

The kitchen cabinets are still in great shape, but I'm going to sand them down and give them a fresh coat of white enamel. That should make them pop against the new counters. The only other thing I need in the kitchen is for Greg to tear out the built-in wood wine rack and replace it with a wine cooler. I never liked that wine rack. It's almost impossible to clean. The cooler will be more practical.

Plant futures: The seed catalogs have arrived and I've been plotting the new gardens. This year I'm going to raise a separate garden strictly for the animals. I'm planting corn, soybeans, and mangels. Mangels will be new for us. It's a kind of sugar beet that's supposed to be nutritious for animals (and humans).

I also want to expand my blackberry brambles. Because they're such tender fruits, blackberries are very expensive at the store. I thought it might make a good farmer's market product in a couple of years.

Animals: Goats are still on the agenda and we'll be looking for stock in March. The one activity that's got me both apprehensive and intrigued is milking. I want to learn how to make cheese.

Dogs: Tank is ten years old. It seemed just yesterday when he joined the family. We rescued him when he was two-years-old. He was found wandering the roads. When they caught him, he escaped his pen only to be found the next day sleeping on the office couch. They warned us he was an escape artist but in truth he was just looking for a comfortable place to sleep. He's no dumb bunny. Tank never met a couch he didn't like.

The vet gave him a clean bill of health despite all his lumps. With any luck he should make it to twelve. That's a pretty good run for a rottie his size. He's a giant dog.

Poor old boy is all gray around the muzzle, but he can still give Iko a run for his money. Iko idolizes him. That goofy dog will surely miss him when he's gone. Despite being polar opposites, they've been good friends from the start.

Me: Since you guys have asked, I'm okay. I'm still very sad, but we had some closure when we made Murray a nice grave lined with stone and brick. In the spring I'm going to plant some rosemary there. For some reason, Murray really liked the smell of that herb. Rosemary is the symbol of remembrance and it seems apropos to plant him a little cutting for his grave.

My spring comes early so I'm trying to get my plans in place. Is there anything special you're looking forward to in the spring? Books, movies, gardening?

When Greg gets back we want to catch Red Tails. Greg's a big WWII buff. He's hoping the movie will be historically accurate. If it's not I'll never hear the end of it. :) Has anyone seen this yet? Any good?

**Has anyone ever try different sorts of eggs? Duck? Quail? Ostrich? Have you ever seen green or blue chicken eggs?

Who's Reading Your Blog?

2012-01-23T07:00:00.002-06:00

While this blog was on hiatus, I didn't read many posts, but I started up again this past week and was struck by a couple of things.

The first was how much peddling there was for fiction. There were posts about the process, character interviews, author interviews, reviews, and endless sales pitches.

The second most obvious trend was that these writers were primarily peddling to other writers.

The first part isn't the problem. The second is. Not that writers don't read. Most of us are insatiable readers, but let's look at this in wide angle. We are a tiny drop in the readership ocean. It might seem like we're reaching a lot of people, but since the majority of posts I read were placed on author blogs, guess what demographic we're targeting?

And then there are blog hops that jump from blog to blog with less-than-stimulating content. If you have that sort of time, go for it, but remember it's strictly a social call. I don't participate in them and I rarely visit those who do. I just don't have the time.

Well-choreographed blog book tours can work, but it's a lot more labor-intensive than most people realize (and is a post in itself). You have to be very selective on where you appear and what you post.

Last year, I made a concerted effort to reach more than other writers. Much like starting a new blog, it takes time to attract new readers.

• Word of mouth is good if your readers are mentioning you to non-writers.
• Participating in non-writer forums helps to get your name out.
• Using good keywords in blog posts are an easy way to gain visibility without a lot of extra work. I get a lot of drop-in traffic from people Googling for information.

But here's what they didn't Google. They didn't Google publishers, writing journeys, or authors. Yes, my name and books get Googled, but the referring links seem to originate from Goodreads or the only reader-centric web site where I have an ad. This means the chances are good I'm reaching readers who aren't necessarily writers.

The people who ended up at my blog searched for how to do stuff, or the why of stuff, or where to find stuff. They found my blog through the pictures I posted. (Dog pictures and the flying saucer house are still the #1 image searches.)

I get traffic for my remodeling posts, the chicken stories, and gardening updates. Admittedly, I do get a lot of hits for the writing and promotion how-to posts I've done. But this comes only from other writers and I want to reach more than my kissing cousins--much as I love you guys.

When you're distracted (in my case, grieving) your attention tends to filter out the chatter, but as I was deleting posts on my Reader recently, I scrolled back and noticed every deleted post was someone raving about their book. It's not that it didn't have value. It's that I was not the target audience. I'd already read their spiel in some form on a half-dozen other writer blogs.

As an experiment, I clicked on a few of the more popular blogs to read comments and Every Single One was from another writer congratulating them. Not pure readers. Not people off the street who wanted to know more about this author or book. But other writers showing their support.

I'm not advocating we not support each other. We need our friends around us. But unless you're selling a writing/publishing book, you're not reaching your target audience. If you're in the writing business, you have to stop insulating yourself from the outside world.

I understand why we do this. Associating only with friends is like a big, warm blankie. They protect us from a jaded and sometimes cruel world.

Unpublished writers have a different problem. Since they don't yet have a book to plug, what can they discuss to grow their audience? I think it's shortsighted to ignore future fans even when you don't have a book yet. We're all folks here. Let's not put up barriers unless you really want to exclude those not of ink-blood.

You can:
• Talk about the books you've read, opening up the discussion with both writers and non-writers via our common denominator, reading.

• Blog about your area of expertise, which I always find fascinating, even when it's linked back to writing.

• Write an objective review.

There are lots of ways to be interesting to both writers and non-writers without alienating either.

I'm going to continue with the way I'm doing this blog and talk only occasionally about writing/publishing. After all, I owe a lot to my peers and I want to pay forward where I can. But the main thrust of this blog will share useful information and the occasional animal story.

I'm also going to spend more time on my Facebook page for The Frugal Way to reach my other target audience, people looking to save money.

No matter what you talk about, a blog should be a reflection of the author. Content is critical for me. But voice counts for a lot too. I often find myself reading blogs because I like the way that person talks. I want to be just as interesting. Who knows? It might even make me a sale.

Do you get a lot of traffic from people who are not writers? Is it something you'd be interested in developing or is your blog strictly for those of ink-blood? If it is for writers only, how do you reach out to fans?

***
PS Thank you for allowing me my privacy while I was mourning poor Murray. I needed that time alone.

Thank You

2012-01-14T06:48:00.000-06:00

So many of you have sent me emails, cards, phone calls, andeven blog tributes for Murray that I felt I needed to share what his short lifemeant to me.

Everywhere I look I see little reminders of Murray. Tiny pawprints where he sprinted back into the house after our walks. The foot rest I keepunder my desk where he would look up at me with his sparkling chocolate eyes. Theway he’d watch the chickens dutifully, as if he knew someday they’d be his tocommand. But most of all I remember the little kisses he gave me whenever Ipicked him up.

He got sick, but he recovered despite the odds. Then he gotsick again. But we beat that too. Wewere so close, so very close to making it. Then came the sucker punch fromwhich neither of us could recover.

I was up and at his side every time he whimpered in hissleep or repositioned himself noisily in his crate. At night I’d rock him tosleep and press him close to my body to keep him warm and safe.

I did everything humanly possible to keep him alive. Whenthe vet gave me such rotten odds against beating Parvo I insisted I could do abetter job than his skeleton staff during Christmas week. When he said Murray wouldn’tsurvive kennel cough, I got his lungs clear and got him eating again.

But I couldn’t fight the distemper. Even if he survived, he’dalmost certainly suffer irreparable neurological damage. I’ve seen more than myshare of death. But sometimes death is preferable to suffering.

I did not rest for the whole time Murray was sick. Not oneday. Not one hour. Where I found the strength I don’t know. But I know I did itfor him.

He was my baby.

I can’t help thinking I let him down. That maybe if I wassmarter, more intuitive, or attacked the sickness more aggressively then maybethings would’ve been different. My logical side says I did all I could. But myheart wants to blame something. It wants to make some sense of this loss.

I’ve never in my life asked anyone to take care of me. But Ineed someone to take care of me now. Ihave no strength left.

My boys are finally home. But my baby is still gone.

***

Words cannot express how much your letters and calls meantto me. I never knew I had so many friends. Thank you.

I need a few more days. I’ll try to be back soon.

Murray is Gone

2012-01-09T14:15:00.003-06:00

We beat Parvo and kennel cough. But we couldn't beat the distemper. My heart is too broken for words.

Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts.

Blog comments have been disabled. Forgive me for not replying to you. I just can't.

Smart Budgets for Busy People: Name Game

2012-01-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

This poor series had a rough time being born. Not the writing. That was easy. It was the title and subsequent cover.

Smart Budgets for Busy People talks about budgets and how to make one, but it also gives tons of tips for saving on every day things, and resources on where to buy, sell, and trade. I wasted no space on flowery language or long descriptions. This wasn't fiction. It was hard-nosed facts on how to save money and how to keep most of it. I didn't want to clutter up the facts with empty verbiage.

When I came up with the idea for this series, I immediately knew what I was going to call it and how the art would look. The first title series was called The Frugal Spy and it used all these graphics with spy silhouettes and magnifying glasses. Then I Googled the name and found someone else using it.

Okay, scratch that.

Next I came up with Frugal U with cute little university banners and diploma icons. Only if you abbreviate Frugal U to its first letters it came up with a less than appropriate acronym. Oy.

There were at least a dozen more titles and covers. I was especially fond of one called The Frugal Dog which showed a hunting dog sniffing for $$$ tracks, but my sounding-board friend and designer thought it might be misconstrued as a children's book. I disagreed, but acquiesced. It was important that it not look too childish, girly, manly, or anything other than a straight up answer book. The cover had to look extremely graphic and genderless.

I finally settled on the theme of 'direction', which is where The Frugal Way came from. Between my friend and myself we came up with the arrow-road, the logo, and the sun ray background. Each subsequent book will use these elements but in different colors. Also the main graphic will change to reflect the topic of that book. The book on budgets used a blackboard. It's a given, the book on grocery shopping will probably use groceries in some form.

I still liked The Frugal Dog idea best, but I bowed to my friend because while we both worked as designers for multimillion dollar corporations, her company trumped mine. She worked for Disney. :grin:

If you haven't bought Smart Budgets for Busy People, would you try it out? I promise you there is nothing but straight facts and resource links that either save, make, or lets you keep your money.

You can buy it at Amazon or Smashwords. Oh, and if you have read it, I'd love it if you would post a review. Thanks!

***

Murray Report: Still sick, but his appetite is a little better--at least in the morning. I really dread having Greg and the dogs coming back this Friday. I think it's too soon. I don't think Murray is well enough for any commotion and while the older dogs should be okay, I hate having to risk Tank since he's older and more likely to get sick if the virus is still active. It'll be a month since they've been here.

I am very tired.

Am I Fickle?

2012-01-05T07:00:00.036-06:00

Maybe it's been my long days, but I've become increasingly disappointed with some of the fiction releasing lately. The covers are phenomenal, but the stories are so generic. Out of the seven books I've bought lately--both small and big press books, I only managed to finish one. The rest made me feel like I wasted my money. I usually don't have such bad luck with books because I research them pretty thoroughly before I buy.

This might have more to do with me than the book though. Whenever I find myself dissatisfied with things that should make me happy, it's usually because I'm looking for something I can't yet identify. So maybe I should switch genres for a while. Maybe I should read literary, or classics, or the ingredients label on a box of cake mix.

Have you ever found yourself tired of something you normally love? (Spouses don't count.) LOL

***

Murray Report: I wish I had better news but Murray is still not well. Although the vet first suspected he was hacking up hookworms, he now seems to think it's kennel cough. (Like I said so in the first place.) That poor little puppy just can't catch a break. I'm starting to get a little rundown too. I feel like I'm coming down with something.

Because kennel cough is contagious, Greg has to keep Tank and Iko another week. We have not seen each other since the third week of December. I miss my boys, all of them.

***

You still have a chance to win a copy of Smart Budgets for Busy People by leaving a comment at TBR. I will pick a winner tomorrow. And don't worry if you already bought the book. If you win, I will substitute that book with the next one coming up. Smart Grocery Shopping.

Someone wrote me and said she bought an extra copy of Smart Budgets for her son. That just made my day. First, because she bought a second copy. And secondly because more young people need to learn how to budget. It's a tough world out there. A lot of older people are having to work much longer than they expected, which is sad on many levels. People should enjoy their retirement, not scrounge to supplement their remaining years.

A Happening Spot

2012-01-02T07:04:00.001-06:00

Meet me over at TBR where I talk a little bit about frugal living and my new book, Smart Budgets for Busy People. One commenter over at TBR will win a copy of the book.

I have such high hopes for this series. It's more than just an idea, it's a lifestyle I love.

Also, don't forget to LIKE The Frugal Way on Facebook. I'll be posting freebies and discounts as I find them.

***

Murray Report: Murray is better, but the Parvo has compromised his immune system and now he's got what might be a respiratory infection. We'll be at the vet's office whenever they can fit us in.

I've not had a solid night's sleep in almost two weeks. At first because he was so sick, but now because he's not able to hold his bladder, so we are out for our walks at all hours of the night.

At least he tells me when he needs to go out. I've had very few accidents. I'm not allowing him to use the run because he's too little yet. With no big brothers to protect him, I can't be sure a hawk or coyote won't try to make off with him. (I don't have that problem with Tank and Iko. Every predator in the area gives them a wide berth. LOL!)

Every day is better, but I was sorry to see Murray come down with something else. Hopefully, the vet can prescribe something for it.

As years go, 2011 was not great. Judging by the various blogs I read, most people were in the same boat, but there were a few who said they had a great year. I could use one of those.

How did 2011 rate for you? Good, bad, or unchanged?

Starting the New Year Right

2012-01-01T14:24:00.001-06:00

Just a few newsy items to pass along to you.

Writers' Forum: If you are looking for a writer's forum, a brand new one just opened up January 1st. It's called On Fiction Writing and I can vouch for the people running it. If you use this code code XM827, it'll give you free member access for six whole months. Don't wait too long to use the coupon code. It expires this month.

The people who set this forum up are the same people who wrote Writer's Companion. I've been hearing through the grapevine that they have all sorts of activities and interviews planned for the forum so it should be a pretty good meeting place. Doesn't hurt to look around for six months, right?

Kaye Manro has a great little holiday read while we're still in a festive mood called A Medieval Yule.

A fortnight ago she left him. Marcus of Windom stood alone in an empty castle without Lady Liana by his side. The frigid winds of the Yule Season pressed upon him. He pulled the parchment from whence he carried it and read her chilling parting words once again. I can no longer live as your lady-wife… If ever she returned would her sensual warmth be enough to melt the ice she had caused to form around his broken heart?

And Me: Visit me on Monday, January 2nd at Cate Masters new blog TBR where I introduce my brand new book. It's the first book of a series called The Frugal Way. Book 1 is called Smart Budgets for Busy People.

I've also started a Facebook page for The Frugal Way.

LIKE The Frugal Way and keep up to date with any new deals or interesting information I might encounter during my daily strolls on the net.

You can buy Smart Budgets For Busy People on Smashwords or Amazon for only 99 cents! (Yes, I want to sell a lot of these.)

If you like it, I hope you'll post a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I am VERY excited about this series. Frugal Living is my passion!

Happy 2012, Everyone!

An Author's Resolutions

2011-12-31T07:30:00.003-06:00

In 2012, I resolve to:

• give thoughtful comments both on my blog and yours.

• comment when you have a brand new baby author on your blog because I remember when I was new too.

• think before I tweet, FB, or blog angry words. Chances are good I'm getting mad over nothing.

• remind myself that not everyone is meant for overnight success. Some of us need time to saute gently.

• talk less, listen more.

• worry less about status. Cuz really, in a hundred years, who's gonna care if my book was on the NYT list?

• pet my dogs more and growl at my husband less. (Greg will especially like this one.)

***
Adopting and almost losing Murray kind of brought things into perspective for me. I am insanely competitive, especially with myself, but nearly losing that little guy made me realize how fragile life is. Selling a book is ridiculously insignificant compared to family and health. If I sell, I sell, but I will no longer beat myself up to meet self-imposed deadlines and sales figures.

From now on, I intend to focus on the things that bring happiness to me and to others. When I die, I want people to remember me for who I was--a good friend who lived every day like it was her last.

Do you think your resolutions have changed over the years?

Murray's Resolution
• Try to have only one near-death experience in this life. That last one was a doozy.

A Sad Christmas

2011-12-24T07:00:00.016-06:00

I had planned on a happy post introducing the newest member of our family, but things have not gone well.

A few days ago, we adopted this little guy from a nearby city pound. For reasons I'll explain later, we call him Murray.

As you can imagine, the pound was a horrid place and we took him straight to the vet. Everything was going well until the other night when I noticed he had tired out particularly fast. Soon after, the vomiting and diarrhea started.

We took him to the vet the first thing in the morning and got smacked with our worst fear. He had the Parvo virus.

Many years ago, when I was a vet tech, veterinarians all across the country were being hit with a monster disease no one could identify. Puppies and even adult dogs died in spades, and they died painfully. I was at the clinic at all hours changing out bags of lactated Ringer's (fluids) and helping with blood transfusions. We lost almost everyone. In the meantime, scientists gave us a name for this disease. Canine parvovirus.

Today, with massive fluids, antibiotics and round the clock care, some puppies and dogs can be saved. This is where I am now.

Greg took Tank and Iko back home with him and I am here with Murray, doing my best to keep him alive long enough that he can rebuild his strength and fight off this disease. There is no cure for Parvo. It's just me and him. His odds are 50-50. He's very young and that's a big strike against him. He doesn't yet have a well developed immune system. But I did catch it early and that's a plus.

If Murray can give me 50%, I'll throw in the other 50 and maybe we can beat this thing. All I want for Christmas is a healthy puppy.

If you can find it in your heart, say a prayer for my little guy. We are desperate for a break from his downward spiral. We had an especially bad night yesterday. Murray needs all the prayers and good thoughts he can get.

I am taking off a few days to spend more time with my sick baby. I'll be back 12-31-11. Take care, everyone.

Winners for the DIY Christmas Blogfest

2011-12-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

We had an amazing turnout for our first Do It Yourself Christmas. Here are the winners for all the contests we had throughout the past two weeks.

Winners, please contact me here verifying your email address and I will forward it to the appropriate Santa-author.

Without further ado, congrats to:

Nadja Notariani, E-book, Wednesday, 12-7
WINNER: Kaye Manro

KS Augustin, E-book, Friday, 12-9

WINNER: Romance Reader

Raelyn Barclay: Custom Cards, Monday, 12-12

WINNERS: Southpaw and Angela Brown

Marianne Arkins, Earrings, Wednesday 12-14

WINNER: (Ellie) Dead Herring

Clarissa Draper, $5 gift card Thursday, 12-15

WINNER: LG Smith

Shelley Munro, E-book, Friday, 12-16

WINNER: lisagkendall

Cathy Pegau, E-book, Monday, 12-19

WINNER: Madeleine

Angela Brown, Two E-book winners, Tuesday, 12-20

WINNERS: Cheryl Colyer and Shelley Munro

Congratulations to the winners and a special thank you to the amazing people who shared their Christmas DIY projects.

I didn't know what to expect when I invited these folks. My only criteria was that the projects be from all over the world and that it'd be something anyone at home could do. Little did I realize what they would turn in.

From cakes to cards to decorated jars. We had it all and then some. If you missed anything, check out all the projects here.

***
Update: One more post tomorrow.

Sarah Ahiers' Jars

2011-12-22T07:00:00.006-06:00

If you're expecting company and need decorations fast, you must try this one.

I was so excited when Sarah Ahiers agreed to be a guest on my blog. I love her crafty posts and her baking posts look so good you wished you had smellavision on the internet.

Take a look at how EASY and fast you can make decorations with what you have around the house. Sarah is a genius!

Sarah's Jars

I'm not even going to lie. I love jars.

For reals.

Jars are awesome. You can put so much stuff in them, both for storage and for decorations, and they look so cool. Kind of an old-school country feel.

Seriously, mason jars are some of the easiest things to craft with. And one of the best things about mason jars are, they're pretty affordable. You can get them at any grocery store usually for about $10 for a dozen or more, depending on size.

Right now, I've been using some smaller ones.

just so cute!

I like to fill them with fun things, depending on the season, and then throw a candle on top. We hosted a baby shower a few weeks ago and I got more than a few compliments on this arrangement. And it was super easy and cheap (see the bottom of the post for a few other ideas of what to put in your jars).

For winter time, I like things that smell nice. Now, I don't drink coffee, but I love the smell of coffee beans. I really, really wished coffee tasted liked the beans smelled. But alas.

Anyway, an easy solution to my "no reason to have coffee beans in the house since no one drinks it" conundrum is to make coffee bean accent jars.

So, take an empty jar. Or two, or three. I use four at a time, since I have a ledge between my kitchen and living room that is really suited to four mason jars and my terrarium.

Pick out a flavor of coffee bean you like. I chose almond vanilla, since the candles I'll be using are vanilla scented.

smells sooooo good

Then fill your jar to the max.

Next, add your tea light. You don't have to use scented tea lights, if you don't want. I'm just using them because they're what I had lying around

The best thing about this arrangement is, once you light the candle, it will heat the coffee beans and fill the room with the scent of the beans. MMMMMM.

When you're done using the mason jar for the season, just ditch the candle (or save for use in another craft or project) and close up with the lid that came with the mason jar.

This makes for super easy storage and you don't have to worry about the jar spilling accidentally.

You can pretty much put anything you want in mason jars. For autumn, I used pine cones and potpourri pumpkins.

these were the ones that garnered me the compliments at the party

And for Christmas decorations, I'm using cranberries, floating tea lights, water and a few sprigs of a silver leaf I picked up at Michael's.

I also reproduced this on a larger scale, for a center piece, and added dogwood branches sticking out of the middle

You could use acorns or berries or the fuzzy parts of pussy willows. Anything really. And if you buy the jars in bulk, you can just store them as is and take them out with the change in season or holiday (assuming you're not using fresh fruits or something else that would rot)

If you're feeling extra adventurous, you could check out Specialty Bottles, for tons of different jars or bottles available for purchase.

What are you waiting for? Go have fun with your jars!

Sarah Ahiers blogs about writing (mostly) MWF over at Falen Formulates Fiction. She often procrastinates from writing or cleaning by crafting, crocheting or hanging out with her dogs.

NOTE: This is the LAST day to comment on any of our past DIY projects. To view all of them, go here.

Winners will be posted tomorrow! Good luck!

DIY Coffee Cake with Linda Masterson

2011-12-21T07:00:00.007-06:00

Oh my gosh. I had no idea cake from scratch could be this EASY. I had to lean on Linda to give me this recipe, but she finally conceded to my charm. :wink:

Please welcome Linda Masterson, and check out this cake. I have all these ingredients in stock and plan to make this tonight.

***

Thanks, Maria, for letting me be part of your DIY Christmas.

Unlike many of the recipes I’ve gathered over the years, Iremember exactly where this one came from. It was 1969. Hubby and I weretraveling from Ohio to Bostonand stopped for the night with friends in Rochester. She served this cake at breakfast and calledit “coffee cake”. I’m not a coffeedrinker but I was crazy about the cake and managed to get her recipe. Over the years, it has become such a favoritein our family my boys request it for their birthdays instead of the traditionalfrosted variety.

Chocolate Chip SourCream Cake

Batter

½ soft butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking power

1tsp baking soda

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips

¾ cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

You need a form pan, i.e. an angle food cake pan, wellgreased.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs and blend till smooth. Sift togetherthe flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add gradually and mix well. Batter will be quite thick. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix untilsmooth.

Mix topping ingredients together.

Put 1/3 of the topping in the pan. Cover with 1/3 of the batter. The batter is thick so you have to spread itout. Repeat with the next third of eachand so on. Then swirl a knife throughthe batter to distribute the topping until well mixed.

Bake at 350° for 50 minutes. Cool at least ½ hour before removing from pan.

Fair warning: serve yourself a smaller piece than you thinkyou want. It’s pretty rich. And you can always go back for seconds.

Enjoy.

***
Transplanted from Boston as a child– and still a diehard Red Sox fan – Linda has lived on both coasts, prefers thenortheast, but will probably stay forever in Ohio because that’s where her four grandkidsare.

After twenty years with the American Red Cross, she has moved to afull time pursuit of the dream of being published. Linda writesmysteries/suspense, sometimes with a bit of paranormal, and always with enoughromance to make it fun. You can catch her on her blog,and her website.

NOTE: For other DIY Christmas posts, go here. Be sure to go back and leave a comment because there aregoodies up for grabs all throughout the blogfest. All contests for the DIYposts end 12-22-11, so you can comment on any previous post.

DIY Christmas with Your Kids by Angela Brown

2011-12-20T07:00:00.064-06:00

I met Angela years ago at a writing conference and we've been friends ever since. She moved away. I moved away. She moved back. I moved further away. But the internet keeps us in touch.

I had no idea what Angela would come up with for a DIY Christmas post, but I love her blog and I knew she would undoubtedly call upon her secret weapon. Chipmunk (aka, Danielle). I was not disappointed. Please welcome, Angela!

Hanging with a Chipmunk

Not this chipmunk:

Nor these chipmunks:

I’m talking about my chipmunk (aka, my darling, Danielle).

She’s something that’s irreplaceable, just like the time I sometimes lose getting caught up in my personal projects.

This Christmas, I decided to do something a little different. You see that ornament chipmunk is holding? It’s a simple little thing really, made by removing the aluminum top, filling the glass ornament ball with cotton ball sized, red and silver frillies then adding red ribbon with snowflakes.

But what I love most of all is her smile.

So how did we go about making that smile? It started with supplies from Hobby Lobby. I adore that store. From fabrics to crafts supplies to knick-knacks, Hobby Lobby has it all. At the time I went shopping, I got what I needed at 50% off. Yeah, call me spend-happy :o)

Glass ornaments, glitter, glue, red and silver frillies, and bling. As you can see from the picture below, the glitter was a hit.

Chipmunk was able to produce these wonderful, personalized ornaments with minimal assistance.

First, I covered the entire circumference of the glass ornament with Beacons’ ornament glue. Next, I handed over the glitter and let her have a blast combining silver and snowflake white glitter. That’s the one already completed. She combined silver with green and red glitter for the ornament she’s working on in the picture.

It got messy, which is why I gave the junk mail new life. It really made clean up as easy as 1 – 2 – 3. But the mess was worth seeingthis grin:

Personalizing our own ornaments was great. Having fun and spending time together…that’smore precious than anything. Okay, I’mgoing to stop now before I start a tear-storm. I suppose I can’t emphasize enough the joy I derived from hanging with chipmunk.

I recently did a post where I posed this question: What does this holiday season mean to you? From the comments, I could see that family time was and is at the top of the list. But even I enjoy a little gift giving. So I’d like to share two Kindle stories with two lucky winners chosen at random. And yes, that means both winners will receive both titles.

Bah,Humbug! (a romantic comedy novella ) by Heather Horrocks and Christmas in Hell by Virginia Jewel. The titles aren’t the typical merry, jolly, everything’s perfect sort of stories. Honestly, the holidays can be that way. So here’s your chance to get a few things off your chest. Have you had an interesting Christmas mayhem moment? You know, something like great Uncle Joe sipping one too many cups of spiked eggnog and showing the true meaning of full moon. Or perhaps something less damaging to your eyes. Even if it’s just your cat playing tag with your ornaments, this is your outlet.

Comment away. That’s how the winners will be chosen.

NOTE: For other DIY Christmas posts, go here. All contests for the DIY posts end 12-22-11, so you can comment on any previous post.

Salmon Pasta with Cathy Pegau

2011-12-19T07:00:00.013-06:00

If today's post doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will. We are headed for ALASKA!

Please welcome Cathy Pegau from the great snowy lands of the north. She is featuring a very Alaskan food that all of us should have in our pantry.

When Maria askedfor an Alaskan recipe, my first offer of moose roast or stuffed moose heart was met with a bit of hesitation (not easy in an email, but Maria is an amazing writer of these as well). Not everyone, she reminded me, had moose on hand. Fair enough. So what recipe would have easily found ingredients yet an Alaskan flair?

Smoked salmon!

Living where we do, we eat a lot of salmon. A lot. It’s our main protein source, which is great for our Omega-3 fatty acid levels, but requires some imagination when it comes to varying recipes.

Salmon pasta is one of our favorites. It is, perhaps, the easiest and fastest homemade pasta dish this side of opening a jar of marinara sauce. And it definitely tastes better. We make it when we’ve forgotten to take something out of the freezer, or when DH calls on hot dog and baked beans night to tell me he’s bringing a few folks home for dinner. It’s great for those busy holiday nights when you’ve been out shopping, or if you’re looking for a dish to bring to a party.

While I realize not everyone has a couple of shelves of jarred smoked salmon in their pantry as well as pounds of it in the freezer, I’m sure it’s an ingredient most everyone can find in their nearest grocery store. Granted, I’m partial to our home smoked variety, but commercial works quite well.

Smoked SalmonPasta

8 ounces smoked salmon

2 cloves garlic, minced

Enough extra virgin olive oil to cover salmon, approx. ½ to 1 cup

1-2 tsp. dried basil

1-2 tsp. dried oregano

1-2 tsp. dried parsley

A couple dashes of hot sauce, if desired

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup Parmesan or Parm/Romano grated cheese PLUS some for sprinkling on top

¼ cup Italian style bread crumbs

Box of pasta of your choice (enough to serve 4)

While water is heating for pasta, put salmon, garlic, olive oil, herbs, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Break up large chunks of salmon. Heat on medium to medium-low, stirring occasionally. Taste, adjust seasoning. You can add a bit more oil if you prefer a looser consistency, or some white wine. Once it starts to bubble, lower the heat or turn it off altogether. Cook pasta as directed. Drain.Toss pasta with Parmesan and bread crumbs. Toss again with salmon mixture. Sprinkle on more cheese. Serve with crusty bread and green salad.

The salmon mix isalso great on crackers.

Let me know if you give this a try. And be sure to tell your dinner companions you got the recipe from a real Alaskan. Only you and I need to know I’m an Alaskan by way of New York ; )

What’s your favorite fast, easy and delish dish?

***

Cathy Pegau isthe author of Rulebreaker, a science fiction romance out from Carina Press. Buy it here: Carina Amazon B&N

Cathy is also giving away Rulebreaker and a can of Alaskan salmon (if postal regulations allow) to one commenter. So comment away, then pop over to her blog and follow her there.

NOTE: For other DIY Christmas posts, go here. All contests for the DIY posts end 12-22-11, so you can comment on any previous post.

DIY Bath Salts with Shelley Munro

2011-12-16T07:00:00.043-06:00

Today, we're visiting New Zealand with Shelley Munro.

When Shelley came up with this idea for bath salts I knew it was perfect. It's homemade. It's inexpensive. And it's from the heart. Your friends and family will love it.

I am definitely doing this one.

Hello everyone, and thanks to Maria for inviting me to take part in her 12 Days of Christmas celebration. I feel very honored!

Imagine relaxing in a warm bath with the waft of lavender soothing your cares away. Read on, because this could be you…

Lavender Bath Salts

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons baking soda

1 tablespoon citric acid

Sprigs of fresh lavender or dried lavender if you have it

8 drops of lavender essential oil

Method:

1. Pick a handful of lavender flowers (or borrow or steal from the neighbor). Leave a bit of the stalk on the flower. Dry the lavender flowers. I put them in a sunny place in the kitchen for 2 days. You can also put them in the oven when it’s cooling down after cooking the evening meal. The flowers should be dry and almost crunchy in texture.

2. Mix the baking soda and citric acid together in a clean, dry bowl. If the baking soda is lumpy, put it through a sieve.

3. Add the dried lavender flowers to the bowl, roughly crumbling the flowers into small pieces.

4. Add 8 drops of lavender essential oil and mix well.

5. Keep in an airtight jar and sprinkle in your bath before you jump in and relax.

Lavender Bath Bomb

1. Use the same ingredients above plus 1 teaspoon of almond oil. If you don’t have almond oil use some oil out of the pantry. Olive etc is fine. Mix well.

2. Push the mix into a mold and compact with a spoon. Allow to dry for about an hour.

3. Run a bath and add the bath bomb. Relax and enjoy!

Notes:

1. This is a good recipe for kids to help with since it teaches them about botany and chemistry and they get clean too.

2. Great for gifts. Place in airtight jar and decorate with ribbon to make it look pretty.

3. I used poached egg molds to make my bombs. A cookie cutter would work too.

4. Make sure your work area is totally dry since the introduction of any water will make your mix fizz when it shouldn’t!

5. The recipe will make one bath bomb.

6. Here’s a link for chocolate bath salts if lavender doesn’t do it for you.

Shelley Munro lives in New Zealand with her husband and a very naughty puppy. She writes romance for Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing and romantic mysteries for Carina Press. To learn more about Shelley and her books visit her website http://www.shelleymunro.com. Christmas is Coming is her latest release—a saucy little romance about sex toys and Christmas.

CONTEST: I’d like to give away an ebook download from my backlist to one reader. To enter – give me the name of one new-to-you author who you’ve read this year as well as the title of their book. I like to add to my reading pile.

NOTE: For other DIY Christmas posts, go here. Be sure to leave a comment because there are goodies involved all throughout the blogfest. All contests for the DIY posts end 12-22-11, so you can comment on any previous post.

Pozole with Clarissa Draper

2011-12-15T07:00:00.028-06:00

Oh, boy. This bringsback memories. Pozole is a traditional Mexican dish. Great for chilly winternights.

I have to admit, Iused to eat around the hominy. LOL.

Thanks, Clarissa, forletting me reminisce. The picture alone made my mouth water.

Mexican Pozole

Ingredients:

Soup

Pork shoulder or roast -- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds (If you are short on time, just make with pork already cubed)
Canned or fresh hominy, rinsed -- 2 to 3 cups
Garlic -- 3 to 5 cloves
Ground cumin -- 2 teaspoons
Salt -- 2 teaspoons
Water or stock -- 6 cups

Salsa for soup

2-3 Chili's Ancho (dried)
Garlic
Broth from soup
Pinch of salt

Garnishes

Iceberg lettuce, shredded
Avocado, diced
Onion, finely diced
Radishes, thinly sliced into strips
Key Limes (Limon), cut into wedges
Cilantro, chopped
Tortilla Chips (Totopos), broken apart
Jalapeño, diced (don't add if you don't like spicy food)

How To Make

Add the pork, hominy, garlic, cumin, salt and stock or water to a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
Remove the pot from heat. Take the pork from pot and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from its bones and shred it with your hands.
Add the meat back to the pot and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.
While the meat is simmering, make the salsa for the soup. Bowl Ancho Chilis for ten to fifteen minutes until soft. Place garlic, a bit of broth, salt and the Chilis into a blender and blend into salsa.
Serve soup with garnish. Makes a lovely meal on a cold day.

Do yourself a favor and visit Clarissa on her blog. She's always got something good to say. clarissadraper.blogspot.com

CONTEST: Leave a comment for a chance to win a $5 gift card from Amazon.

NOTE: For other DIY Christmas posts, go here. Be sure to leave a comment because there are goodies involved. All contests for the DIY posts end 12-22-11, so you can comment on any previous post.

Jewelry Basics with Marianne Arkins

2011-12-14T07:00:00.012-06:00

Fellow dog lover and gardener, Marianne Arkins is a long time friend. I read her blog faithfully and I'm always amazed at how much she can get done in a day. Her pre-teen daughter is a chip off the old block and started her own jewelry business. How cool is that?

Today, Marianne and DD will take you step by step to create a simple set of earrings. But wait--there's more! One lucky commenter will win the earrings. That's for those of you whose hands hurt just thinking about twisting teeny-tiny wire. Take a look and comment!

Making a simple set of Holiday Earrings

Making this pair of earrings is pretty easy and they look so pretty!

1. Start with your basic supplies. We used Swarovski crystal beads in red and green, goldtone head pins, gold tone wires, and goldtone spacers. The only tool we needed for this were round-nosed pliers (a must have in any jewelry making toolbox).

2. Thread your beads and spacers onto the headpin in whatever order you desire.

3. Using the round-nosed pliers, make your loop. This is actually the hardest part of this creation – I still can’t manage a decent looking loop, while my daughter is a pro at making them!

4. Slip them onto your earring wires – these wires are super simple to use because you don’t have to leave the loop on the headpin open to put them on. They simply slide over the top of the “S” and you gently squeeze it shut using your fingers. Be careful using tools on the findings, as they can scar the metal if you aren’t careful.

5. Here’s the completed pair – ready for a night out at the company Christmas party, or just hanging out with you while you finish your shopping.

The finished product

*Any questions? Comments? Thoughts? We’ll be giving this pair of earrings away to one commenter so let us know what you think.

And if you’re looking for great gifts, a little bling or more, check out our store.

***

Marianne is originally from California but currently living in much colder New Hampshire with her husband, daughter, dog and cat, as well as a few hundred wild birds, chipmunks and a backyard bear that keeps trying to grab the feeders. She can’t imagine a world without romance or not having stories rattling around in her brain, and she uses comedy to get her through the obscenely long winter.

To learn more about Marianne Arkins please visit www.mariannearkins.com or her blog www.reading-writing.blogspot.com.

NOTE: For other DIY Christmas posts, go here. All contests for the DIY posts end 12-22-11, so you can comment on any previous post.

Baking with Mike Keyton

2011-12-13T07:15:00.002-06:00

When it comes to cooking, Mike Keyton is another person I'd likely kidnap and chain to my kitchen. This could be why the best cooks never visit me.

PS...Note the temps, spelling, and weird words like treacle. Mike is British, but I don't hold that against him. :grin:

Take it away, Mike.

Early Christians would be bemused by what we eat to celebrate Christ's birth. No doubt there'd be conferences to ensure the Turkey was not an heretical bird. A medieval lord would be equally cautious in forsaking his pork or beef for such a strange looking creature. A global culture encourages uniformity, it also allows diversity and the chance to free ourselves from the shackles of Christmas Cake and the ubiquitous mince pie.

This Christmas go Caribbean. Below are two recipes: Jamaica Ginger Cake, followed by a fat free and protein rich cake I pinched from a West Indian cook.

From Delia Smith's Christmas Recipes

Recipe and Method

7 oz Brazil nuts - cut in half 4 Figs - chopped

6 oz Walnuts - ditto 3 oz raisins

3 oz almonds 6 oz half glace cherries

4 dates - chopped 3 oz mixed peel

Mix the above together and stir in to the batter below:

3 oz sifted flour

3 oz brown sugar

3 eggs

A squeeze of lemon (alternatively rum) pinch of salt, tsp of baking powder, vanilla essence.

Place in greased-proof paper lined tin and cook for 2 and a half hours at 300 degrees F.

The result is a very nutty cake. Not good for dentures.

***

Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe

This combines richness and pungency and is dead easy to make. Done right you will have a dark brown cake with a slightly gooey gingery centre that solidifies when cold. (The original recipe used lard instead of butter and had a little less ginger but this works for me)

2 oz butter 4 oz black treacle

6 oz of molasses sugar             2 oz golden syrup
2 beaten eggs                        1 tbs of dark rum
8 oz of self raising flour          2 oz sultannas
3-4 tsp of ginger                     3 pieces of stem ginger in syrup.

Method

Place butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in pan and warm until the fat has melted and the mixture is soft.

When cooled a little beat in eggs and fold in all the remaining ingredients, slicing the stem ginger before hand.

Pour the mix into a lined and greased 2lb loaf tin.

Bake 180 degrees (Celsius) for aproximately 40 minutes.

Okay, now the cake is done, and between now and Christmas you'll be gorging yourself silly. But for me, coming up is the real treat of the season, best sampled in the early hours of Boxing Day or the day after that: Toast and dripping.

I'm talking about the post-roast meat jelly, which most cooks urge you to use in your gravy. Well, put some aside.

Toast a thick slice of bread and spread the jellified meat juice* on to it. Puncture the toast whilst it's hot so the melted juice sinks through, and then sprinkle with salt.

Eat immediately - preferrably early in the morning, outdoors and beneath a grey, shreddy sky. Lancashire weather.

Contemplate the year's end and the year yet to come and enjoy the simplicity of hot toast and dripping.

* If you're feeling a little bit sinful you can use some of the fat. That's the white stuff that does all manner of bad things but which, like sin and Blue Stilton is good in small doses.

***

NOTE: For other DIY Christmas posts, go here. All contests for the DIY posts end 12-22-11, so you can comment on any previous post.

I'm an adventurous eater, but not a particularly adventurous cook. Are you?

This is why I kidnap good cooks and bakers. (Don't worry. I eventually let them go.)

DIY Christmas Cards with Raelyn Barclay

2011-12-12T07:00:00.042-06:00

When I asked around for crafty people I had no idea someone would pitch something like DIY Christmas Cards. Raelyn blew me away when she sent me the pictures. But when you read her instructions, you can see how easy they are.

Give it a try. It would be a great project to do with the kids too. Make a card and make a memory. Please welcome, Raelyn!

Going Green with Your Greeting Cards

Hello! My name is Raelyn Barclay and I'm delighted to have been asked to contribute to Maria's DIY 12 Days of Christmas. I've been scrapbooking since oldest wee beastie was about 18 months (he's 13 now) and, in the last four years, using that love of paper crafts for cards. With everyone's budgets tight, a hand crafted card shows you're thinking of the person without breaking the bank. And recycling everyday items into card embellishments saves dollars and the planet at the same time.

Does anyone recognize the tree on this card?

The items you can use on a greeting card are limited only by your imagination. I've used the plastic cover off a store bought cake and cut into clear embellishments. How about the tag off clothing? Some of the children's ones are adorable.

Do you save cards you've received? Put away the sentimental ones and repurpose the rest. Cut out all or part of the front to use as individual embellishments. Save the greeting, mat it, and put inside your creation.

If you have children in school, you could even use their artwork. The wee beasties' grandmothers still have the Mother's Day cards made from a finger-painting. That scrap of lace, ribbon, cloth too small for a sawing project...prefect additions to a card.

Minimum supplies needed:

Adhesive (I prefer glue dots or photo mounts but really any dry adhesive will work)

Scissors (and if you're cutting plastic you'll want an xacto knife)

For ease, I buy the card/envelope blanks you can pick up in the craft section of most verity stores (usually 100 for under $3 in my area). Though you can also make your own cards by cutting 8 1/2 by 11 cardstock in half and folding, then pick up the invitation sized envelops at any office supply store.

The blue stared squares on the Thank You card are from the front of an old card.

For mass production, I recommend finding a sketch, or two, to follow/copy. This is as easy as Google search for "card sketch" and is an encouraged practice, called "scraplifting," so don't fear a copyright infringement unless you're planning to sale the finished card. You'll find entire blogs dedicated to card sketches.

Gather your embellishments, a sheet or two of themed scrapbook paper conducive to the cards you plan to make (or go green and reuse some wrapping paper).

To assemble, I recommend cutting a piece of paper slightly smaller than your card blank (leaving 1/8 to 1/4 inch border) and building forward, that way ribbon type (see Tree Card picture for example) items can be wrapped around the back of the paper which will then be sealed onto the card blank. And before you adhere anything, lay your design out. It's a lot like that old adage, "measure twice and cut once."

How you decorate is up to you. I'm firmly in the KISS group. Also if you plan to mail your finished cards you'll want to stay on the flat side like the 3 Square Card above. Something like the Tree Card above will cost extra to mail because of the bulk.

For a chance to win one of these sets of four cards, tell me, what is your craft of choice?

Bio: Raelyn Barclay is an aspiring romance author who believes anything is possible in love and everyone needs a happily-ever-after. By day she tries to keep up with four sonic whirlwinds and dreams of a clean bathroom in heaven. In the wee hours of the morning and in the quiet of the night Raelyn hones her craft with an eye on seeing her name in print. She, her husband, and the wee numpties live in Nevada where scorpion hunting is a sport.

Raelyn is an avid reader able to gobble up 100,000 words in a single sitting. She’s been known to hoard books and is often distracted by libraries, bookstores, and even the book aisle in the grocery store where more than one innocent tub of ice cream has met a watery death.

When she’s not chasing the wee beasties or chained to her computer, Raelyn stretches her creativity with cross-stitching, knitting, and scrapbooking.

You can follow me on my blog, on Twitter, and/or on Facebook.

***
Just wow! Leave a comment for a chance to win one of two sets of cards. Aren't they beautiful? They look just like the cards I've seen in fancy specialty shops.

When you finish here, be sure to follow Raelyn back to her blog. She's such an interesting blogger and talks about a wide array of topics. I never miss her posts.

NOTE: For other DIY Christmas posts, go here. Be sure to leave a comment because there are goodies involved almost everyday. All contests for the DIY posts end 12-22-11, so you can comment on any previous post.

Chicken Curry a la KS Augustin

2011-12-09T07:00:00.010-06:00

Stick around. I am going to take you all over the world for Christmas. Santa ain't got nothing on me. Today I'm taking you to Malaysia.

If I could kidnap KS Augustin, she would be my cooking slave for life. I'm always on the prowl for curry recipes.

This particular recipe is great because after a while your taste buds get tired of the same old fare. Shake it up with this little gem.

Basic Chicken Curry

You'd like to try something different, right? The problem is, there are so many extra ingredients you need to buy! Relax. I'm here to give you a South Indian-ish curry recipe that tastes delicious and only requires you to put two extra things on your grocery list: cinnamon sticks (which you may already have for some seasonal drinks) and curry powder.

If the thought of powder in a packet bothers you, choose one of those wet mixes in a jar you find on your supermarket shelf. Don't go for a 徒orma・! We're cooking with punch today so, if you're using powder, pick one for a gutsy meat curry ・ Madras, Rogan Josh, even a plain generic...that's the one I use. If you're splurging and going for a wet mix, choose something reddish brown, rich and mysterious. Ready? Let's do it!

Oil

2 large onions, diced

3 large cloves garlic, sliced

3-4 tablespoons curry powder (be brave!), mixed to a paste with some water OR a jar of pre-mixed curry paste

(Only if you have it, a small handful of curry leaves OR a bay leaf. You can leave it out altogether)

1 chicken, cut into pieces

4 medium potatoes, cut into quarters

4 medium tomatoes, roughly chunked

Water

4-5 tablespoons of evaporated milk OR cream OR milk OR half-and-half

Salt and sugar

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a deep saucepan and add onions, garlic and curry/bay leaves, if using. Stir until golden, taking care not to let the garlic burn.
Add the curry paste, stirring occasionally.
When you see oil separating from the paste, add the chicken, potatoes and tomatoes.
Add enough water to cover. Stir.
Cook till potatoes are done.
Turn off heat, add evaporated milk. Stir.
Season with salt and a pinch of sugar.

That's it! Your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie was probably more complicated to put together! Note:

• Unless it's a dessert, wherever you see coconut milk・ in a recipe, you can safely substitute with half the amount of evaporated milk/cream/half'n'half/regular milk, without affecting the taste. Really.

• Did you notice the sugar and wonder what it's doing in a curry recipe? That's the secret nobody will tell you (except me!). Creamy meat and fish curries always taste better with a pinch (but only a pinch!) of sugar added.

• Don't get hung up on ingredients. Use your common sense and substitute where you can. Most recipes can tolerate quite a bit of leeway.

This curry is delicious with buttered toast and I highly recommend it for breakfast (especially if there's no kick-arse Huevos Rancheros around)! What do you think? Will you try it out?

(Kaz Augustin writes SFR, space opera and urban fantasy (under the name Cara d'Bastian). Her website is http://www.ksaugustin.com, she self-publishes through http://www.SandalPressOnline.com and the urban fantasy series website is at http://www.CheckYourLuckAgency.com Have a great Christmas all and may 2012 be a successful one for everyone!)

Back to you, M!

***

Okay, guys. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of The Check Your Luck Agency. (You'll like this one. Honest!)

A couple of questions from moi: Do we have any curry lovers out there? Can anyone tells me why Thai curry tastes different from Indian curry?

NOTE: For other DIY Christmas posts, go here. Be sure to leave a comment because there are goodies involved. All contests end 12-22-11, so keep commenting.

DIY Tradition with Cate Masters

2011-12-08T07:00:00.021-06:00

Let's turn our thoughts to the simple things that make Christmas special.

What are your memories with your little ones? Is there a special ornament on your tree?

Trimming the tree with memories

Cate Masters

Rituals and traditions remind us not only of who we are but of what is most important to us. The Christmas holiday can ground us with a sense of security that centers on family.

Our family puts up the same decorations year after year, building a rich history as year is layered upon year. New ornaments are added to old on the tree to add to the history.

My youngest daughter cringes as I hang with pride the handmade ornament from when she was just beginning school – a snowflake made from Q-Tips and glue, laden with glitter to impart a glistening glow. The glue is now yellowed, and she regards the ornament with disdain. She insists that, if it must be hung on the tree, it should be hidden in the back, where no one will see it. But I still know it’s there – it’s one of my most precious ornaments.

Because I wanted my kids to have a start on their own decorations, each year I’d buy a dated ornament for each child. We hung them on the tree, but as my kids grew into adults, I handed over their treasure trove of ornaments, a boxful of memories to share with their own kids someday. Even after dividing up the decorations, I still have plenty left, and it’s always good to make room for more memories. :)

They can have my Lenox figures, my Metropolitan Museum of Art snowflakes – just don’t dare touch that crooked little snowflake. Little hands crafted that one-of-a-kind ornament with me in mind, lovingly adjusting the Q-Tips until they were just so, then dabbling just the right amount of glitter. The glitter didn’t shine nearly as bright as her eyes when she handed it to me.

That snowflake can never be replaced, for no other ornament fills me with a yearning of nostalgia for times when Christmas was a time of magic, when silly grins on the faces of my children were an everyday occurrence. Now those silly grins are as rare as the Aurora borealis, and even more beautiful. The days of my children’s childhood are gone forever, captured only in a snowflake made of glue and Q-Tips and glitter.

***

Multipublished, award-winning author Cate Masters loves stories with a dash of magic, mayhem and romance! When not spending time with her family, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at http://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

NOTE: For other DIY Christmas posts, go here. Be sure to leave a comment because there are goodies involved.

Baklava a la Nadja Notariani

2011-12-07T07:00:00.009-06:00

This dessert is to die for, and I had no idea it was so easy to make. Guess what some of my neighbors are getting for Christmas?

Today begins two weeks of recipes, crafts and traditions that you can do for your very own.

We start out with a decadent sweet treat that will make everyone think you slaved for hours.

Please welcome, Nadja Notariani.

Levant Baklava

Photo courtesy of the author

Baklava is a Middle Eastern treat enjoyed throughout the year, but especially at Christmas. The word 'baklava', comes from a Farsi word that means 'many leaves' and describes wonderfully the light, flaky layers of phyllo that make this dessert so delicious!

There are so many variations of this dessert, with many recipes passed down through the generations and guarded closely! My family uses a walnut filling, however, Iranian baklava has a pistachio or pistachio-almond filling. I've even come across a Hungarian filling that uses apricot!

Many people express surprise when they discover how simple the recipe for baklava is - having believed it to be involved and/or difficult. I hope you enjoy this sweet and syrupy treat as much as my family does. Merry Christmas!

Syrup:

* 2 cups sugar

* 1 cup honey

* 2 tablespoons lemon juice

* 2 tablespoons light corn syrup (optional)

* 2 teaspoons cinnamon

* 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Filling:

* 1 pound walnuts finely chopped (appx. 4 cups) *tip* ~ your handy-dandy food processor is perfect for this job! ;}

* 1/4 cup sugar

* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

* 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Additional:

* 1 pound of phyllo dough (appx 24 sheets)

* 2 sticks melted butter (1 cup)

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13 x 9 baker with non-stick cooking spray - or coat a sided stone pan with olive oil.

1. Make syrup. Stir sugar, honey, water, lemon juice, corn syrup, cinnamon, and cardamom until sugars are dissolved. Turn to medium heat and cook until slightly syrupy (I think about 5-10 minutes). Set aside.

2. Combine filling ingredients. Set aside.

3. Lay a sheet of phyllo in your pan and brush with the melted butter - layering until you get about 5-10 sheets stacked up. Spread with half of the filling. Repeat the layering process with 5-10 more sheets of phyllo and butter. Add remaining filling. Then top with 5-10 final sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with the butter as you go. Tuck your edges if they look 'sloppy'. :)

4. Cut strips through the top layers and then cut on diagonal to mark out your diamond pattern on the top. Then sprinkle the top with water.

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn oven temperature down to 320 degrees and bake an additional 10-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

6. Cut through your scored lines and then drizzle (very slowly) the cooled syrup over the baklava while it is still hot. Let it cool completely.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy...

***

Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Her Dark Baron. You can also buy it at Amazon or Smashwords

Visit Nadja at her terrific blog and become a follower.

*Has anyone tried making baklava before?

DIY Christmas

2011-12-06T15:53:00.004-06:00

Do It Yourself Christmas starts tomorrow, December 7, 2011.

Stop in EVERY weekday because there will be recipes, crafts and traditions that you'll want to do too.

We love Comment Luv.

Epiphany

2011-12-05T07:05:00.003-06:00

What do you write? Can you pinpoint the genre of your story without babbling incoherently?

I made a new friend recently and we chatted back and forth about indie publishing in general and my 'angel' series in particular. She asked: What genre is it?

It sounded like a simple question, and I was able to answer without hesitation. It was then she backhanded me with a question that sent me straight to Mars and back.

She asked: Why don't your tags on Amazon reflect the genre?

You could've heard my jaw hit the ground. She was right.

That simple question jack-knifed me into a place I'd always been afraid to look. Since I'd started writing the Second Chances series, I've felt the books were misplaced. I originally labeled them as Paranormal because well, all the other "angel" stories were labeled paranormal (or preternatural). And yet, it didn't feel right--not for my work.

Maybe it was paranormal for the other angel books because there were vampires, or witches, or elf magic. But my world was more complex than that, more...unique.

Was that why reviewers concentrated on the sex and perceived "paranormal" elements? Only one reviewer hit the nail on the head when she wrote that The Devil To Pay had shades of Richard Matheson's "What Dreams May Come". That was it exactly.

I wasn't building on the known paranormal world. These stories aren't even using the 'accepted' concept of Heaven and Hell. I had created my world from the ground up, and my square peg wasn't fitting into any of the round holes.

I felt like my eyes had been opened. It also scared the bejeebers out of me because now I found myself on a whole new playground, and it wasn't where all the popular kids played. I write Metaphysical fiction, the homely, four-eyed wallflower of the genre fields.

It all made sense now. To my shame, I had never read Matheson's work, but I had seen his movies. Time After Time, The Incredible Shrinking Man, I Am Legend, What Dreams May Come. (Ironically, I didn't like the movie version of What Dreams May Come, but I like the concept. I'm told the novel is much better.)

These were the kind of stories I loved. They were stories inside stories. And there were secrets, tiny manifestos that weren't always apparent to the casual observer.

I came to realize that I weaved those manifestos too, perhaps not as expertly as Matheson, since only a handful of people have picked up on the subtle clues I'm leaving behind in each story. But maybe when I'm finished with this series, it'll be clearer. Matheson has quite a few decades on me. You'll have to give me time to bloom.

What do you write? Can you define it in less than 25 words? I knew immediately, but was still unable to tag it correctly. I'll do better for the third book.

***

Starting Wednesday, I have a very special surprise when I host a DIY (Do It Yourself) Christmas. For the next couple of weeks I will have a guest post every weekday with recipes, crafts and traditions you can do yourself.

You don't want to miss this. Some of my guests are even offering early Christmas presents.

The Reviewer's Commandments

2011-12-01T07:00:00.006-06:00

I so rarely write reviews anymore. To do them right takes time and a lot of thought. But I've written hundreds of reviews and critiques, so I feel qualified to review professionally.

This month, I reviewed a nonfiction book called Writer's Companion. For the full review, you can check out the OWW newsletter. But the short and sweet version is this: No matter what your writing proficiency, Writer's Companion is a handy book to have in your library. The first third is thick with examples and explanations. But the deeper I delved into the book the more I found gems of writing wisdom I'd forgotten or plain never considered.

I preferred the print version because the digital version messed with some of the graphics, but only on my e-reader. If you read off your computer, everything comes out beautifully. One last note. Writer's Companion is very current on the changing tides of publishing. This would make a nice gift for writer friends, especially those unfamiliar with the volatile landscape.

***

Having been the recipient as well as the deliverer of many reviews, I thought I would list my Reviewer Commandments.

• NEVER attack the author. Even if you don't like what he wrote, it doesn't make you the all-knowing authority and dictator of taste. Suggest what didn't work for you. Leave personal judgements to a higher authority--like the author's spouse.

• Give it time to steep. Sometimes, something I thought I didn't like sticks with me long after I've read it. More often than not, it's because I wasn't smart enough to recognize a gem--perhaps in wrapping I didn't appreciate, but a gem nonetheless. If a story is powerful enough to move me a week after I've read it, it deserves a second look.

• A review is an opinion, not a ruling. Lately, I've been noticing some book bloggers getting a little catty when they dislike a book. I realize it's because they're mostly talking to their "posse" but other people are reading this too and it makes them come off as malicious.

• Put something of yourself into your review. Last year, I wrote a review on Heather Moore's novel, Alma, the Younger. I know nothing about the Mormon religion, but I really liked this book and my opinion was based from an outsider's perspective.

• If you truly liked a book, write the author a short note and tell him so. Authors are terribly under-appreciated and usually isolated from the world at large. It means the world to them to know someone thought enough to write them. That's the highest praise of all.

In the end, never forget there's a real person behind every story. A review should inform the reader, but not at the expense of the author's dignity.

Are there any reviewer commandments you'd like to add?

Newsy Links

2011-11-28T07:00:00.003-06:00

The inimitable Cate Masters has invited me to her new blog, a very special blog with the sole purpose of showcasing authors and their new releases. It's called TBR. Cate's obviously in a frail state of mind because she's letting me appear twice next year. Poor thing.

My first post will be on January 2, 2012, which means you'll barely have time to get sober.

Meanwhile if you're an author, or a reader who wants to keep up with authors' ~~shenanigans~~ er, books, put this blog on your Reader. Authors, if you have a release coming out, sign up now while good spots are available. Tell Cate I sent you--and that I'm sorry I caught her in a weak moment.

***

It's official. Google Friend Connect will be retired in March for non-Blogger sites. Go here for the details. I'm assuming that means it will still be available to those of us using Blogger. Not that it makes a difference to me. I read everyone through my Reader. But if you read me through GFC, you might want to subscribe to my blog. The link is on the upper right.

***

Da Girls

My young chickens are laying! Perfect little brown eggs. I am waiting to hear from the nearest farmer's market to find out if I can sell eggs there in the spring. If these chickens are anything like their mothers, I will have eggs by the dozens.

Who wants breakfast? How do you like your eggs?

Freeloader and Cad

Indulgence Has Begun

2011-11-24T07:31:00.000-06:00

It starts with the Roast Beast.

It's Thanksgiving Day in the US but we celebrated yesterday since Greg is leaving this morning. On the menu was 'Roast Beast' (rib roast), homemade apple pie, asparagus, homemade mashed potatoes, spinach and snap peas salad, biscuits and one very tired wife.

Today I rest. Greg takes home leftovers. And the dogs are dreaming of roast beast leftovers. Dream on, boys.

I hope today is a good day for you wherever you are.

What's on your menu today?

Penguin recently announced it had created Book Country, a self-publishing package for writers. (A very pricey package at that.) Dean Wesley Smith posted an excellent report on Penguin, Simon & Schuster, and the unsettling remarks by Robert Gottlieb, chairman of Trident Literary Agency. Notice on Trident's page that they never call it self-publishing, yet that's what it looks like to me.

Because I edit the newsletter for OWW, (Online Writing Workshop for SF, Fantasy and Horror) I've long kept track of agents and their blogs. Fewer are blogging about the fantastic deals they've made for their clients. Some have established self-publishing arms for their business. Others have simply disappeared.

Giants like Amazon, Google, Apple, and Barnes & Noble are expanding their empires, robbing traditional publishing of their leads before the trads get a chance to react.

But the most telling development of all, the one I've been watching closely, has been with the average consumer. Every time I see someone with a book or an e-reader, I always ask what they like to read and how they choose what they read.

The two most common answers? Mystery is the top favorite, followed closely by romance. The people I polled said they buy the author--not the publisher or the genre. If they like someone, they simply keep buying him until he starts to disappoint. (This doesn't apply to the giants like King, Rowling, The Nora, and Patterson. Their fans will read them no matter what.)

This is a most unscientific poll, but I've been doing it for so long, it's begun to form a pattern.

But the trend that struck me as most dramatic has come from yard sales. You can tell a lot by the things we recycle and dispose. I've been seeing a significant drop in paper books at backyard sales. Even at used book stores, recent releases are fewer and snapped up quickly. Books that sold poorly on their release glut the shelves and languor there.

This can mean several results in 2012.

• Smaller demand could make paper books more expensive to produce and buy, reducing author advances even further.

• Traditional publishers might have to turn their operations to Print On Demand (POD) to stay solvent.

• Watchdog groups and lawyers will be scrutinizing traditional publishers even more as publishers try to lure unsuspecting authors to self-publish with them.

• Droves of authors will try self-publishing and fail. Not because their work is bad, but because they'll drown in obscurity as the market becomes increasingly glutted.

Not very cheery, is it? What we need is an outfit that can stream new book releases through many outlets at once, aggregated in such a way that it'll be easy for the consumer to window shop in their jammies.

Amazon has done this best, but Google with its massive reach ought to be able to tap a few smart people who can create an entirely digital shopping experience.

What can authors do? Write more. Chat less. Sometimes, we insulate ourselves among peers and rabid readers, forgetting there is a huge group of consumers out there who don't give a flying fig who's got a blog tour or a book trailer. They just want something to read and your book happened to have caught their eye.

Call them the real silent majority. They're the ones calling the shots now.

Thoughts?

Framed!

2011-11-17T07:00:00.055-06:00

It had to happen sooner or later. I've been brought in for questioning. Not only that, but they interrogated the dogs, the husband, and even the chickens.

I'm innocent, I tell ya.

Well...mostly innocent.

Stop over at Live Out Loud and see for yourself. I was so mistreated! Honestly, I thought she was going to resort to torture at one point. Live Out Loud (Jennifer) had me cuffed and sitting in front of a tv when she waved a gummy dvd of Jersey Shore before my eyes.

At least I think it was Jersey Shore. It had women with big hair and orange skin. :shudders: I cracked shortly thereafter.

Please leave a comment at Live Out Loud and be my character witness.

Tweet my innocence!

***

I brought up something yesterday and I was shocked at the response I got from Greg. I mentioned how it would be nice if I could host a real writing retreat here at Casa Zannini during the winter when the rest of the country was freezing and he LIKED it.

Well, what he actually said was: "Sure, as long as I don't have to be here." LOL.

I only have two spare bedrooms--and possibly three if I bought a third bed. Extra folks would have to bunk at a hotel and commute to the country. I don't know what I would charge for two weeks in Texas Paradise either. I mean, there'd be room & board, chickens, dogs, and inspiration. And early SPRING. That should be worth something.

Maybe I'll think on it again come February or March.

What do you think? Do people still go on writing retreats?

Guest: Darke Conteur

2011-11-15T07:00:00.003-06:00

Please say howdy to Darke Conteur and show her what a nice crowd we are.

After reading her post, it begs the question: What genre do you love best--and why?

***

Thank you so much, Maria! First, I want to thank Maria for allowing me to take over her blog today. I've been reading her entries for some time now, and was thrilled when she said I could add her to my blog tour.

I am Darke Conteur, and I write paranormal and scifi stories. My work tends to lean a little toward the dark side. No elves, unicorns, or helpful aliens here! Instead, I like to write about things that lurk in shadows and feed off our fear, and sometimes off us as well.

For years I had no idea what genre I wrote. I thought it was horror, but lately I've come to understand that I write in the genre of category of Dark Fantasy. I don’t think there is a genre as diverse or as fascinating as Dark Fantasy.

I read science fiction to escape into the future, and historical fiction to escape into the past, but what is it about the darker side of fiction that draws us to it? Do I have a hidden desire to become immortal? To possess supernatural abilities? Do we read this genre secretly hoping that what we’ve written is true, and that perhaps, we are the privileged few granted access into a world others dismiss?

Yet who would want to venture into a world full of demons and vampires and zombies? I wouldn't. People die in these worlds, either physically, or their humanity dies, and yet there is a growing number of people who can’t get enough. There has to be something about it that makes it so attractive!

Our ancestors told us fantasy stories as a means of moral guidance. The character-singing, fluffy fairy tales that our children hold so dear, are a sugar-coated comparison to the original brutal tales of death. Their stories were a constant reminder that the world was a dangerous place, and if one strayed off the path, your fate was sealed. Perhaps this is the attraction?

Do we long to tread away from the safety net of civilization? To live in danger and feel the blood course through our veins? Perhaps life has become too benign, and we need the diversion, that spark that can only come in the way of a good dark fantasy novel.

For whatever reason, the lure of a good dark fantasy novel will always be there. Frightening us or luring us into a world nothing like our own, all from the safety of our favourite reading place.

THE WATCHTOWER: His first day of work wasn't what Martin Cunningham expected. A sultry boss, a classy receptionist, the drama-queen foreigner, and a painfully shy techie who prefers hiding to human interaction, was the oddest group of characters he'd ever met. When an assassination attempt is made against his new boss, Martin comes face to face with the stuff of nightmares.

Now he and his new co-workers must race to prevent another attack, but where do they start? There's very little to go on, and the only solid piece of evidence escaped through the u-bend in the toilet. By the end of the day, Martin becomes one of the privileged few who really understands what lies in the shadows, and what it means to work in THE WATCHTOWER.

Bio: Darke Conteur is an author at the mercy of her muse. Writing in several genres, she prefers to write in paranormal and science fiction, and has stories published in Brave Blue Mice, Bewildering Stories, and The Absent Willow Review. When not busy writing, she looks after one wannabe rock-star, one husband, two cats, and one ghost dog.

Chicken Adventures: A Narrow Escape

2011-11-14T07:00:00.031-06:00

I've heard of narrow escapes before but this one takes the cake.

There's a good-sized gap between the gate and fence on the dog run. It's big enough for even a fat chicken to get in. Now any animal with intelligence is not going to waltz into a run guarded by two oversized rottweilers, but chickens aren't particularly renown for their intelligence. Besides the run was lush with bright green grass. What bird in his right mind could pass that up?

Enter one ditzy buff orpington who only had eyes for grass and not the 101lb bored rottie who pounced on her like a freight train. Iko loves squeaky toys and this chicken didn't disappoint. Round and round they raced.

Tank watched idly, no doubt wondering why Iko would bother with a chicken still on the hoof. He prefers his game cooked and lightly seasoned.

The chicken was already in Iko's mouth when I popped open the doggie door. "Drop it," I yelled.

Not a dog to pass up opportunity, Iko took a few moments to consider the alternatives. But I think that look of murder in my eyes made him reevaluate any further evil. He dropped the chicken regretfully.

That chicken knew salvation when she saw it. She leapt to her feet, took a lap around Iko and then under his belly, past an unimpressed Tank, and straight through the doggie door, JUMPING into my arms.

I. kid. you. not.

I barely believed it myself. It was like something out of a Looney Tunes cartoon. Her little chicken heart was beating out of her chest like a boomerang and she murmured a low steady cluck that roughly translated to: "Holy crap! That was close." I'm pretty sure she suffered an out-of-body experience.

I cradled her in my arms and ferried her back to a (non-dog) pen where she could think about her indiscretions and about where she went wrong.

Safe again.

Iko got a stern warning for chasing. And Tank, the only well-behaved resident of Crazy Town got a cookie.

Good Tank. Lucky chicken.

***

We've had nonstop company this week, a visit with one of my favorite readers on the weekend, and even a lengthy stopover from my favorite husband. I'm expecting friends, family and assorted company for the next two weeks to boot. A little atypical for me. I'm not normally this popular.

***

Tomorrow: Please stop by and visit with my guest, Darke Conteur when she describes what made dark fantasy so appealing to her. It's food for thought about how we all choose our favorite reads.

Be a pal and show a new author some lovin'. See ya tomorrow!

Friends, Followers & Fans

2011-11-10T07:00:00.011-06:00

There's speculation that Google Friends Connect may go bye-bye. The forum for GFC was closed down in January. Google has made some changes across the board on Blogger and its Reader, but nothing earth-shattering. The only big news is that Google+ is being integrated with some of its other platforms.

I don't like being forced into applications. If I had wanted Google+, I would've joined. They're just beating that poor dead horse.

I've reached a saturation point with these social networking sites. Now people are pushing Klout, which allegedly shows how influential you are by calculating the reach of your FB posts or Tweets.

All I want to do is sell my books. That's enough influence for me.

***

And speaking of selling books. I spent all night updating The Devil To Pay--and that was just the peripherals.

I changed my name on the cover art to the same font I used for Chain of Souls so they'd look more series-like. I also added the blurb and link to Chain of Souls to the front and back matter of The Devil To Pay.

Two minor changes and I was at it ALL night. I was having trouble getting into the Kindle site, then I kept losing my internet connection, and then I couldn't figure out how to make it a MobiPocket file. The link I was looking for wasn't there.

It was so frustrating. But it's updated now and I have a nice clean Mobi file. I have to change the Smashwords edition too, but I need to recoup my strength first. For someone who hates tech, I sure get knee-deep in it daily.

B&N has not answered my emails about missing sales, but I did get a cryptic email from someone admonishing me for not linking my book to the right web site. She claims I'm linking to Borders. Um...I don't think so.

I suspect something is really screwy at B&N. I don't think I'll upload future books there. They've lost my trust.

Sales have been slow for Chain of Souls. Is it because I'm not touring this time, or is it because I haven't approached very many book bloggers for reviews? I don't know.

I'm still trying to sort out my time versus revenue. Hand-selling each book is time-consuming. I don't mind doing it, but at some point the books have to start selling themselves. I have yet to land that big audience that will give me word-of-mouth street cred.

The few faithful readers I have are wonderful and so loyal it makes me cry. But I really need to find the rest of my audience soon.

By the way, if you've read Chain of Souls, I'd love it if you could leave a review somewhere. I could use all the help I can get.

***

So tell me, do you think having a lot of friends and followers equates to popularity? What do you think makes a blog popular?

Aside from good posts, I think it's the interaction. Hardly a week goes by someone doesn't tell me that my commenters are just as interesting as my posts.

That's an awful nice compliment and it means more to me that a boatload of avatars. Those of you who comment are the real engines behind this blog. People visit here as much for you as they do for me. I hope in turn that's netted you more followers on your blogs and sales for your books.

I'm With Stupid

2011-11-07T07:00:00.023-06:00

For several weeks the battery on my "smart" phone has been running down within hours even though it has a full charge every morning. It was also getting hot.

I've got the Droid. It's a good little phone with internet capability. Aside from the fact that it won't ring in my house and never tells me when I have voicemails waiting, it serves my purpose. But the battery issue was new and since I'd read hot batteries could start fires, I grew a little concerned and decided to get a new battery.

I explained my problem to cute little Becky, expecting to shell out the forty bucks for a new battery. Instead, she says: "How many apps do you have?"

"Huh?"

"Apps," she repeats louder. Obviously she doesn't realize that I'm stupid, not deaf.

She checks my phone and there are dozens of apps on my phone. Where the heck did they come from? She tells me Droid puts them in and I can't remove them. But then she notices I have VZ Navigator installed, a recent addition when I got lost trying to find a friend's house.

"That one," she says "will suck you dry." (I'm sure she meant the app.)

She asks me if I'd like to try an app killer before I buy the battery, and recommended Advanced Task Killer Froyo. It sounded rather permanent to me, but she assured me it works great and that she uses it on her phone.

That girl's fingers whizzed by so fast she was a blur. Within seconds she had installed this app and then put it on some default mode so I'd never have to touch it again. "Try it," she says. "If it doesn't work we'll order you a battery."

I went home, discouraged. I mean, I have underwear older than this girl. What does she know? But I was willing to give it a shot.

Believe it or not, it solved my problem. No more hot phone, and no more drained battery. I get to keep my navigator and my killer.

I told Greg this story and admitted that I felt awfully dumb next to these kids. They can text, and sync, and game faster than I can tie my shoes. Cute little Becky talked about all these apps like she designed them herself. It depressed me that I couldn't hang with her ilk.

But Greg made me feel better. He said: "And how many of them can write complete sentences, dress out a whole pig, or diagnose a sick dog? How many know how to shoot, garden, and are willing to go head to head with a wild coyote?"

It's all relative, I suppose. But I still feel dumb. One of these days technology is going to pass me up all together. But if those kids ever need a crash course on how to splint a broken leg or re-plumb a house, I'm their mama.

Do you ever worry that technology might pass you by? Can you text and game like the current crop of youngsters?

Terrible, Mean, Rotten and One Good Thing

2011-11-03T07:19:00.003-05:00

Generally I don't like to air dirty laundry--especially if it isn't mine, but I've been shaking my head for two days now from an assortment of tweets and blog posts I've read recently.

The biggest bone in my craw is piracy. If you haven't been affected, count yourself lucky. If you have, you know the feeling. It's nothing short of being gang-raped.

There's a YouTube video of Neil Gailman who claims piracy has helped him sell more books. He gives this calm, well-reasoned argument on how he tested this theory and how well it worked for him.

To which I respond, BS, buddy.

Piracy might be a boon for him, but I don't make millions off my work. He does. If people steal from him, it's a drop in the bucket. If they steal from me, it might be all the sales I might've made that month.

So Neil, please don't excuse pirates across the board for all of us. That it nets you additional promotional outlets is a bonus for you, but it's a death knell for the 'little' author.

Recently, a friend of mine found her book downloaded on ONE site, 974 times. Multiply that by the four bucks she was asking for that book and you get some idea of how much it hurts us.

It's a travesty that the general reading public can't even grasp because they think, well it's just one book. What can it hurt?

PLEASE pay for our books. You can steal from Neil Gaiman all you want, but at least allow the rest of us to make a living.

***

Another angry tweet trash-talked boring bloggers and tweets that do promo. Side note: When I did some investigating, the leading accuser was just as guilty of promo overload. Kettle/Black

As for boring... Do you know what I do when I find a post or tweet boring? I ignore it. See how easy that is?

I don't worry if anyone else is boring. I concentrate on making my blog posts and promo tweets interesting. Or as my mother used to say, clean up your own mess before you complain about someone else's.

***

B&N is stiffing me. Please DON'T buy my books from Barnes & Nobles for a while. I've discovered that not only is B&N not recording sales for Chain of Souls, but they have yet to answer my repeated emails. I am thinking of pulling Chain of Souls from them.

If you bought this book from B&N, chances are, I'll never get paid for it. I'll post an update should they ever respond.

Just to sour the pot, publishers have been caught not paying their authors too. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with this business.

***

And finally one good thing. I checked my counter the other day and kept noticing a lot of hits from Romance University. Apparently, Eleanor Elliott, director of Digital Properties and Social Media for Harlequin/Carina mentioned me in her article about good branding.

I try to keep my message clean--in other words I try not to muddy it up with too many ideas at once. Yes, I write many different subgenres, but I focused on the one thing that made them all the same. Which is how I came up with: Tales of OtherWorlds

By the way, it's an excellent article if you're interested in a marketing checklist.

Ghosts of my Past

2011-10-31T07:20:00.000-05:00

Halloween might be the staple fall holiday in the US and Canada, but in MesoAmerica, it's the Day of the Dead. This is the day when the living can commune with the dead. My father used to scare the heck out of us when we'd visit my grandmother's grave. I just knew one of these days we'd bring back some hitchhiking ghost.

Ghosts startle me, (well, what doesn't) but if I can spend a few seconds getting used to their presence, that fear usually morphs into curiosity. Invariably though, if a ghost crosses my path, it's more likely he's passing through or looking for something. He's not interested in my questions.

But there was one time I was left at a disadvantage. We had traveled to Chicago to attend my father-in-law's funeral. As soon as we arrived we were shuttled to the wake. I kept complaining to Greg that I wasn't feeling well. Greg dismissed it as nerves. (Why do husbands always dismiss our ailments as nerves?)

Finally, I told him I had to go home (in this case, my parent's home). I felt terrible about it because I wanted to be a comfort to him in his time of need, but I plain just felt bad. He dropped me off with my kid sister, then rushed back to the wake.

My sister was very young at the time, maybe 12 or 13, and the poor kid kept calling Greg at the funeral parlor, insisting I was getting worse. (In retrospect, I might've died had she not been so unrelenting.) After the third call, Greg had had enough and came home to see for himself.

One look told him I needed to go to the hospital. All I remember was a terrible backache and me pleading with him not to take me to the hospital. He didn't tell me that I was white as a sheet and delirious. They barely got me into surgery when my appendix burst.

Poor Greg had lost an uncle a week earlier, his father less than two days ago, and now the doctors were telling him his wife's life was in danger. Greg was having a very bad week.

Fast forward a few weeks and they finally released me from the hospital, but ordered me not to fly home. I would have to stay with my parents a few weeks longer.

The first night home was a doozy. I was restless and couldn't sleep. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was in my room. It made me especially anxious because I could barely move due to the huge incision on my stomach. I finally managed to sit up when I saw Greg's father manifest, then sit at the edge of my bed.

I stared at him in disbelief. He looked good. Healthy. His mouth was moving, but I couldn't hear him speak. Somehow--and don't ask me how--I knew he was looking for Greg. As soon as I told him that Greg had returned to Texas, he disappeared, hopefully to find his son and say a proper goodbye.

I wish more than anything he could have stayed a little longer, but I had the feeling he was in a hurry.

It's pure speculation on my part, and something I alluded to in my latest book, but I have to wonder if there's some transitory state of souls, right before a metamorphosis.

What do you think happens when you die? Are there stages of afterlife like there is in life? I am fascinated by different views. I hope you'll share yours.

Iko Ate The Winner

2011-10-27T07:07:00.002-05:00

You guys made me feel like a celebrity Monday. Every time I got on the computer I saw a Google Alert for Chain of Souls or my name. Your blog posts and tweets were terrific. But I have to give kudos to Mike Keyton for the most original intro.

Mike is one of my all time favorite writers and he outdid himself when he used two characters from his current WIP to showcase Chain of Souls. If you're not following Mike, you should. He is quirky, way smarter than I am, and his blog posts are always entertaining.

As promised, I let Tank pick the winner of my mini contest for those who tweeted, FB'd and blogged about Chain of Souls. Unfortunately, things didn't work out the way I planned. Tank was a little too polite to simply take a cookie off the platter, and it forced us to call in reinforcements.

Sorry for posting two videos but I had to stop filming so we could bring in Iko. As you will see, Iko is a dog of opportunity and he had no compunction taking a cookie.

But again, we came across an unexpected problem. By the time we got the cookie out of his mouth, he had swallowed the half with the winning number on it. I had to go back and figure out who hadn't been eaten to find out who the winner was.

I should've kept filming, so you could see us trying to get the cookie out of his mouth, but we were in our jammies, and nobody wants to see that.

By process of elimination (and you can take that in more than one way), the eaten entry was... Renee Miller.

Congrats Renee! I'll email you later today.

***

Several people have approached me about doing another blog tour. I don't think I'll do one this time. What with two series now underway and two other books I want to sub to traditional outlets, I have my hands full.

I will probably appear on a blog or two in the coming months, but those are stops that have already been promised.

***
Did the video come out okay? I wanted to zoom in on the cookies so you could see the numbers that were taped on them, but my little camera doesn't have that function. Once I start rolling, it stays at one focal length.

Chain of Souls is LIVE

2011-10-24T07:00:00.007-05:00

If you plan to buy Chain of Souls, today would be a very good day.

Chain of Souls

Book Two of the Second Chances series

Banished from Heaven for refusing to harvest an unwilling soul, Liam Chase drinks to forget until the night he’s visited by the Angel of Death.

For the price of a few humans souls, Ziva promises to get him reinstated into Heaven. Liam doesn’t doubt her influence, but milking humans of their light is an abomination, punishable by eternal oblivion.

He’d rather rot on Earth than commit such an unspeakable crime. But the Angel of Death didn’t get where she was by taking no for an answer. Ziva is a huntress of extraordinary skill and cruelty. If he refuses, his loved ones will be her next targets. And Ziva never misses.

***

Don't forget that you can Tweet, Blog or Facebook about Chain of Souls through Wednesday when Tank, the Wonder Dog will ~~eat~~ choose the winning entry. See rules here.

***

I thought it would be nice if from time to time I explained the background behind some of what you see in my writing. Today, I'd like to tell you about one line in particular.

In nearly every book I've ever written, somewhere buried within the dialog is this line: "Not today." It has various meanings depending on who says it and how, but there's an inside story on why I use it. You see, it's kind of special to me.

When my father was dying, I sat on his hospital bed and held his palsied hand. He was shocked to see me because of all his children, I lived furthest away. In his mind that could only mean one thing.

He looked up at me and said in Spanish, "Daughter, I am dying."

To which I replied adamantly: "Not today, Pa."

I told myself that if I kept saying, 'Not today', he'd have one more day with us. My dad lasted nearly two weeks.

So now you know where that line comes from and why I use it. It'll be our insider secret from now on.

Thank you, guys, for being so supportive. I really appreciate you.

***

Book 2, Chain of Souls is at:

Amazon, B&N and Smashwords.

Find Book 1, The Devil To Pay at:
Amazon, Smashwords, & B&N

Mention 'Chain of Souls' & Get Eaten

2011-10-22T07:17:00.001-05:00

You guys are so great. Already some of you are mentioning Chain of Souls on your blogs.

If you BLOG, Tweet or FB about Chain of Souls, be sure to include the cover and the buy links shown here. (You might have to cheat on Twitter and just use one link.)

Amazon, B&N and Smashwords.

If you TWEET, use @MariaZannini so I can see the mention and give you credit.

If you mention this on FACEBOOK, use my FB link MariaZannini, so I can see you shared this.

If you want to make sure I caught your mention you can email me and send me the link.

You can do this all the way through Wednesday, but Monday would help the most. On Wednesday, noon, 10-26-11, I will wrap each name around a dog cookie and lay them out for Tank to choose.

If your name gets eaten, you WIN.

I should note that Tank has never met a cookie he didn't like, but he's a gentleman, so I know he'll only pick one at a time. (I hope.)

***

You can also mention Book 1, The Devil To Pay if you so desire.
Amazon, Smashwords, & B&N

Note 1: I will try to take pictures of the dog cookie scramble and post them next week.

Note 2: LIKE and TAG Chain of Souls at Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. If you want to add Chain of Souls to your Goodreads reading list here's the link for that.

Thank you!

PS Tank wants me to thank you too. Nom, nom, nom.

Birth in 3, 2, 1…

2011-10-20T07:00:00.022-05:00

Chain of Souls is live--well mostly live, but DON'T buy it. Not yet.

I want to give it a proper birthday on Monday, October 24, 2011. Will you help me? If you plan on buying it, buy it on Monday. If you've already bought it (smooches) or don't plan on buying it \0/ --can you give me a plug on Monday anyway?

It doesn't have to be elaborate. Just a cover and a link to Amazon, B&N and Smashwords. It would mean so much to me to get a little sugar from you guys. You know I can't pay you, but anyone who posts my cover and links on Monday will have their names thrown into a pot. I'll come up with a nice Fall/Winter prize for the winner. (If you live down-under, I'll make it a spring/summer prize.) I'll mail the prize anywhere in the mortal realm.

***

So let me tell you about the labor pains I had formatting this beast. The Devil To Pay was easy-peasy. No problems whatsoever. But Chain of Souls was a difficult birth. E~~ven now, it's not yet on Amazon, but it should be in a few hours unless something else goes wrong.~~ Addendum: The Amazon link is now live! See it here.

What took longest--aside from minor glitchiness and an uncooperative internet connection is the front and back matter you should add to your books.

This time I added an Acknowledgements page in the front and an author bio in the back.

Acknowledgements are so hard for me to write. There are so many people I feel need to be thanked, but I'm one of those people who hate long, drawn out Acknowledgements so I forced myself to keep it short.

I thanked my crit partners because they've suffered the most. (The story grew another 10k after they looked at it.) I thanked two of my biggest fans, Jackie Burris and Angelina Rain for being so tweet-tastic when The Devil To Pay released. In gratitude, I named two characters in Chain of Souls in their honor.

As always, I left the Dedication to Greg. It'll always go to him. Unless he does something stupid. But I'm not worried. He hasn't done anything stupid in years. Oh, lord. That means he's probably overdue.

I really like this story. From here on out, the stories will get bigger and more epic. There will still be personal trials, but they'll now be joined by big whopping battles and bad guys.

I hope you'll buy Chain of Souls (on MONDAY). And if you haven't picked up The Devil To Pay, get that first so you'll understand where these characters started and how they're changing.

If you like the books, I hope you'll leave me a review in any or all of the usual places.

Stay tuned for Monday!

You can buy The Devil To Pay at:
Amazon, Smashwords, & B&N

Clean Up on Aisle Seven

2011-10-17T07:00:00.030-05:00

I spent part of the weekend deleting blogs from my reader. Being a bit on the anal-retentive side, it was not unlike surgery. As each new blog post popped up, I examined its history for content.

• Did the blogger brag too much? I don't know about you, but I get a little tired of authors who carry on about all the beautiful things they've bought with their book money. It's like meeting someone at a party and she keeps pushing the Hope diamond under your nose. I just don't care. Good for you if you can afford these things, but if you brag too often it comes off as conceit, and it boots you off my guest list.

• What's the promo to actual content ratio? I expect authors to promote their work. This ain't grandpa's publishing anymore. Everyone has to toot their own horn. But when every other post is "buy my book" it turns into spam.

• How many excerpts (published or unpublished) do they post? I'm not a big fan of excerpts. Aside from the obvious pitfall of someone stealing from you (like I reported in this post), it's generally not too interesting out of context. Now that could be me. I like a little background to center me in the scene before someone tosses out an excerpt.

The other thing that turns me off about excerpts is that it makes me feel obligated to compliment it. A blogger should never make the reader feel put upon or uncomfortable. You don't invite people over and expect them to gush over your kids, do you? (This could be why people with children never invite me to their homes anymore.)

Note: Despite my dislike of excerpts, I adore reading first paragraphs/hooks from a book. I just do. Often times it's enough to get me to buy.

• Blogs that tweet. I ~~have~~ had a few blogs on my feed that post tweet feeds. Talk about being out of context. On what world do you think people are going to care about a one-sided twitter conversation?

• Is the blog a one-trick-pony? You know the ones. They talk about the same thing over and over again. Most of the time this is a new author. S/he is so excited about his new book, that's all they can talk about. I usually cut them some slack, but if they can't find something new to say after three months, I say adios.

• Depressing blogs. All of us go through rough patches. But we have to remember that the internet is not our diary. Who knows who reads our posts? Worse yet, they can't be deleted. Not even if you physically remove them. I know this because a friend of mine went on an ugly rage about something. She deleted the post but it's still on Google Reader. The same with RSS feeds. It NEVER goes away.

Whether you're published or not, you become a public figure when you post anything online.

When I go through particularly hard times, I stay offline. No one should have to put up with my bad mood--except Greg. It's in his contract.

Have you ever deleted a blog off your feeds? What makes you stop reading them?

Title Treats

2011-10-14T07:00:00.090-05:00

I've been so out of the loop lately, I'm only now beginning to see what's new. Here are a few that just came out.

The Check Your Luck Agency by Cara D'Bastian

Set in Asia, this has the makings of a great series. And I love this cover!

Cara D'Bastian is the pen name of KS Augustin. I've been reading Kaz's books for years and I highly recommend her. Her books are smart. I like smart.

Find The Check Your Luck Agency at Amazon. For other markets go here.

Death By Scandal by Marguerite Butler

I started reading Marguerite earlier this year and became an instant fan. Get a load of this tidbit from the excerpt:

Lady Calandra leveled her pistol at the Earl of Camden's heart. Upon further consideration, she lowered it to aim at a more precious portion of his anatomy.

She got me at 'precious'. LOL.

Get Death By Scandal at Musa Publishing.

Lyon's Legacy (Catalyst Chronicles, Book One)

by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

I remember this from a query Sandra posted way back when. Science fiction and time travel, what's not to like?

And I used to read Sandra's work back when I was on OWW, an online crit group. She's going to be one to watch.

Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords

Plotting for 2012

2011-10-12T07:00:00.032-05:00

The problem with lying around flat on my back for a week is that it makes me think. (That's always dangerous.) Thinking evolves into brainstorming and that births monstrous projects that are just too exciting to ignore.

This week, I noticed nearly a dozen blog posts bemoaning the lack of time. For me, the answer is simple. Since I can't create more time, it means if I want to start something new, something else will have to go away. That's where I am now.

For months, although Greg has always been supportive of my fiction writing, he has been urging me to put it on the back burner and concentrate on non fiction. While I was off my feet, his gentle prodding took shape.

I've come up with a series of short books on a subject I can claim absolute expertise. I have a series title, a list of very specific topics, and even an alter-ego who will be your guide throughout the series. The books will be short, to-the-point, and chock full of useful information. No fluffy filler.

Presently, there are 13 books on the roster, with a bonus book if I can get Greg to co-write that one with me. I will need his expertise for that book.

The subject? Stay tuned. I want to be able to give it a proper reveal in a few months, complete with fanfare.

In a perfect world, I'd love to be able to have a book every month, but I'm simply not that fast a writer. Instead I will concentrate on a new book every 2-3 months, interspersed with my fiction.

In order to accomplish this monumental series, something has to give.

Blog: Effective next week, I will blog only two days a week, Mondays and Thursdays. I hate to do that because I enjoy posting and apparently, I always have something to say. :grin: I will interrupt normal programming if something big happens along the way though.

Blog Hopping: This is actually the biggest drain on my time. I have a HUGE reading list of blogs. This weekend, I will cull to only those who regularly interact with me online or off. I used to comment more often but I kind of got tired of people who never replied to comments or visited. Networking is a two-way street. If they're not interested in reciprocity, why should I kill myself to visit, right?

Twitter: This one still vexes me. I enjoy it when I'm there. I regularly talk to @Jenny_Schwartz, @CathyPegau, @ReneeMJ, @Darke_Conteur, @JacaBur1, @TerriOsburn, and @JaneFerst. And @danceauthor, that sweet man, is always sending people my way.

My problem is that I can't seem to tweet consistently. I don't like the mornings. It's crowded with idle blathering or boring promo. I prefer the evening shift when the chatter is more interesting--or perhaps it's just not swallowed up with spam-like content.

I'm considering either picking a couple of days a week to tweet or maybe a half hour every night, answering return tweets in the morning. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle Twitter? How much time do you spend there?

Facebook: I hate to admit it (especially to Raelyn Barclay who's responsible for turning me to the dark side), but I've grown to like FB. I'm not limited to 140 characters, yet I can post little snippets of my life without being boring. And so many of you stop by and comment there. I love you guys!

Because of the new series coming out in 2012, Greg thinks I should start another blog, but that way leads to madness. Instead, I am considering starting a Facebook Page on my subject (rather than on myself). It might bring the most amount of traffic without taking more time.

I think the thing I hate to lose the most is not reading all the blogs I follow. But I will promise that anyone who comments on my blog will always get a reply and/or a visit.

If my plans net even a fraction of what I envision, 2012 is going to be one heck of a year. End of the world be damned.

Have you made any plans for the new year yet? Have I piqued your interest? I promise, this series is going to rock. I just need to scale back a little to get everything lined out. If I'm a good girl and work hard, 2012 should be a blockbuster of events.

36 Years Ago Today

2011-10-10T07:00:00.059-05:00

...I said: I sure do.

It might seem like a long time, but we can recall the smallest details like it was yesterday.

On our wedding day:

• the family dog followed me around nervously as I packed my bags.

• Heading to the courthouse, it was rainy and gloomy, but the sun came out as we descended the steps as husband and wife.

• and my family tricked us into believing that we were just going to stop off at the house for a bite to eat before we went on our honeymoon--in Canada. They threw the most beautiful wedding luncheon I've ever been to in my life. All in secret, and all made from scratch.

Greg was a nervous groom. I got over my jitters two weeks earlier when I came down with hives. Yes. Hives! My boss at the time was friends with the leading dermatologist in the country and she made him see me right away.

He gave me some meds and said the welts would go away in a month. I nearly stopped breathing. I told him I was getting married in two weeks.

--so he gave me something that took away the rash in two days. :cue happy bride:

We were married by an elderly black woman judge (back in the day when such a combination was rare indeed) and she was as mean as a wolverine. LOL. I wish every judge was like her. She did everything she could to talk us out of getting married. Scared the dickens out of me.

That dear, sweet judge is probably dead by now, but I wish I could visit with her again to thank her and assure her those two dumb kids did all right.

Thirty-six years and counting.

***
Changes are afoot for this blog and the writing front. I'll go into more detail Wednesday, but you might be seeing less of me in the coming months on the social circuit.

About Covers

2011-10-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

There are times when I think I should give up writing and design book covers. It drives me nuts when I see clumsy layouts or poorly rendered art.

For those of you new to my blog, I used to be an art director--and before that a graphic artist. But until I did my first cover, I had no idea what was involved since my experience had been solely with advertising layouts. It turns out, it's very much the same thing. Once you've found a good art database, the rest is just a matter of Photoshop expertise.

But this is where a lot of people get into trouble. There is so much more to a good cover than just merging a couple of photos. There's typography, layout, and legibility. The cover has to look good at 6 x 9 as it does at postage stamp size.

This week, I've seen no less than three covers that would not have passed inspection if they had crossed my desk. One was from a major publisher, the second from an electronic publisher, and the third from a self-publisher.

I give no slack to big publishers. None. I expect them to hire the best of the best.

Electronic publishers get a little leeway. Because they produce so many books, they're on a tight deadline. There's no time to make every cover unique. Plus, they're probably working with a 'house' look. I'm willing to settle for formulaic as long as the layout is executed professionally.

When it comes to self-published work, you see a wide range of caliber. I've seen some phenomenal work, some better than the pros. But there are also plenty of shoddy covers--the kind that make me feel the author got taken for a ride. On the same token, the author has to take responsibility for his decision in choosing the artist (or doing the art himself).

A bad cover won't destroy your credibility as an author, but neither will it help. Be honest with yourself. Get outside opinions from people whose aesthetic opinion you respect.

If you're going to hire an artist:

• Examine their portfolio carefully. Better yet, show that portfolio to someone with no vested interest in your work. Do they get the same giddy feeling?

• Do the covers look similar? Most e-press covers are remarkably generic. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but since this is your money we're talking about, steer toward an artist whose covers look custom-made for the book.

• The artist's skill level is hard to gauge without the benefit of experience. I can tell at a glance if the artist missed something or did a sloppy job merging the art. You're paying for expertise. Get your money's worth.

• Please do not give the artist an inventory of items to put on your cover. If you crowd the cover, you lose the message. Less is more--most of the time. There was one series that deliberately used a crowded cover, but it was very well done. And considering the theme and genre, it worked.

I hate to see people get taken--or worse, fall in love with an ugly 'baby' because it was designed for them. Cover art can be expensive. If you're paying for it, demand quality.

Collecting great cover art has turned into a hobby for me. I'm always on the lookout for the next awesome cover. Are there any covers you've especially liked?

PS If you have any questions about cover art or choosing an artist, feel free to leave them in the comments. I'll help if I can.

Edison Doesn't Live Here

2011-10-05T07:00:00.015-05:00

While I was off my feet, several people sent me cards, emails, or called to check on me. Thank you! I love you guys.

I have to apologize to those who tried calling me. Apparently, I am one of the hardest people in the world to reach by phone. When the real estate agent brought us to this property, we thought it odd that we couldn't make a call when we were in the house. We dismissed it as a bad signal and didn't think about it again.

I came back to the house a few days later to make a checklist of things I needed done in each room. While I was there I also brought a list of phone numbers for utility companies and other services we wanted started.

Imagine my surprise when I realized every other word was a crackle. Weeks later, Greg bought me a signal booster but it only helped marginally. Since the day we bought this house, if I wanted to have any substantial conversations, I had to go outside.

We could install a land line, but since neither of us like to talk on the phone much, it seems silly to add another monthly bill.

We could install Magic Jack, which uses the computer--only if you've followed me long enough, you know even a slight breeze knocks out my satellite connection (like all this week). No computer, no phone.

It's inconvenient to talk outside, but at least I don't have to climb a telephone pole like Eddie Albert did on the old tv show, Green Acres.

I don't really miss phone conversations, but my mother is horrified that I live this way. She gets even madder when I cut our conversations short--especially when it's hot, or rainy, or cold. Sorry, mom.

So if you want to contact me, use email. It's not immediate, but with few exceptions, it's more reliable than the phone.

Country living has some definite disadvantages. Communication is at the top of the list. Having to drive long distances to shop or visit friends is a close second. But when we list the pros and cons, I'd gladly give up the phone for the chirp of birds and the occasional crazy woman yelling at a coyote to get away from her chickens. (Oh, wait. That's me.)

Could you live without a phone? Would you want to?

Some Kool-Aid is Cheaper Than Others

2011-10-03T07:00:00.005-05:00

I take off a week and Amazon goes and gobbles up another piece of the universe. I have to hand it to them, their marketing team is the best I've ever seen.

Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble is caught with its panties around its ankles. How will they catch up? They've already taken too long as it is.

I want competition. I want B&N, and Apple, and Google to give Amazon a run for its money. It's not healthy to have one behemoth cornering the market. It makes the consumer too dependent. Choice is good. But like Wal Mart, Amazon is creating deliberate loss leaders to get us in the door.

It's marketing genius.

Greg has an iPad. He's been dying to buy me my own for months, but the price is prohibitive so I've resisted so far. Now that the Fire has come out, I'm not so sure I want an iPad anymore.

I'll probably wait until the second generation comes out, but I see a Fire in my future. It has too many of the things I want and at a price that even a frugalista like me can accept.

Apple isn't the only one with a Kool-Aid. Amazon's Kool-Aid is just as tasty, and cheaper too.

***

Facebook: Did Facebook shoot itself in the foot with their recent changes? I don't like that they feed me what they think I should be looking at based on their algorithms. They still run everyone's updates on the right sidebar, but it's smaller and harder to read.

My workaround: I created a new list and labeled it, 'ALL'. I put all my friends on it, and this is what I read instead of the original feed. It's pretty much like the old Facebook now.

***

Surgery sucks. Right now I'm in a brace from ankle to foot. I also have an electrical stimulator that shocks the knee three times a day. I look like a Borg--but I walk like one of those Imperial Walkers (as it's about to fall). Not pretty.

I tried to read blog posts while I was down, but it was too hard to read that many on my phone. I finally had to admit defeat and delete them from my reader.

Speaking of deleting... I can't remember what day this was, but I deleted 71 emails from my phone--by accident. Now I can't get them back. I thought I was deleting one message, instead I got them all. If you wrote me and I didn't answer, your email might've been in the pile I accidentally deleted.

***

We have a winnah! Joy Kenney correctly guessed the title to my new novella.

Congratulations, Joy! I'll be sending you books one and two (when it comes out).

And the name of the novella?

Chain of Souls

Book Two

Bum Knee Redux

2011-09-26T07:00:00.065-05:00

By the time this post airs, I'll be under the knife. I mean it. Literally.

They're going to work on my knee (again!) and see if they can trim off some of the tears in my meniscus.

I suspect I'll be home by afternoon. But I don't know if I'll be up to being on my computer for very long. Greg, (the evil warden) will insist I stay in bed.

We'll see. I think I was bouncing off the walls within three days the last time they worked on my knee.

I've spent the last two weeks cleaning, fixing, and prepping for this day. I didn't want any loose ends hanging over my head. And I didn't want Greg to have to do anything but be my personal chauffeur.

I think I will take a few days off. But even if I don't post, I'll probably read--so make sure you post.

What's new? Anyone want to share a memorable moment the last time they paid a visit to a hospital or ER?

Despite the fact that hospital visits should be taken seriously, something funny always happens when I go. The last time, as the nurse was jotting down some final notes, Greg asked to borrow the black marker they had used to label the knee they were going to cut.

"Why," I ask.

"I want to write DNR (do not resuscitate) on your forehead."

I give him the evil eye, but the nurse pats me on the shoulder and says, "Don't worry. We never listen to spouses when they request a DNR."

"Just in case," I tell her, "You better keep an eye on your pen. Greg is sneaky."

Greg rolls his eyes, the pillar of innocence. Thankfully, I've been with him long enough to know better.

I better check his pockets to make sure he doesn't bring his own pen for this surgery.

See you when I get back!

***

Guess the Title Contest

We have a winner! Someone has correctly guessed the title of my next novella. I'll announce the winner on October 2nd and do the big reveal.

Stay tuned!

Carpe Diem

2011-09-23T07:00:00.002-05:00

My mother, who is spry and nearly eighty is very fond of (~~nagging~~) encouraging me to enjoy life. She often chastises me for working too hard and chasing the dollar.

It's then that I remind her that I do not have six children who will take care of me when I'm her age. Greg and I are on our own. Whatever we've saved up until now has to last us the rest of our lives--however long that might be.

Still, I get her drift. Life is too short to waste it on things that bring you no pleasure.

A friend of mine told me recently that she had lost her joy of writing. I get that way every once in a while too. I usually snap out of it, but one day I know I won't. One day, I'll decide there are other things I'd like to do that bring me more joy--or at least less headaches.

Despite my mother's nagging I actually learned this lesson earlier from my father-in-law. Greg and I once gave him a very expensive bottle of whiskey. It was from a maker he loved and we knew it was the perfect gift for him.

But when he died several years later, we found the bottle in his closet, still unopened. We were so terribly sad because we knew he was saving that whiskey for a special day, and now he would never have the chance to drink it.

Carpe Diem. Sieze the day. Enjoy life to its fullest, and do what you love best because you'll never know when that day will be your last.

What have you been putting off for another day? What gives you joy?

***
Guess the Title Contest
Here are the previous hints for guessing the title to my next book.

• There are two 'Os' in the title.
• Something in the cover art is integral to the title.
• There are two S's in the third word of the title.
• There is one 'H' in the title.

And here is today's hint:
• One of the words is a preposition.

To enter the contest, fill out the form here.

Blast From the Past, Rheas

2011-09-21T07:00:00.025-05:00

I had to share this video that a friend of ours took of Greg, and the rheas we used to raise way back when.

Greg no longer has hair that long. ...come to think of it, neither do I.

Many thanks to Bill for sending this our way. It brought back a lot of fond memories.

Note: The video is labeled as emus, but these are actually rheas. The big bird that's dancing with Greg was called Grumpy--for obvious reasons.

We had just started our rhea ranch. I can tell by looking at the background that some walls hadn't yet been put up, or any of the back pens. And we were young! LOL. Fortunately, there is no footage of me in this video. (Thank you, Bill!)

I know it must sound silly to everyone out there, but I couldn't stop grinning when I watched this. We were in our prime, doing what we loved best.

***
Guess the Title Contest

Here are the previous hints for guessing the title to my next book.

• There are two 'Os' in the title.
• Something in cover art is integral to the title.
• There are two S's in the third word of the title.

And here is today's hint:
• There is one 'H' in the title.

To enter the contest, fill out the form here.

Troll Cooties

2011-09-19T07:00:00.007-05:00

I'm in a McRanty mood today. Not to fear. My rants are like 'I Love Lucy' reruns. You know what's going to happen but you watch anyway.

Trolls: There's such a big wide world of trolls. They come in all sizes, sexes, and degrees. I normally don't suffer from troll cooties. I think it's because when I catch their scent I put on my mean face.

Most of the time I end up with the needy troll. They're harmless for the most part, but holy moley, can they suck the joy out of a room. And if you don't stroke their ego or tell them what a speshul snowflake they are, they get as pouty as a blowfish.

Needy trolls are like duct tape. You can't break free unless you cut them off. They're generally not mean-spirited, but they have no clue that while they're whining about how nobody understands them, you're daydreaming of having your teeth pulled without Novacaine.

At the other end of the spectrum is the creepy troll. These make my skin crawl. There was an old guy on a writing forum I used to visit that had pedophile written all over him.

My friends thought I was overreacting, but seriously, he gave me the creeps. Every time he appeared on the forum, his specious humor and double entendres raised all sorts of flags in my mind.

Last week, I had another guy email me and tell me how cute I was, and could we meet sometime. Yeah, buddy. See my husband first and then the rottweilers.

Some people have no clue whatsoever. Who falls for lines like that?

Maybe I've become jaded over the years. Maybe they're harmless old goats with delusions of manliness. But why take the chance?

What do you think? Do you trust your gut even when your friends tell you otherwise?

How do you handle trolls?

***
And because guessing the title to my upcoming book is harder than I thought, I will add a clue every time I post. Go here to enter the contest.

Today's clue: There are two 'Os' in the title.

Previous clues:
• Something in cover art is integral to the title.
• There are two S's in the third word of the title.

No Man-Hams Contest

2011-09-16T07:00:00.024-05:00

I've been debating whether to show off the cover for the next book. I'm rather proud of it even if there are no man-hams on it.

I'm still a few weeks from releasing the book, so maybe giving you a sneak peak at the cover is premature. I mean, what if I change my mind? What if I find a man-ham I like in between now and then?

I was actually saving the base art for the third book, but it works for this one too.

Which brings me to something we discussed earlier. The title. Wanna play a game?

In the vein of the children's game, Hangman, send me your best guess for the title of my next book and win that book, along with a few other goodies.

To give you a hint, here is the cover sans the title. Something in the cover will be a clue to the first word in the title.

There are three words.
5 letters. 2 letters. 5 letters. There are two S's in the last word.

Only one winner. The title must be exact. And the first person to guess correctly will be the winner. Critique partners, editors, and assorted fiends are prohibited from entering. You must be a follower of this blog to enter.

You may enter more than once, but only once a day until October 2, 2011. The winner will be announced on the day the book releases.

If I notice people having a hard time guessing, I'll give another hint next Friday.

So whaddya think of the cover? Does it cast a supernatural creepiness? You are allowed to hate it if it fails to meet your man-ham criteria.

Note: Post your guesses on the form below only.

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Nesting & Housekeeping

2011-09-14T07:00:00.002-05:00

There is something about September that makes me feel like nesting. Maybe it's the cooler temps. Or that kids are back in school. Or that the summer rush of traveling or the incoming hordes of visitors has wound down.

September is when I get down on the floor and sort through cabinets. What stays? What goes? My pantry gets the same once-over and I make a list of things that need replenishing and other foods that need to get used up.

This past week, I've raked leaves for an hour every morning before it got hot. The chickens follow me dutifully because a raked-up area might yield a few juicy insects. We're still under a burn ban so it may be months before those leaves get burned. But I'll keep piling them.

Soon the garden will need to be turned over and prepared for next season. I was going to plant a fall garden, but with so many pesky chickens running loose, I think I'll stick to container gardening so I can lock away the fruits of my labor.

We have surpassed the all-time record of over 100 degree temps. Technically, it was 72 days of triple digits where I live, but the official record is 71 days for the Dallas area.

We've lost a lot of plants and trees, but not a single animal. In areas south of me, many lost their homes to fire. It's been a tremendously stressful year climate-wise. Certainly one for the record books.

But I think we turned a corner this week. I've had no less than five friends close deals on new homes. A couple welcomed babies into their fold, and some sent their babies to school for the first time. It's a time of rebirth and healing.

Greg and I have petitioned to adopt a starved rottweiler that was found wandering the roads. A lot of people are interested in adopting 'Mercy', but we have our fingers crossed they'll pick us. I know we can give her a home where she'll never know hardship again. I would've posted pictures, but they are too painful to even look at.

Mercy has her own FB page. She's recovering slowly, but steadily, so we have high hopes she'll pull through. If you go to her photo gallery, be prepared for some shocking images. When you see her, you'll understand why we want to adopt her.

***

Blog Housekeeping

New followers: If I have not followed you, it's probably because your link on Google Friend Connect is not active. I wish I could tell you how to make it active, but I'm not that tech-savvy. All I know is I can't click to follow you back to your blog.

To check if your link is active, click on your avatar on GFC here. If it doesn't take you back to your blog, it's not a working link.

The best way to assure a follow-back is to leave a comment. I love comments and I answer every one. Sometimes I'm even amusing.

So what's on tap in September for you? How do you prepare for fall (or spring if you're down-under)?

Manly Men

2011-09-12T07:00:00.032-05:00

I had a very exhausting weekend--most of it spent clicking on photo after photo of half-naked men. Yes, my weekend was brutal. But I did it all for you.

The sad part is, I never found the perfect guy for the cover of my next book. There was a deficit of manly men.

There were plenty of boy-men, suitable for YA. There were also a lot of men that would've worked for gay fiction. But there was nothing (I liked) for heterosexual tastes, men with hair on their chest and a serious 'I can protect you' expression. Men who looked old enough to know how to make love to a woman.

Most of the guys had shaved chests, over-the-top abs, or else they were oiled up like man-hams in a greased pig contest. Some wore stupid grins. Others looked either bored or uncomfortable when paired up with women.

I tried one model because he had some nice stubble on his chin and a melancholy expression that would've worked for this story line. He wasn't particularly buff, but neither was he boyish. I slapped him onto my background and IMMEDIATELY two manly men on my panel of judges declared: Too gay.

Oy.

I'm a little limited because I already paid for a month's subscription to this art database. I don't want to spend more money and time looking at men. (Strange as that may sound.)

I pulled some more model photos and one might make the cut. He looks familiar to me, or more to the point, his tattoo looks familiar. It's a set of wings tattooed on his back, which is rather apropos.

I have to admit, I've always been hypercritical of male models on romance book covers. I like men to look like real men, masculine, filled-out, and athletic. Super muscles and abs just look dumb unless the main character is a bodybuilder.

And what is with all the shaved chests? I have never met a straight man with a shaved chest. Is that new? Do men shave their chests and grease their bodies nowadays?

I know I've been out of the market for a while, but surely it hasn't changed that much.

How do you feel about men on cover art? Man-hams or guy-next-door?

For the record, I would've rather just used a prop as the focal point, but those sorts of covers aren't as easily remembered.

Maria Zannini

More Than You Want to Know

Pig Bladders: from Canning to Condoms

Agent Contracts: A Disturbing Turn

State of the Homestead

Who's Reading Your Blog?

Thank You

Murray is Gone

Smart Budgets for Busy People: Name Game

Am I Fickle?

A Happening Spot

Starting the New Year Right

An Author's Resolutions

A Sad Christmas

Winners for the DIY Christmas Blogfest

Sarah Ahiers' Jars

DIY Coffee Cake with Linda Masterson

DIY Christmas with Your Kids by Angela Brown

Salmon Pasta with Cathy Pegau

DIY Bath Salts with Shelley Munro

Pozole with Clarissa Draper

Mexican Pozole

Ingredients:

How To Make

Jewelry Basics with Marianne Arkins

Baking with Mike Keyton

DIY Christmas Cards with Raelyn Barclay

Chicken Curry a la KS Augustin

DIY Tradition with Cate Masters

Baklava a la Nadja Notariani

DIY Christmas

Epiphany

The Reviewer's Commandments

Newsy Links

Indulgence Has Begun

Trending

Framed!

Guest: Darke Conteur

Chicken Adventures: A Narrow Escape

Friends, Followers & Fans

I'm With Stupid

Terrible, Mean, Rotten and One Good Thing

Ghosts of my Past

Iko Ate The Winner

Chain of Souls is LIVE

Mention 'Chain of Souls' & Get Eaten

Birth in 3, 2, 1…

Clean Up on Aisle Seven

Title Treats

Plotting for 2012

36 Years Ago Today

About Covers

Edison Doesn't Live Here

Some Kool-Aid is Cheaper Than Others

Bum Knee Redux

Carpe Diem

Blast From the Past, Rheas

Troll Cooties

No Man-Hams Contest

Nesting & Housekeeping

Manly Men