A Day in the life of L. Shannon

4:00 AM
Moira Reid on IM: BUZZ!!
Moira Reid: Hey girl! It’s time to get up!
Moira Reid: BUZZ!! Get up so we can write something GREAT!
Moira Reid: Where are you? Did you hit the snooze again?
Shannon: huh? whaaa? *grabs a can of diet dew from my nightstand and slam it down in an attempt to become coherent*
Moira Reid: GET UP! TIME TO WRITE
Shannon: I’m up. I’m up. *grumble* (it’s 5:30 by now. Snooze is broke.)

7:00
Shannon: Bye chick, have a great day at work! (fall back into bed and stare at ceiling for another hour.)

8:00
Dogs wake up. They are so much smarter than me. I drink another dew and let everyone out to potty while I fix them breakfast. Then we play a little ball, come back in and eat.

10:00
Everyone is settled in and the house is quiet (except for the itunes playing disturbed *loudly*) I sit down (with another dew – I don’t remember if/when I finished the last one) and check my emails and try to get caught up on what I need to do today. I keep a daily list in a file marked PROJECTS and put the important things in red.

In theory I then get started writing or editing or whatever is on my to-do list. In reality, emails usually take an hour or more if the phone doesn’t ring. If it does… there’s no telling what will take over my day.

11:00
Dogs want out again. I go with them and throw the ball, feed the fish, clean the filters, try to catch the stupid snake terroizing my main pond. Then I check the garden, weed a little, water everything that needs it. I do all this one handed while sipping another dew.

NOON
Cat reminds me that I haven’t fed him in months (liar)

12:15
I clean up the dog’s room and wash and refresh all water bowls. Then I see that Lexy is all hairy again. (how dare she grow hair when I don’t have time to give her a hair cut?) So I set up the grooming table and trim her down and give her a bath. (hair in my dew-ewwww) During which time, Damian and Justin show their stinky butts so I bath them too. (Talbot hid. I’ll get him tomorrow)

3:00
Go get the mail (if I remember) Usually nothing but bills anyhow. While I’m out I weed around the mailbox and chat with my cousin’s kids just getting off the school bus.

4:00
Dogs back out again. Justin knocked down one of my fence posts so I have to go redig and plant a new post and put the fence back up all while telling him to get his formerly clean butt out of the creek. *SIGH* Get him out of the water and retreive the 5 tennis balls he has floating down stream. (drink another dew while considering a wine cooler)

6:00
Everyone is back inside. The A/C is on and they are asleep (in their crates because Talbot got up on the table to counter surf again. He ate an apple, two bites of orange and parts of three bananas.) Time for them to go to bed and let me get something done. Sitting down I have no idea what I need to do so I open up my PROJECTS file and look at what’s in red.

6:30
Moira Reid: I’m home. You ready to write?
Shannon: I’m too tired to write.
Moira Reid: No way. Get that file open.
Shannon: k

7:00
I am on dew number what? Have I eaten anything? Oh heck. I haven’t. I tell Moira I’m writing and go and make grilled cheese sandwiches. I’m back before she misses me and then I eat while trying to figure out what I should be writing.

7:30
Oh yeah I was working on a spin off story from my Vampire Oracle: Love story. I add another 1000 or so words before the phone rings and I have to help sort out something for the local dog club or for the local writing club or for family or for friends. Not that I’m indespensible. I’m not, but I do like to be involved so I think I often get the calls because I’m willing to take them.

8:30
Take the dogs out again. Once their settled then I get back into the story. Make another chunk of headway. YAY! (some days this doesn’t happen because there are a few days that I like to spend the evening with my parents or gosh even have a date with hubby)

9:30
Moira Reid: I’m going to bed. See you at 4?
Shannon: I’ll try.
Shannon: I’ll set my alarm.
Moira Reid: NITE!

10:00
House is quiet (except for itunes playing Linkin Park *loudly*) I update my website, and then turn all my focus on the story. This is when I do my best work. Sometimes I stay up all night, sometimes just until 1 or 2 AM.

4:00 AM
Moira Reid: BUZZ!! You up?

Yep, that’s a day in the life of L. Shannon. Such glamour. LOL If you’d like to try and keep up with me, sign up for my newsletter at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LShannon/ Being a member there will also enter you for at least one contest every month, usually more than one.

*opens a wine cooler* Cheers!

Shannon
http://lshannon.net

Hello everyone! Ava Rose Johnson here, ready to take over this blog. I thought I’d share 10 facts about myself with you all today.

Please don’t judge me!

1. I can eat the whole pint of Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough within an hour. Shameful, I know. *grin*

2. I have a seriously addictive personality, especially when it comes to TV shows. A friend gave me the first series of Grey’s Anatomy on dvd last weekend, and I watched it before Monday rolled around. (It’s a great show!) I’m also addicted to 24, Bones, Ugly Betty, Lost, Brothers and Sisters…the list doesn’t end.

3. No matter how long I spend straightening my hair, it always kinks.

4. I love erotic movies from China. Lust/Caution and The Lover are amazing!

5. I think Britney Spears is pretty great. Even without the underwear.

6. I cannot leave a grocery store without buying a toy for my dog.

7. I like the rain. It’s romantic.

8. My MP3 player goes with me everywhere. My most-played song at the moment is ‘With or Without You’ by U2, followed closely by The Verve.

9. No matter how many notebooks I buy, I can never find one when I need it.

10. I actually prefer ebooks to print books. I spend so much time on the computer, it’s more convenient for me.

How come I feel weird right now?

- Ava 

I love books.

Last week I went to Chapters to use my Mother’s Day gift card from my kids (smart kids, a gift card from Chapters and a gift card from Starbucks, conveniently located in Chapters).

Armed with only $30, I knew I had to be very careful how I spent it. What would I choose? What was I in the mood for?

The first thing I did was wander around looking for any of my author friends and turning their books face out. My local Chapters was sadly lacking this time, but I did my best. I turned out Wild, Wicked and Wanton by Jaci Burton (weirdly located in romance instead of erotica, strange since it’s one of the hottest books I read last year – I mean smoke pouring off the pages), Unpredictable by Eileen Cook (a wonderful local author who’s doing so well and is a joy to talk to), several of the Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian and Dark Garden by Eden Bradley.

Feeling very satisfied with myself I searched out books by Alison Kent and HelenKay Dimon, two authors who’s blogs I have been loyally reading this year. I couldn’t find either, but Chapters said they would bring them in. In fact, I wasn’t having any luck finding a lot of Brava releases (they had a 2007 release from Sylvia Day and I was looking for a new one), which I also pointed out to the clerks.

So then I went to the scan every shelf method. In the end this is what I picked up:

Well, ok, I picked up more than that, but I had to put some down didn’t I? $30 doesn’t go very far when the spines of books still show a $3-6 difference in the Canadian and US pricing (one example $13 USD, $17.95 CAD). Um, yeah, our dollar has been almost at par for some time now. According to the bookstore they bought them at the higher rate so that’s how they had to sell them. Right. So basically it’s cheaper for me to go to the US to buy my books. Point taken, but I still had that gift card that I had to use.

And yes, to get these four books with Canadian pricing meant that I actually spent $9+ of my own money, but since I couldn’t decide which one to put down I took them all.

So far I’ve only managed to read the Jane Porter book (met her at ECWC last year, she’s so interesting and I loved Flirting with Forty) because we’ve just finished moving. I can’t wait to read the rest! I love books (not that you could tell from the stack of boxes marked books, sitting beside me ).

- MG Braden

The publication of Valentine by Cobblestone Press is very special for me. It is the realization of a dream that I’ve carried inside me for years now: to be a romance author.

I’m a long time lover of romance novels. I love them, can’t get enough of them. They express the passion that a lot of us have inside ourselves; they have great plots, suspense, secrets, betrayal and, almost always, a happy ending. What could be a better reading experience than that?

For a long time, I didn’t think I could write romance. I tried but the words fell flat on the page. I hadn’t experienced love, real love; so how could I write a romance novel? If I had no romance in my life on which to draw upon, how could I write a novel with any shred of romance in it?

That all changed when I met my husband. He showed me that love is real, that it exists outside of novels and books. Three years on and we’re still as much in love as when we first met but more so I think.

I wrote Valentine for me, but it is his book. I dedicated it to him. He was the one that showed me that love was possible, that love was real. My words are the most valuable thing I have to give and he was more excited than I was when Valentine was contracted for publication.<

Not everyone is thrilled however. I’ve been promoting the heck out of Valentine and I keep getting the same reaction: Romance? Gross! How can you write that?

They get this funny look in their eyes as if they aren’t quite sure how to respond.

After a little while I realized that I was making people uncomfortable. At fist, I was a little baffled by this. I mean, Romance has existed as a genre for a long time, right? Look at D. H. Lawrence and Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Romance has been a passion for people for decades.

My husband, however, provided me with an insight into others that I was lacking: “Just because they make icky faces when you mention you write erotica doesn’t mean they won’t read it.” He said. “You’re forcing them to confront their own desires and this always makes people uncomfortable.”

I can see the sense in that. It is their decision whether or not they want to read Valentine and I hope they do. It’s about passion, about right and wrong and about discovering the passion that lies within you.

For now, I know that my husband loved it and that’s enough for me. He’s my toughest critic. And in the end, I am doing what I love: I’m writing and living my dream at the same time. I can’t ask for more than that.

And so I have given him my words and now I give them to you. I hope that you all enjoy Valentine and that the love it grew out of shines through as you read each word.

For more info on Valentine, check out the blog!

www.valentineanovel.blogspot.com


And, while you’re at it, don’t forget to pick up your copy of Valentine by clicking here:

http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/valentinejw

Moonshine

By Moira Rogers
http://www.moirarogers.com
Coming on June 27th from Cobblestone Press

Their one night of intoxicated passion leaves her wanting more, but Lars isn’t interested in a woman who can only let loose while under the influence. Claire must then decide whether she’s ready–and willing–to truly embrace her wild side.

* Enter to win a free copy.
* Get free promotional goodies!
* Watch the book trailer
* Read a free prequel!

Excerpt from Moonshine

Claire knew she stuck out like a sore thumb from the moment she walked into the bar, and realized it had nothing to do with the fact that she looked like shit. Dos Culebras was not a bar women usually entered alone unless they were professionals. The few non-hookers in residence belonged to men frightening enough to convince the rest of the clients to leave them alone.

She was not a professional. Worse than that, she was a shapeshifter who challenged every man in the bar just by walking into it. Hell, she wanted to be a challenge. She needed to meet another shapeshifter tonight. Someone like her, who understood her strength. Who could handle her strength. Someone who wouldn’t be afraid.

She heard her ex-boyfriend’s voice as she took her beer to a small table in the corner. It’s not you, Claire. You need someone…like you. Oh, he’d been full of false sympathy when he’d broken up with her. He’d pretended it wasn’t because she’d proven herself to be stronger than he was—yet again.

Humans are fragile. A morbid thought, but so true. Humans were fragile, and she had to stop wanting to be with one. Over twenty years had passed since magic had first crashed into science and bled into everyday life. The terror had finally subsided, and lots of men now found it hip to have a supernatural girlfriend. At least until she embarrasses them in front of the boys by being stronger than they are.

Human men. Their egos were as fragile as their bodies.

She was halfway through her beer before she realized she had attracted a stranger’s attention. He sat across the bar from her, in a corner booth, with his back against the wall and one booted foot propped on the cracked vinyl in front of him. A cigarette dangled from his mouth, and a long-neck hung loosely from his fingers. Tattoos encircled his arms, tribal designs that stood out against his skin and disappeared beneath the sleeves of his T-shirt. He looked dangerous. Perfect.

Even at that distance, his eyes bored into hers. The intensity of his unwavering gaze made her uncomfortable. She had no problem recognizing another shapeshifter. Not a wolf, which she might have expected, but a coyote. Like me.

She met his gaze unflinchingly, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist the challenge of her presence.

You’ll do, whoever you are.

After a moment he rose, one fluid motion bringing him out of the booth. He stalked towards her, his movements at once graceful and dangerous, and she couldn’t take her eyes away from him. He stopped at the corner of the bar and slid onto a seat. For a minute, Claire thought he wouldn’t speak. Then his icy blue eyes softened, and he said in a low voice, “You look like shit.”

“Thank you. I feel like shit,” she replied quietly. “That’s why I have a beer.”

He paused for a moment, then set down his bottle. “I know who you are, you know.”

It figured. Coyotes weren’t rare, but there were only ten female coyotes in town compared to the fifty or so males. She turned her eyes back to the man and ran them over him in an assessing manner that bordered on insulting. “Really? Haven’t seen you in any of my classes. You don’t look like the college type.”

He just grinned, and the simple action transformed his face from broodingly dangerous to dangerously handsome. “Touchy bitch.”

“Yeah, maybe.” She finished the rest of her bottle and set it on the table. “My boyfriend just dumped my ass because I’m tougher than he is. I’m feeling a little touchy.”

He stared at her for a second. “Beer ain’t taking the edge off of that, doll. You do shots?”

She slanted him a look, wondering if he was the type of man who could find her something better than alcohol. Maybe the tricky little magical drug making the rounds now. Custom designed for shapeshifters, it provided the adrenaline rush of a shift, along with a healthy dose of desire. Right now, she wanted something to remind herself just how far she was from actually being human.

Of course, she wasn’t exactly sure how to ask him if he happened to have a bottle of moonshine in his pocket. So instead, she settled for a vague reply. “If I wanted to do the stuff I usually do, I wouldn’t be here.”

He nodded. “Hey, Wanda. Give us a couple of shots of Johnnie Walker, yeah?”

Claire waited until the woman set a shot glass in front of her. Then she picked it up and tossed it back, coughing a little as the liquid burned its way down her throat.

When she managed to blink away the reflexive tears that sprang to her eyes, she found him watching her. “It’s a long way from milk and cookies.”

“Yeah.” He threw back his own shot without blinking. “I’m Lars.”

“Lars.” Claire dropped the shot glass back on to the bar. “Hi. I’m Claire.”

Admit it. We all have addictions, dirty little secrets we keep to ourselves for the most part. Mine aren’t so secret actually lol. I’ve discussed my Diet Coke addiction in many places. And dark chocolate. Books, of course. Reading romance was never that big a secret, but writing erotic romance is something I’ve tried to keep kinda private. My husband hasn’t let that happen.

He’s dragged me kicking and screaming out of the erotic romance writer closet in the last few weeks. He’s recently been the object of a great deal of attention in the police department he works for and apparently people are curious about what his wife does. So he spills it all then smirks when they ask if he gets to be the test subject. When I called him on it, he was quick to point out my other addiction.

Tattoos.

I have three and since it’s summer, which means cute dresses and tank tops this far south, everyone sees them. Or part of them. See, they’re on my chest–two rose vines and a hummingbird. I will admit I found it highly amusing when he informed me just as many people comment on my tats as his test subject status.

Really? I will admit they’re in a place and of a size you don’t normally see on women in as conservative area as we live in, but most of the people we know have at least one. I just never considered them worthy of conversation that I wasn’t participating in. They’re part of me. I like them. I never considered what anyone else would think when I got them about not only having them, but where they’re placed.

I’ve apparently earned a reputation as, well, kind of wild. You don’t even have to corner me to admit I like that lol. It’s nice that when it’s pointed out that I’m really not part of the soccer mom crowd it’s now with more a tone of awe than confusion. Wonder if I can work this into my promo lol?

So there you have it. My most secret non-secrets. I write erotic romance and I’m addicted to tattoos. I’m grabbing onto that wildchild status with both hands lol!

How ’bout y’all? Tattoos? Or something else?

- Cassandra’s note: I have four tattoos myself, and I’m not even close to being allowed into the soccer mom club, either. Loribelle‘s got two thumbs up from me! 

I like to think of myself as a neat person. I mean, I don’t like clutter. I try to put my clothes away and hang things up. I don’t like dirty dishes in odd places around the house. I like a clean toilet.

I don’t go overboard, but I do keep a somewhat put together household.

My desk, on the other hand, is an absolute nightmare. Maybe it’s because I need one place that is just mine where I can unload and keep things in my crazy piles. Piles of bills. Piles of receipts. Piles of bank statements and deposit slips. Piles of Post-Its and pens and artwork by my kids.

I’m not particularly happy with the state of my desk. Every 6 months or so, I go through a purge where I sort through everything and clean up. That’s when I will find missing notes for books. Missing information from my children’s school. Old bills that were paid months ago.

I see my desk as an extension of my mind. I have a lot going on in my head…how much money is in the checking account, who got a C in English, what to make for dinner, and then there’s the book ideas. I’ve got a ton of them stewing in my brain. All of them at different states of doneness.

If my desk were perfectly clean all the time, I think my mind would be equally empty. Too organized. Not really set up for mind wandering and story creation.

So, if you’ve got a problem with piles and clutter on a desk, you may just want to stay away from my office. Read my books. But don’t visit the place where they are created. It might just scare you!

Kris Eton
http://www.kriseton.com
http://www.myspace.com/kriseton

Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve loved the lore and mythos of vampires. From dark and brooding (like Anne Rice’s vampires), to overly tanned with bright teeth (like George Hamilton’s portrayal in the classic movie Love at First Bite)–I gobbled them up eagerly, wanting more, more, more.

When I saw that Cobblestone Press was running a contest for their new Vampire Oracle line, I couldn’t resist adding my own tale to this magnificent genre. And when I saw the HUNGER card, I was struck by the bold image and description of the card’s meaning…from there, I knew that was the one I’d try for.

Hunger–a powerful motivator for humans and vampires alike. A provocative, almost alluring pleasure/pain. It lets us know we’re alive, that we want and need something outside of ourselves to satisfying our ache. When I pondered the meaning of the word “hunger,” I realized I wanted to write about a heroine who helped others conquer their hunger, but when placed in the same situation, would realize it wasn’t as easy as she thought.

So, Olivia was born, a counselor who helped vampires overcome their blood lust. But her life changes when she receives the oracle card in the mail, and from seemingly out of nowhere, a burst of hunger awakens within her.

I had a lot of fun writing the novella proposal, and I was thrilled to find out it had been accepted.

Now that the day is finally here where my novella is out, I’m looking forward to snagging copies of my fellow oracle authors and delving back into the world of the vampire, where once again, I’ll get caught up in a hunger too compelling to deny.

- Sophie Athens

On my BFF’s 21st birthday, a large group of us went to a male strip club to celebrate (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). A very good time was had by all. We oohed. We aahed. We gave away a lot of dollar bills.

What we didn’t know was that the piece de resistance, the icing on the cake, the show stopper had yet to begin. The very last act, the one that brought down the house, rocked us to our cores. When the soundtrack to the movie An Officer and A Gentlemen began, the room went silent.

Even now, almost fifteen years later, my heart is doing back flips.

Three of the world’s finest men came strolling down the runway in military uniforms. And the women went WILD. I should say that I don’t know if the men were good looking. Heck, they could have been fugly. They could have drooled or not been capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time. It didn’t matter. They wore the uniform. They had the stance. They exuded an aura of we’re in effin’ charge around here. And we ate it up.

When I sat down to write my first novella, SOLDIER, you can believe that night at the strip club was in my mind. When my heroine Anna finds a military man naked and unconcious on her front lawn, at least she has the common sense to behave a little better than we did that night.

Well, barely.

Find out more about how one night at the club inspired this story by picking up your copy of SOLDIER from Cobblestone Press.

Hugs,
Dee

The other night, my daughter and I finished watching a documentary narrated by David Attenborough, called Tiger – Spy in the Jungle. It was a three-part series following a female tiger and her four cubs. I loved every minute of it. It’s amazing how hard it is for them out in the wild, and fascinating to watch their everyday survival.

I’ve loved tigers for a long time now. They have always fascinated me, and they’re so beautiful and intelligent. I could watch them for hours, and even got to see several cubs when the hubby and I went to Dreamworld in Queensland before my daughter was born.

Anyway, when I think of shifters, cats are usually the ones that grab my attention. I mean, I love werewolves, don’t get me wrong, but cats are so fascinating, especially tigers.

So when I sat down to write a short story to submit to CPQ Magazine last year, it was only natural for me to cast a tiger. Or tigress, in this tale. As soon as I started writing, I got so caught up in it that by the time I was finished, I knew there could be a world of shifters here waiting for me. And it all started with Nora and Vin.

If you haven’t read the story yet, HIDE: Wild at Heart is available for free download HERE. So, go ahead and grab it. And if you read it, let me know if you’d like to know more about these cats and the other animals in their world.

Here’s a little secret: I do intend to write more tales with Nora, but I just need to find the time.

Yolanda Sfetsos
www.yolandasfetsos.com