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8Sentence Sunday (4): A Break in the Clouds

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For this week’s eight, I’m taking you back inside To Catch A Fetch. In this scene Devyn and Ronan are driving through the Pennsylvania countryside on a gray morning. The time spent on the road softens Devyn’s resolve and she begins to ask questions about Ronan’s claim to be a ghost hunter. He uses the scenery around him to help illustrate elements of the paranormal.

Devyn studied the shaft of sunlight slanting through the break in the clouds. “How does the veil—assuming it exists—work?”

Ronan suppressed a grin, “Assuming that, I suppose the best way to describe the veil would be to call it a sheet of fog. Imagine that fog getting infused with a charge of energy.”

“Like static electricity?”

“Similar, but this energy current is unique to the paranormal.  I know that word seems to freak you out Devyn, but all paranormal means is not normal, as in something outside the range of normal experience…this definition can cover a lot of things.”

“Yeah, like my Aunt Betty’s choice of hair color.”

I’m hoping for my own break in the clouds soon—To Catch A Fetch is a finalist in the Agent Blind Speed Dating contest hosted by Cupid’s Literary Connection. My entry (#51) is up now, but the contest does not begin until tomorrow. Only agents are allowed to comment on the entries. You can see a list of the agents who are participating and read the rules for the contest HERE.

Thanks for stopping by! I have a very busy Sunday ahead, but am looking forward to reading and commenting on many of my fellow Weekend Writing Warriors tonight while I watch the Oscars.  If you’d like to take a look at some more snippets, visit WeWriWa for a list of this week’s “Eights.”

 

What Gets Me Through February

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When I asked what my least favorite month of the year is, I can answer without hesitation – it’s February. I’ve spoken on my distaste for this month before. Lucky for me, there are a few bright spots of warmth in this bitterly cold, dark (and blessedly short) month to help get me through.

Of course there’s Valentine’s Day, and I am not ashamed to admit my significant other and I enjoy this excuse of a holiday to celebrate our love for chocolate each other. We are staunchly opposed to the great pretender (AKA Sweetest Day), but Valentine’s Day is cool with us. We exchange cards and gifts and have a candlelight dinner at home on the rarely used dining room table. Of course, we are dining with our two children, so the atmosphere isn’t very romantic…but love is certainly in the air and our girls really enjoy it too. (Oh, and there’s chocolate).

So, what does a nerdy couple such as ourselves bestow upon one another on this day of love? Why, nerdy stuff we love, of course!

For my retro-videogamer and lover of all things Zelda husband, I got him the recently released book: The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia. Funny story about this gift, the week before V-day he showed me a picture of the book on his phone and told me he’d like it for his birthday (still a few months away). I just nodded,  grinned, and told him I hope he knew how awesome his wife was. (You see, I had pre-ordered the book awhile ago and already had it hidden in the house wrapped as his Valentine’s present).

As awesome as I can sometimes be in the gift giving department, the husband is no slouch either. Example: for Christmas, he got me this sweet Harry Potter “Marauder’s Map” necklace:

I love this little ode to mischief.

And on Valentine’s Day he followed up with another piece of Potter bling: a golden Snitch necklace:

Snitch Necklace

 

So to all the other nerdy couples out there, I hope you enjoyed Valentine’s Day with some snuggle time watching re-runs of The X-Files. (OK, so maybe that was just us)

And somebody knew what they were doing when they added the following “holidays” to the calendar: National Drink Wine Day was Monday February 18th and Friday February 22nd was National Margarita Day.

In honor of National Margarita Day I mixed myself a Blue Rita.
In honor of National Margarita Day I mixed myself a frozen Blue Rita.

Did you have a chance to celebrate either of these? If not, you can make up for it on Sunday by drinking lots of wine and ritas while indulging in the only other thing to look forward to in this effing month that has that effing extra R in its name just because it likes to eff with you: Oscar Night. I haven’t seen any of the nominated movies (um, I managed to get to a theatre only 3x in 2012: two of the movies I saw involved girls who liked bows and arrows, and the third was about some vampires (no, not THAT movie – the other one, the animated one about a hotel).

Can you guess the 3 movies I saw? I’ll make a guess of my own (I won’t call it a prediction, that would indicate some thought went into this) – I’m thinking Best Picture will go to Argo. Either way, I know one thing for sure – by next Friday February will be over, and I can’t wait to blow kisses as I  wave it a big movie star good-bye.

8Sentence Sunday (3): The Scent of a Woman

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No, I’m not referencing the Al Pacino/Chris O’Donnell flick from the early 90’s (what was his catch phrase? Hoo-ha! or Whoo-yeah! or something…).

I’m referring to a quiet moment between Rhys and Gabby – the main characters of To Hide a Haunt, the book that follows To Catch A Fetch. Rhys & Gabby’s story is very much still a WIP in its early stages – but as they both play a role in the first book, their characters are very real to me, and when a moment between them pops up in my brain I scribble it down. The following excerpt is from such a moment:

Rhys lifted her hand and tilted it to place a kiss in her palm. “I’m sorry I misjudged you.”

A shadow crossed her face but she didn’t pull her hand away. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

He moved his lips lower, brushing them against the delicate skin of her wrist.  Instead of the exotic trendy perfume he had been expecting, Gabby smelled crisp and clean, her skin redolent with the scent of – “Apples.”

“Excuse me?”

Mouth still against her wrist, Rhys inhaled deeply before replying, “You smell like apples.”

 

And that’s this week’s 8! If you are a fellow WeWriWa participant – welcome and thanks for visiting! If you just happen to be passing through, please CLICK HERE to take a look at this week’s other 8SentenceSunday writers.

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8Sentence Sunday (2): Nuts for Nutella

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Happy Sunday, fellow Weekend Writing Warriors!

Today’s eight sentences are in honor of World Nutella Day (February 5th, which I believe is also National Pancake Day…at least, according to IHOP…oh, and yesterday Feb 9th – which was National Bagel Day. Did you get your free bagel?).

Ronan Evans, the hero of To Catch A Fetch, is a man of simple needs.  However, one of the few creature comforts he insists upon is Nutella…and he always makes sure he has plenty on hand – as Devyn and her friend Pam discover in the following scene:

Pam stepped back to let Devyn peek inside the pantry. The shelves were bare, except for one, crammed full with jars of Nutella.

“So the guy likes Nutella, big deal.”

“So?” Pam eyed the rows of white-capped jars. “You don’t think it’s a little weird?”

“Not serial killer weird…just eccentric weird. I went to school with a kid who only ate lemonade and hot dogs.

And that’s this week’s 8! Please visit the WeWiWa home page to see a list of this week’s participants.

 

Friday Fast Five: Best Week Ever, Best News Ever, Best Year Ever?

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1. It’s Friday (in case you haven’t figured that out yet) and time for something rare in my universe: a t.v. show the husband and I enjoy together.  I’m just not that into t.v. – I’d rather be reading a book, or writing, or wasting time on the internet, but I have to say it’s nice to start the weekend with the husband, chilling out with a drink after the girls are in bed, watching something silly that keeps me up to date with all the pop culture stuff I usually ignore. I’m talking about VH-1’s new Best Week Ever (I say “new” because it was on a few years ago and we liked it then before it started to go stale) – but now it’s back and overall good for a few laughs. My favorite segment is Michelle Buteau’s “Panties On! Panties Off!” bit…kind of a, er, more personal “What’s hot and what’s not.” Check out this one from a few weeks ago:

Who knew the Rock could sing like that, eh? Also…toboggan!

2.  Moving along with the best week ever, I heard the best news ever this week! (Well, maybe not the best news – that would be I have a book deal, or I won the lottery, or Jell-O Pudding pops are back).  Still – it’s really good news. Laura Kinsale, author of my most favorite, I-can-read-them-over-and-over-and-I-love-them-so-much, historical romances made an announcement that her books will be coming out in audio format. In an article on the AudioGals website Kinsale describes the process she went through deciding the who and the how, and it’s a fascinating journey. I can’t wait!!!

3. Hoping for some more good news, the Cupid’s Literary Connection Kiss Contest ends today, and my scene earned a Get A Room award for hottest/most intense kiss. (It is pretty hot, if I do say so). My actual entry into the Agent Blind Speed Date goes live in a bouncer round on Monday over on the CLC site. I’m Bouncer Post #157, and I hope you’ll stop by to read and comment on my query and 1st 250.

4. To make this the best year ever, I need to do more than sit around on my butt hoping good things will happen. I have to make them happen! Case in point, the time I spend with my butt in a chair, supposedly working on my manuscript. My time is limited as it is, and so often I find my self twittering away, literally, the time I should be spending with my WIP. I call this “the Barbie Effect.” I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid playing with Barbies, most of my time was spent on the “set-up” – getting all the Barbies dressed in outfits, setting up little rooms for them (I didn’t have a big gorgeous playhouse, so I would use chairs as 2-floor apartments), and arranging everything until it was “just so.” Actual time spent acting out scenes with the Barbies was, at most, about 20%.

I often have the same issue when I sit down to write. First I have to check my e-mail, take a quick (or not so quick) look at my social media sites, and of course browse through Pinterest to see if I missed anything good, and FINALLY I will open my WIP. Before I know it I have to go pick up a kid or get to work or do something non-writing related. Time spent actually writing? About 20%. This is a problem and it needs to stop. A couple writer friends of mine swear by macfreedom, an “internet blocking productivity software” – yep, it’s social media willpower. I’d like to try and make it on my own…and I think I can, well I hope I can. What about you? DO you have any tips for how writers can boost productivity in the face of all the distractions at our fingertips?

5. Ok, I’m getting off my personal guilt trip train now. It’s Friday, and time to have some fun! Besides, I believe it’s a proven fact blowing off steam and having fun can make work time more productive.  Which is why I like to get out for the occasional GNO. One of my favorite ways to spend a Girl’s Night Out (that doesn’t involve margaritas) is a Wine and Paint night. Here’s the deal: a local art studio hosts these great evenings where you show up with your friends and a bottle of wine, and get step-by-step instructions on creating a painting. As you paint, you drink. And as the wine flows, so does the conversation and creativity. It’s a lovely way to let loose and at the end of the night you have a piece of art to take home! Here are some of mine:

I suppose you could call this a “meta-painting” considering all the wine consumed while painting it.

 

 

Ah yes, all the necessary tools of an artist: pencil, paint, glass of wine. (I think we were drinking a Cooper’s Hawk rhubarb wine that night…)

Happy Friday, thanks for stopping by! Now go out and do something fun already!

 

Kissing Scene by Melonie Johnson

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Break out the Chapstick and Mentos – it’s kissing scene time! Here’ s my entry in the Kissing Scene Competition, hosted by Cupid’s Literary Connection. The following is an excerpt from my paranormal romance, To Catch A Fetch.

A little background info to set the scene: Devyn Cartwright has been hired to do a photographic essay on a Victorian estate.  With her lust for period homes and furniture, Devyn  should be in heaven…but her lust for the home’s caretaker, Ronan Evans, is putting her through hell. Devyn tells herself Ronan is off-limits, and struggles to keep their relationship professional, going so far as to make a list of all the reasons why getting involved with Ronan would be a bad idea. But both Devyn’s reasons and her sense fly out the antique window when Ronan corners her and demands to know how she really feels about him.

 

“Devyn. Open your eyes and look at me. Please.”

She lifted her lashes, unable to resist the soft plea. His dark eyes searched her face for a moment. Then he smiled. A wicked, sexy, sinful smile that lit Devyn’s “Top Ten Reasons Why I Should Not Get Involved With Ronan” list on fire and left it in a pathetic pile of fluttering ashes.

“You want me, don’t you?”

Idiot man, he’s only figuring this out now? Devyn nodded. She wasn’t fooling him, and she certainly wasn’t fooling herself, so who was left to fool by denying the truth?

His smile widened at her assent, a hint of masculine satisfaction creasing the corners of his mouth. “That’s why you’ve been avoiding me, isn’t it.”

It wasn’t a question, but she nodded again anyway.

“Sweet, sexy, silly female,” he murmured, leaning closer. “Don’t you know what’s happening between us,” he paused and brushed his mouth against hers in a touch so feather-light, it barely registered as a kiss, “is unavoidable?”

Devyn whimpered at the feel of his mouth on hers. His words sank into her, loosening the knots she had tied around her emotions.

Ronan slid his hands around her waist, the rough, bare skin of his palms a shock of heat against her naked back as he lifted the hem of her shirt. For the space of a heartbeat, he rested his thumbs in the sensitive dip at the base of her spine. Then his fingers slipped lower, gliding over her lace covered bottom. He cupped her with his big strong hands and lifted her so she pressed against him, her lips on level with his.

 This time there was no mistaking the pressure of his lips. Ronan’s tongue, hot and sure in her mouth, burned a path of need through her like a shot of whiskey. The taste of him flooded her veins and buckled her knees.

Devyn gripped Ronan’s shoulders for support. Drunk on desire, she broke the kiss to whisper the one coherent thought her mind could conjure.

“More.”

 

 

A Kiss to Build A Dream On

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That’s what tomorrow’s post is, really. I dream of landing a literary agent – the one who will be the perfect match for me and my novel(s). This Valentine’s Day, fate may smile upon me, and with a little help from a certain Cupid, my dream could come true.

Tomorrow morning I enter Cupid’s Literary Connection Kissing Contest. Over the next few days “kissing experts” will read the fifty or so kissing scenes entered in the contest and decide which scenes earn the following honorable mentions:

Sweetest kiss: Sugar Lips Award
Most embarrassing/funniest kiss: Color Me Red Award
Most intense/hottest kiss: Get A Room Award
Most romantic kiss: Swooning Award
Most lovable characters: Cutest Couple Award

Each of the ten judges will also award one entry the *Best overall writing: Write In The Kisser Award* – that’s the Golden Ticket that gets the writer admission into the second round, which takes place next week on CLC’s blog. Then on that most romantic of days, (no, not National Drink Wine day, that’s Feb 18th) the experts and Cupid herself will choose 3 favorites from the top 10.  Consider this prize a Platinum Ticket – which gets the three winning writers into the agent round of the Blind Speed Dating event happening at the end of the month.

And it all starts with a kiss…

Hope to see you here tomorrow!

Til then, here’s one of my favorite movie kisses:

Watts and Keith from Some Kind of Wonderful: The Kiss That Kills. I love this movie, I love this soundtrack, and I LOVE this kiss. When you see his fingers tighten on her hips…wow. Did it just get hotter in here?

My First Eight, And I’m Already Late

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Ooops. Somehow I’ve managed to blow this before I even get started!

Lemme splain: last week I caught a tweet by writing buddy Shannyn Schroeder about signing up for something called 8SentenceSunday. Intrigued, I poked around to learn more. My poking  (more clicking, actually) led me to the Weekend Writing Warriors website – a fresh social sharing writers’ project that launches, well – today.

Inspired by Six Sentence Sunday (who recently closed their virtual doors), the concept is simple, each week you want to participate, you sign your website/blog up on their Linky List. Then, come Sunday, you post eight sentences from one of your manuscripts. Anything pretty much goes, as the admins of WeWriWa say, “post eight sentences from something you’ve written, or something you’re writing, published or unpublished.” The only thing is it must be your own writing, and you must stick to only 8 sentences.

Oh, and there’s one other thing – you must post your sentences by 9am Sunday morning. And this is the part I screwed up.  Today was one of those rare, glorious Sundays I actually stayed in bed til 9! (Well, I was up at 5:45 am to let the dog out, but I got to go back to bed – and stay there for more than five seconds – which is what counts.)

So here I am, late to the party, but promising to be on time next week. (I’ll just tell myself I have to have my “8 posted by 8.” It will be like setting my alarm clock earlier than I need to) Actually, it won’t be early, as the 9am requirement is in Eastern time…so I DO need to get ‘er done and up by 8. Thank goodness I have a dog who needs to pee before the crack of dawn.

The following eight are from my paranormal romance, To Catch A Fetch. Ghost hunter Ronan Evans is supposed to be working on convincing Devyn Cartwright – a woman with the ability to see ghosts – to join his team of supernatural researchers. Problem is, all he wants to do is convince Devyn to get in his bed. When fellow team member Claudia shows up to check on his progress, she calls him out for his lack of focus:

 

The smile disappeared and Claudia tapped her chin with a scarlet-tipped finger, the same shade as her lips.

Did women buy their make-up to match the same as they did with their bras and panties? Ronan had no idea where that errant thought came from, but once in his brain, all he could think about was the creamy lace of Devyn’s panties as he slipped one finger under the soft fabric to feel the softer skin beneath. He recalled the feel of her bra through her sweater, and his mouth went dry as he imagined the same pale shade of lace cupping her breasts.

Claudia kicked him in the shin. “Come back to earth, buddy.”

He blinked. “Am I that easy to read?”

 

Feel free to comment with your opinions and suggestions…and if you are interested in checking out what the other 50 or so writers participating today have posted, their links are available HERE.

Friday Fast Five: A Kissing Contest, A Cowboy Giveaway, Book Blogs, and Did You Know I Married a Loser?

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It’s February 1st, people! January 2013 finally took its drunk ass home. (Seriously) To celebrate, I’m posting the first Friday Fast Five of the Year!

1. Pucker Up: I entered a kissing contest! Not one of those “how long can your lips stay locked together contests” you only see in cheesy gum commercials from the 80’s, but a literary contest, in which I submit a kissing scene (don’t worry, the entry is limited to 350 words, so things won’t get too steamy). What’s up for grabs? A slot in Cupid’s Literary Connection Blind Speed Dating Event, which aims (ha! Cupid, arrow, “aims”) to match writers and agents. To enter the kissing contest, first you needed to enter a Speed Dating “Bouncer” Round (your query and 1st 250 words of your manuscript)…I’m in Bouncer Round 5, which doesn’t go live until Feb 11th, so I have no idea yet if I’m in like Flynn – either way, I’d have entered the kissing contest since I love kissing scenes! Do you? Get the information about the kissing contest and a list of all the blogs participating HERE and be sure to swing back by my site on Monday for some lip action…I’d love to hear what you think. Oh, and just for kicks, check out this silly (and a bit bizarre) kissing scene from a Mentos Commercial:

 

2. Cowboy Giveaway: Sorry but no, you don’t have a chance to win your own cowboy (I’m not sure that’s legal) but you do have a chance to win a Simple Touch Nook, loaded with hot cowboy romance from author Sarah M. Anderson! Sarah is currently on a blog tour, promoting the launch of her two latest releases: Mystic Cowboy and A Real Cowboy. For more information on how to enter, visit Sarah’s blog tour page. You’ll want to stop by and say hi simply for the eye candy…Rebel, the hero of Mystic Cowboy totally frosts my cupcake. In fact, I’m going to add him to my eye candy Pinterest page now.

3. Lose Yourself in A Book: While winning stuff is awesome, it can also be totally wonderful to lose yourself – in that good way that happens when you are caught up in a great book. You know the feeling:  Who needs to take a shower, get dressed, or feed the kids? This book is too good to put down! To celebrate the books that get us to that special place, two of my fellow writers and friends started a blog called Land of Lost Books. It’s a book review site, but unique in that it doesn’t focus on new releases – or stay within a specific genre. Revisit old favorites like Anne of Green Gables and the Witch of Blackbird Pond. Or check out something that might not be on your usual radar, like The Siren by Tiffany Reisz.Pour a cup of coffee and settle in for awhile, surfing the Land of Lost Books is like being a part of an eclectic book club! Be sure to join in the discussion too, every time you comment on a post, you are entered in their monthly drawing for a $10 gift card to Amazon or B&N!

4. A Bitchin’ Anniversary: While my friends’ blog is still a baby, not even 1 yet – one of my favorite book review sites is turning 8! Smart Bitches Trashy Books has built quite a name in the book blogging world, and while I first discovered them thanks to some witty cover snark, I stayed for the honesty of their reviews. As the SB site says, “All of the romance, none of the bullshit.” I know when SB Sarah says something is good, the book is a pretty safe bet for my money. Likewise, she won’t just say a book sucks, she’ll explain in intelligent detail why it blows. To celebrate their 8th year in the blog-o-verse, SBTB is hosting a giveaway! To enter, just leave a comment on their Happy 8th Anniversary post explaining your favorite thing about reading romance.

Yours Truly with SB Sarah at her signing for Everything I Know About Love…

5. I Married A Loser: So, speaking of anniversaries, I thought it was time to tell everyone something about my husband. But first, let me say that he IS NOT a loser–and I never thought of him that way. He, however, seems to feel different, as he titled his book: My Loser Phase. Yes, you read that right, I am the one writing madly, working on my synopsis, perfecting my query letter…and the husband publishes a book first. The book is a collection of stories about his time spent working retail in the 90’s. If you are a fan of video games, if you were ever a mall rat…or if you like coming of age stories where a person finds his motivation to grow the hell up, then I think you will enjoy his book. WARNING: shameless spouse plug ahead:  You can buy the book HERE on Amazon for less than a buck. Oh, and if you enjoy reminiscing about the good old days of gaming (ie: the 80’s & 90’s) you’ll want to check out his podcast, The Retro League.