Friday, December 18, 2009

TODAY I SHALL START....

....Christmas shopping!

A little late you say? But no! Just on time, according to this quiz. You take the quiz too, and come back and tell us just how much you love the holidays!




You Like the Holidays



You definitely have a good time during the holidays, but you aren't obsessed with them or anything.

You shop for a few presents and participate in a few traditions... but that's it!



You may be accused of being a grinch, but you're simply not a fanatic about holiday traditions - especially commercial ones.

You get into the spirit of the season by being kind, compassionate, and not clogging up the stores!


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

DATES

It's official, I'm an old fuddy duddy. The sad thing is, nowadays I can't even remember what it was like to be young and dating.

This is not good for someone who's trying to write romance!

Here's my dilemma--I have heros and heroines meeting at work and at places where they may share a mutual interest, but when it comes to their actual first date, where do I take them? To dinner. {insert snore}

LOL!!! It was all fine and dandy the first few books, but now I'm starting to think I have a hang-up. You see, almost every date I've been on--before I was old and married, mind you--involved a restaurant. The first time I went out with my (now) hubby, he picked me up in a Land Cruiser and we went to a place that serves fish tacos. In fact, we've had way more fun on dates later in the relationship (sporting events and such), and after getting married.

Now that I've recognized this pattern in my stories, I know I need to dig deeper into my characters to see what creative things they'd do--perhaps something that doesn't involve a restaurant?

To start my creative juices flowing, tell me about your favorite first date! But if that favorite first date wasn't with your hubby, tell me about your "friend's" favorite first date. Hee hee, we'll keep it here amongst friends ;-)

Monday, December 14, 2009

YEARS SPENT IN RETAIL...

....kinda ruined my enjoyment of "Christmas" music. I use the quote marks because what they played in the store on the endless looped recording was a compilation of Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, Jingle Bells, etc. You can only roast your chestnuts on the open fire so many times.

{insert group groan}

But true Christmas songs--those are the ones I love. My favorite this year may not even be classified as Christmas, but I still think it qualifies: Mary Did You Know. This line brings tears to my eyes:

Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?




What is your favorite Christmas song?

Friday, December 11, 2009

YOU KNOW HOW I HATE TO BRAG....

....but baby girl's got pipes! It's a rare occasion that I put any of my children on here, but I had to share my daughter's recital. The first song is in Italian, so I haven't a clue what it's about. The second song is for Christmas, and I love it!



Thanks for sharing the moment with me :-)

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

WHIRLWIND

Aw man! Mine hasn't arrived yet. Sorry folks, but you can read about it below.


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Whirlwind

Thomas Nelson (December 29, 2009)

by

Robert Liparulo



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert Liparulo is a former journalist, with over a thousand articles and multiple writing awards to his name. His first novel, Comes a Horseman, released to critical acclaim. Each of his subsequent thrillers—Germ, Deadfall, and Deadlock—secured his place as one of today’s most popular and daring thriller writers.

He is known for investing deep research and chillingly accurate predictions of near-future scenarios into his stories. In fact, his thorough, journalistic approach to research has resulted in his becoming an expert on the various topics he explores in his fiction, and he has appeared on such media outlets as CNN and ABC Radio.

Liparulo’s visual style of writing has caught the eye of Hollywood producers. Currently, three of his novels for adults are in various stages of development for the big screen: the film rights to Comes A Horseman. were purchased by the producer of Tom Clancy’s movies; and Liparulo is penning the screenplays for GERM and Deadfall for two top producers. He is also working with the director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Holes) on a political thriller. Novelist Michael Palmer calls Deadfall “a brilliantly crafted thriller.” March 31st marked the publication of Deadfall’s follow-up, Deadlock, which novelist Gayle Lynds calls, “best of high-octane suspense.”

Liparulo’s bestselling young adult series, Dreamhouse Kings, debuted last year with House of Dark Shadows and Watcher in the Woods. Book three, Gatekeepers, released in January, and number four, Timescape, in July. The series has garnered praise from readers, both young and old, as well as attracting famous fans who themselves know the genre inside and out. Of the series, Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine says, “I loved wandering around in these books. With a house of so many great, haunting stories, why would you ever want to go outside?”

With the next two Dreamhouse books “in the can,” he is currently working on his next thriller, which for the first time injects supernatural elements into his brand of gun-blazing storytelling. The story is so compelling, two Hollywood studios are already in talks to acquire it—despite its publication date being more than a year away. After that comes a trilogy of novels, based on his acclaimed short story, which appeared in James Patterson’s Thriller anthology. New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry calls Liparulo’s writing “Inventive, suspenseful, and highly entertaining . . . Robert Liparulo is a storyteller, pure and simple.” He lives with his family in Colorado.

Visit Robert Liparulo's Facebook Fan page: http://www.facebook.com/LiparuloFans


ABOUT THE BOOK

Which door do you go through to save the world?

David, Xander, and Toria King never know where the mysterious portals in their house will take them: past, present, or future. They have battled gladiators and the German army, dodged soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, and jumped from the sinking Titanic. They've also seen the stark future that awaits if they can't do something to change it--a destroyed city filled with mutant creatures.

And they've still got to find a way to bring Mom back and keep Taksidian from getting them out of the house. The dangers are hitting them like a whirlwind . . . but the answers are becoming apparent as well.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Whirlwind, go HERE

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

IF MY NOVEL WERE MADE INTO A MOVIE...

One of my favorite questions to ask during an author interview is, "If your novel were made into a movie, who would you cast as the hero and heroine?" Because I love to see my characters before I can know and identify with them, I always have someone in mind for the leads in my stories.

Here's the weird part--even if I know what they look like, I don't always settle on a name, so keep that in mind as you scroll through pictures of the characters in my NANO novel.



When I saw Erin Cardillo on The Suite Life on Deck, I said, "HEY! There's my heroine!" While my heroine is a few years older, pushing 40 in fact, the look is exactly right.








My heroine's best friend is fun and quirky, a just a little bit "off." While this picture doesn't precisely capture the look, as the best friend in my book has streaks of magenta hair, this picture is close.





Suspension of disbelief is a powerful force! Jessica Alba looks just like my heroine's 20-year-old daughter, even if Jessica is older. Yes, the light haired parent and dark haired kid is genetically possible! My dad is a redhead, and yet look at me. LOL!






Nothing beats a young Val Kilmer for a love interest!








This picture is a perfect representation of the heroine's other best friend, the history teacher.





Now it's your turn! Who best represents the hero and heroine in your current WIP? Or do you have another way to visualize your characters?

Monday, December 07, 2009

DECEMBER RUSH

This weekend I collapsed on the couch with a sudden rush of December anxiety. In the next two weeks, my oldest has 4 performances, and my littles have 2, and there are rehearsals/practices to go with these (that means I'm chauffeur.) Then there are all the fees associated with said activities. I turned down 2 invitations for events this weekend. Plus I haven't started shopping.

Then the toilet broke.

Visions of plumbers and malls and debit cards pinned me to the couch. Until I had an awesome time of worship Saturday night.

Ahhh..... it's amazing what happens when you have a little bit of alone time with God. The next day my hubby was able to fix the toilet (with a little help from Dad) and then hubby went next door and convinced our neighbor to quit revving the truck for the rest of the afternoon. Absolutely an answer to prayer!

While the worship time didn't solve my organizational dilemmas, as some of our events fall at the same time this week, it did give me a sense of what's important...and what's not. Being in the presence of God opened a new and much needed perspective. After all, some things might fall through the cracks this month, but Jesus still came. His Spirit is still here. It's all good!

How do YOU fight December anxiety?
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