Ghosts...Do You Believe??

Ghosts…Do You Believe??

Oh, yeah, I sure do. In fact, I live in a haunted house…just ask my kids.
They won’t stay here by themselves. When they come to cat-sit when we’re away, they three girls come together, keep all the lights on and hang garlic on the front door.

I’d say they were just over reacting but way too often I “hear” stuff like cabinets closing, doors slamming (angry ghost) books falling for no good reason. When I’m sleeping here by myself I keep all the lights on too.

My daughter went to art school in Savannah, the most haunted city in the USA, and stayed in a really old apartment building. One day she could not find her drafting pencil, looked everywhere and finally found it in the bottom of an old art box she hadn’t opened for months. From then on her pencil always went missing and she always found it in that very place. She hand an artsy-fartsy ghost.

Ask anyone who lives in Savannah and they have a ghost story to share. When we stay at this B&B the ghosts love to play with our cell phone and alarm clock.

I’m getting ready to start a trilogy and I’m setting it in Savannah. I see a reforming vampire and a ghostly pirate in my future. Hope the ghosts in my house don’t want to give me too much advice. J

Soooo, does anyone have ghosts in their house? Stories to share?

Have a great Halloween!
Hugs, Dianne

What's in a name?

I've been trying to come up with names for characters in a new book and man is is hard. Names are important aren't they? I agonized over naming my children... never been particularly fond of my own name and I do think that my kids like their names well enough although I named my first son Ryan Michael (love that name) and I thought it was fairly uncommon and sheesh it turned out to be a mega popular name that year and I never did figure out why.

Tim is my second son's name...very traditional and yet I don't hear it much. It fits him...Timothy Patrick and he loves his Irish heritage so he likes his name, too. David Jay is my sixteen year old's name.... he was supposed to be called DJ but he didn't like that so he became Dave...not Davey and he doesn't like being called David. Very strong name...traditional and yet not too common so I'm happy with my choice although I told him once that I had thought about naming him Murphy after an uncle that passed away while just before he was born and he told me Murphy was soooo cool and was miffed that I hadn't name him that.

When I finally had a daughter I realy had a hard time. I knew with three brothers she would likely be rough and tumble and they boys were all athletes so I knew something too girly wouldn't fit and yet I finally had my girl so I didn't want a name that wasn't really feminine and since all the boys had Irish names I wanted to follow that theme. Cara really suits her (Irish for friend and my mom and I are such good friends that I so hope that Cara and I will have the same relationship) so the name was perfect. She seems to like it which is nice, too. The only downfall is everyone wants to spell it with a K.

So how do y'all feel about your name? Would you change your name if you could?

Do the names of characters in a book draw you into the story... make you have a better impression of who the characters are? Make you like them less or more?

Give me your thoughts!

LuAnn

Rainy Days and Mondays

And who says I'm not creative??? Okay - so I stole the title from The Carpenters. But the truth is... that's the state of the world here in northeast Tennessee today. When the alarm went off, I asked my hubby why it was so dark outside???

My deep, burning question for today is - "Rainy Days... Good or Bad?" I've debated this topic many times over the years, and I have concluded that it depends on a lot of variables. If you're at the beach - no question - bad! If you're a teacher with a class of rambunctious kids who want to go out to play, rainy days are the pits. Parade Day - bad. Outdoor wedding - bad. Feeling depressed or mopey - bad. Shall I go on....??

But are there "good" rainy days? I venture to say yes... Imagine a warm summer evening... sitting on the porch swing and watching a violent thunder and lightning storm. Sheets of rain blowing across the sky... the unmistakable smell of wet earth and growing things. Nice...

Or how about cuddling under an umbrella with that special guy and walking the streets of a fascinating city... Seattle, London, New York, or even your own home town.

Who can resist curling up with a long-awaited book and diving in while the rain pours down outside your window...

Ans of course, weather can play a huge part in setting the mood for romance. A noisy, scary storm for a passionate love scene. A quiet rainy afternoon for slow, sweet lovin'.

As I sit here writing this, it's gray and drizzly outside my window. No deluge, just kind of gloomy. I wish I could say I'm going to curl up with a book, but my "to do" list involves several errands out in the real world... which means I'll have to bundle up (it's 38 degrees here), brave the elements, and be a grown-up. Darn it!

On rare occasions, rainy days can put me in the mood for housework... okay - make that "very" rare. :) Today ain't one of them!!!!

Instead of losing myself in writing the next 20 pages of my current novel, I'm off to shop for a new laptop. I'll let you know how it goes.

So - my dear vamps and scamps - if it's wet and depressing outside your window today, I wish you sweet dreams of hot sunny beaches and hot, sexy men. And if the sun is shining on your head today, smile... do something productive... and spare a sympathetic thought for those of us lost in the fog...

Janice Maynard

The language of love...

Has anyone here read "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman?  It's a fabulous book and I highly recommend it, but it's not what this blog post is about.  My subject header just reminded me of the book.  Really, you should read it.

 

But let's get back on topic.   What topic, you may ask?  The language of love...physical love that is.

 

Yesterday was a really hectic day for me...I forgot I had copyedits due until I'm blithely chatting with my mom on the way to take her to the doctor and something I say triggers memory...stress...and a whole bunch of other stuff.  We make a quick stop by my house so I can pick up the manuscript (thank goodness I've only got 130 pages left to go) and off we go to the doctor's office.  I won't get into how difficult it is to hold your mom's hand while she's in excruciating agony while the doctor performs a pelvic exam, but I will say I now know how my hubby felt when I was popping out our children.

 

Anyway, regarding these copyedits...for the most part they are fine, but the editor questioned every time I used a more "clinical" term for male or female genitalia.  The book she was copy editing was my April '06 historical, Tempt Me.  So, here's what I want to know after having told her to leave all mentions of "penis" etc. in the manuscript.  Do you, as a reader feel the need for more flowery language in a historical when it comes to describing sex?

 

Obviously...I don't. LOL

 

Hugs,

Lucy Monroe

cartoon heroes....????

Am I the only one who has ever seen a cartoon hero and gone.... hmmmmm....

Like the artist in The Iron Giant. Yeah, he's a little skinny, but still, if that was a real guy~artistic, loves kids, sense of humor You get the picture.

I was watching Brother Bear last night with my kids. Now I do have to admit, I am partial to this movie anyway. It's set in prehistoric Alaska~my husband is a native Alaskan, and bears a pretty good resemblance to one of the brothers... Denahi. That's him on the left. And by the way, the picture is copywrighted to Disney, naturally. I just liked it and wanted to use it.

But Sitka and Denahi~now for cartoon guys, they are pretty darn good looking. Am I the only one who has done this... please say no Granted, I do have to watch cartoons. ALOT. With a four year old and a six year old, there's little way around it.

The movie, The Last Unicorn, can't remember his name, but the king's son. He was good looking. The young guy in Lilo and Stitch, the one interested in Nani, Lilo's older sister. Can't remember his name either, but he looked pretty cute in the little red skirt like thing he wore to that fake Hawaiin Luau.

Yeesh... my brain runs along the weirdest tracks.

Top Ten Scary Places in America

Okay~most people who know me know that I'm into haunted stuff. I just think it's fascinating reading about ghost stories that are supposedly real.

One of my favorite things to do around Halloween is go to the haunted houses~you know the fake ones... pay $10 and get scared out of your wits.

I love them.

But I also love reading about the REAL ones...and I'm going to try to visit some of these places someday. These were listed on MSN.COM today.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery - Los Angeles, Calif.
The Driskill - Austin, TX
Alcatraz Island - San Francisco, Calif.
Boston Common - Boston, Mass.
Biograph Theatre - Chicago, Ill.
The Spaghetti Warehouse - Houston, TX
Grand Ole Opry - Nashville, Tenn.
The Dakota - New York, N.Y.
Heathman Hotel- Portland, Ore.
Fitzgerald Theater - St. Paul, Minn.

Now, I've never actually heard of some of these. The Driskill? Nope, haven't heard of it. Boston Common~heard of that one. And the Grand Ole Opry, although I didn't know it was supposedly haunted.

Here's some places around where I live that are reputed to be haunted... and some of these... I've been too. Never have seen a ghost, but I have felt some very ODD things at a few of these places.

Waverly Hills TB Sanitorium~ Louisville, Ky. The guy who bought this property recently has spent a lot of time fixing it up... AND he runs a haunted house type of thing around Halloween. Now THAT is cool... a haunted house IN a haunted place. I've been here, and this is definitely one of the SPOOKY places, where you aren't quite sure you really want to be there or not. The picture above is one I found on his website...and the place feels every bit as spooky as the picture looks.

Culbertson Mansion ~ New Albany Indiana. Another old place, reputed to be haunted, and they have a haunted halloween thing in the carriage house. Another cool one, although this place is no where near as spooky as Waverly.

Seelbach Hotel ~ Louisville Ky I haven't ever stayed here, although a few friends have. One said she couldn't sleep all night. There are reports of TVs coming on in the middle of the night, the sound of footsteps on hardwood floors~yet the hotel has carpet down. Just over all spooky feelings. The website actually mentions one of the ghosts that are supposedly seen there.

White Hall Mansion ~ Richmond Ky. I haven't been here... but it sounds cool. The information on the Shadowlands site over more than the official site. People have supposedly seen a woman and a young boy, as well as a baby laughing.

Ten Penny Bridge- Charlestown In. This one is new to me...I haven't heard this and now I'm curious... might have to talk the DH into a field trip.

There's bunches more. Of course, I don't have the time or patience to list them all. I have done some serious mental note taking... i'm gonna go there...and there...and there...

Here's my main destination though

Salem... I love history. And this is one of the most bizarre things in American history. Not to mention all the cool old places in this town.

Is paranormal the new normal?

I have to say that I've always been interested in all things paranormal. One of my faovrite shows is Medium and I had my cards read for the first time this past year and it gave me chills. I did a past life regression that I still get emotional when I talk about it and I'm not at all unconvinced that I was indeed tapping into my past life.

Am I crazy? If I am then it seems that I have plenty of company because paranormal seems to be the new normal.

How about you guys? Do you believe in ghosts, reincarnation, or that a medium can actually talk to the dead? Have any of you had an experience that you would like to share? Something spooky, something eerie or just simply weird or can't explained? Spill... come on you know that you want to.......

Thank you Jamie!!!

See the cool new vamps and scamps logo? My friend Jamie did that for me. She did the other one as well, but then she sent me this one a few days ago.

It looks so cooollll...

I love quizzes... what kind of novel should i write?

I took it a few days ago and got a different answer~of course, I can't remember how I answered...but that one told me I should write romance.

This one... eh... :O? literature... hmmmm... but so much of that BORES me...

However, a quiz is a quiz is a quiz...


LITERATURE! - You have a story...oh yes, you do!
You are not quite sure what it is, but it
burns! It burns to be poured onto the page!
Write! Write I say! And thrill us with your
unique view of the world. YOU are your own
inspiration!

What Kind of Novel Should I Write?
brought to you by

Vacation anyone???

Part of my recent ten day road trip was a mini-vacation. Hubby and I headed over to Isle of Palms near Charleston and did nothing for four days... it was wonderful! We are both of the "fry to a crisp in 20 minutes" variety of homo sapiens, so we always carry a beach umbrella...

We were also laden with books, books, and more books... it's bad enough to have one book-aholic in the family, but when there are two... well, you can only imagine. We sat for several hours each day reading, people watching, and listening to the sound of the surf. In the early morning and the late evening, we walked the beach for a couple of miles each time. This activity was not only for fun, but to walk off the pounds of seafood we consumed. We snacked for breakfast and lunch in the room and went out once a day for a "real" meal. I'm a shrimp and scallop lover... dh goes for crab cakes.

So you get the picture... this was a very low key vacation... but that is not really our usual m.o. Over the years we have been all kinds of places with our kids and without. Do you remember the show "Full House"? One time the guys took the little girls and went to Hawaii. When they got there Danny (the dad) laid out a very ambitious sight-seeing schedule. He got razzed about his "clipboad of fun". That became a standing joke in our family... and we still talk about the clipboard when we are planning something.

In the summer of '94 we spent 5 and a half weeks in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. My hubby was doing 2 books on the waterfalls of each park. I did a lot of the photography. For our girls (and us) that was a magical summer, and it has this "golden" aura in our collective family memory. We had saved up money to do this, and we also consciously went into debt that took us a couple of years to get rid of. I was a school teacher, and hubby worked in the non-profit world, so we were not "loaded". But it was absolutely the most wonderful trip we ever took.

Hubby bribed our girls to keep daily journals, and they still get them out even now and read them. The stories we tell and retell are part of the glue that holds family together.

This past weekend we had both girls, hubbies, and "almost 2" Anastasia visiting with us. It is rare that we can all seven get together, so we treasure the times we can do it.

Looking back at family vacations, I think we tend to forget the fighting, bickering, dirty rest stops, and other low moments... what we remember is the feeling that the open road lay ahead of us full of endless possibilities.

The only thing in my life that I would be willing to spend lots of money on is travel. In fact, I hope I live long enough to see all the places I want to visit before I die! The world is such a vast and mysterious and wonderful treasure... and I truly believe that travel informs us, educates us, and makes us better people.

Right after we graduated from college, dh and I went with a group on a mission trip to Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. We saw incredible beauty and unimaginable poverty. As young newlyweds, we often worried about having less than twenty dollars in the checkbook, and we surely didn't have a credit card. But even when we perceived ourselves to be scraping bottom, we had only to think back to Haiti and realize that we were blessed beyond measure. We had the privilege of an education, we had health care, we had parents who could have helped out in a real crisis. We had options.

Over the years our income has fluctuated with jobs, kids, and other factors. My dad died at 42, leaving my mom with me in college and three other kids still at home. He and my mom had always dreamed of traveling "someday" when he retired. At that moment, Charlie and I decided not to wait until someday. When possible we were going to travel and enjoy the world that lay beyond our small corner of Tennessee.

Our vacations have taken many forms over the years, some more exciting than others, but any time we step beyond our own front yard we find the opportunity to cement family relationships, learn about ourselves, and refresh our perspective on life.

Well, sheesh, I didn't set about to write a dissertation, but what can I say????
I'm in a "wordy" mood. :)

I want to hear about how "your" family vacations. Beach? Mountains? Disney? Outdoor adventure? Tents? Four star hotels? Relatives? Spill the details, people...

I'll be waiting!!

Janice M.
(who is babysitting today, because the daycare is closed for Columbus Day!)

What is your squirm factor?

Okay, I've been expecting one of these letters since publishing my first book in the fall of 2003. What kind of letter you may ask? The kind that takes me to task for being too explicit in my love scenes. Why have I been expecting one? Because I know other authors get them and well, I know that I write stories that are blatantly honest and yes...detailed about my characters' sexuality.

Funny thing is, I had never actually received one until yesterday. At which point a reader felt the need to point out that "explicit detail [in regards to sex] is never necessary for good writing."

Plainly, I disagree. In my mind and in my heart...from where all my stories come...some call for very explicit detail while others do not. Her complaint was specifically related to my book READY, but the truth is...she could have been talking about pretty much any of my Bravas. In point of fact though, I am sure there are readers who feel my other single titles and my Harlequin Presents are too steamy as well. I like to be as graphic and detailed about lovemaking in my stories as I am about any other element. Because to me, the sexual relationship between the hero and heroine is as important as their ability to express their love verbally or through other actions. More so sometimes, to be honest.

Frankly, the letter didn't worry me because I firmly believe that not every reader is going to love every story, but her comment got me thinking. You see...while I might disagree with her, I have my own "squirm factor".

For me, that factor is all wrapped up in how intricately entwined with the emotion the sex is. I know other readers and authors have a different measuring stick that makes the sensuality in a story work for them, or not work for them as the case may be. I thought it might be kind of fun to talk about what causes your squirm factor to go into the red zone and conversely, what draws you to a story when it comes to sensuality.

Now, don't laugh...but I'm going to remind you all that this is a public forum with no limitation for viewing that I know of. So, keep that in mind when you are posting your own graphic detail. ;-) My books not withstanding, there are lots of ways to say things without being so blatant my fellow authors decide to toss me off the blog for bringing the topic up.

Hugs and looking forward to your comments!

Lucy Monroe :)

Contemporary Romance... what do you like?

I've got the start of a contemporary on my laptop. I know basically how it's going to start. How it's going to end.

They Meet.
They Fall In Love.
The End.

:OP

Actually, I have bit more than that sketched out. But I don't read many straight contemporaries any more. Suspense? Oh, yeah. Paranormal, uh-huh. Fantasy or sci fi? I'm as happy as can be. But not as many contemporaries hold my attention.

There's a million story lines there. I've written a couple. Her Best Friend's Lover. Girl in love with her best friend, pining away... and finally, he falls in love with. Similiar story line in Her Wildest Dreams.

Secret Baby? Well, that SORT of played into Her Best Friend's Lover. Sort of. But secret babies don't hold much appeal for me. My opinion? A man is a dad, he really should know. If he's a decent guy, he will want to know. So I'm not much interested in that.

Prince/Princess falling in love with the pauper? You know, rich person falls in love with poor person. etc etc etc...hummm... nope, this doesn't appeal to me either.

Okay, maybe I'm asking is what do you like to see... what don't you like to see... what are some good straight contemporaries you've read lately?

Seven Things

Just cuz it looked like fun... saw the link on Jaci's blog. http://jaciburton.blogspot.com/ and I swiped it.

:o)

You all play too.

7 things to do before I die:

1. Take my family to Scotland and see if we can find Nessie.
2. Take my kids to Disney World.
3. Make peace with a certain relative of mine.
4. Write a horror book that has been in my head since I was like 22.
5. Go on a romantic vacation *ALONE* with the DH without us having an argument while we're gone.
6. Watch the sun set in the Rockies with my family.
7. Raise my kids to grow up to be decent, tolerant people with a internal code of morals and honor.

7 things I can do:

1. Make my kids laugh.
2. Make my husband laugh.
3. Make my husband MAD....
4. Take pretty decent pictures.
5. Break three boards with a side kick.
6. Believe in something even though I can't see it.
7. Make an unhappy child smile.

7 things I can’t do:

1. Let go of a grudge.
2. Play the piano, the violin... or anything else that makes music, unless it's a radio.
3. Draw.
4. Sew
5. Fix anything under the hood of a car.
6. Understand hatred.
7. follow directions worth a damn.


7 things that attract me to a man:

1. a love for kids~all kids, not just his own.
2. a great smile.
3. a great ass.
4. a great sense of humor.
5. faith
6. honor
7. tolerating me... and that's pretty damned difficult.

7 things I say most often:

1. bite me.
2. LEAVE YOUR BROTHER/SISTER ALONE
3. would you let the dog in/out?
4. No, the lady of the house isn't home and no you can't call back at a better time.
5. I love you.
6. uh... no? ~when you aren't sure what the question is... this often works...~
7. uh... yes? ~see above~

7 celebrity crushes

yeesh... i don't watch enough tv to answer this one....


so I won't. you can. instead I'll add in MY twist. this isn't a crush, but if I could come back as anybody~it would be Liv Tyler. She's so damned beautiful, she got to wear all those pretty clothes as Arwen.. and she got to kiss Aragorn. ;o)

Now it's YOUR turn...

Dianne the desperate housewife and other stuff

Okay, I think I’m taking this desperate housewives thing a little too far...I’m redecorating, running up and down the subdivision in my bathrobe and calling my husband Carlos...least I haven’t locked him in the basement.

Just kidding except for the redecorating part and that Dave isn’t chained up next to the hot water heater.

But Bree would be please, I finally ditched my old blue/orange/gray sofa that got ballies. People take less time buying a house then we did picking out this sofa. Dave and I sat in everything with a cushion at Lazy-Boy, then called in our four kids and had them do the same. Took two days and four salesmen. We finally settled on a putty-colored microfiber because the gals on the vampsandscamps loop said that stuff was the best! Thanks, ladies!

I also finished up my part of the anthology, Texas Bad Boys, with Rosemary Laurey and Karen Kelly. You all are going to really like this one! Lots of steam and all the stories are linked together with a mystery and united sisters and three really hot guys.

Some editors are looking for World War II stories. Do you think this is the next thing out there like vampires and paranormal are now?
If you don’t think it is WWII stories, what do you think is the next thing coming?

I’m doing a book signing in Lexington on Saturday with Shi and LuAnn and Toni and about fifteen other authors. It would be great to see some of you at the B&N in Hamburg Pavilion.

Everyone have a good week! Let me know if you’ve become a dh like me?

Hugs, Dianne Castell

I am *so* guilty of making excuses for things I don't get done... for example I was supposed to post a blog yesterday and I didn't...sure I could say that it slipped my mind or that I was too busy or that I didn't have anything to blog about but those would be excuses when the bottom line is that it was my turn. Dianne offerred to blog for me today when I was reminded because I had already given the excuse of why I might not get my post done today and I almost said yes...would have said yes except that I watched an amazing young man named Kyle Maynard on Oprah yesterday who recently wrote a book called NO EXCUSES and ya know why? (Okay I have to pause here because I'm sitting here crying just thinking about him) Swallow, sniff...okay deep breath:

Because this kid was born with only two major joints... neck and shoulders. He is missing legs and arms below where his knees and albows should be. His parents( God how did they know this would be the best thing...and how did they have the courage to do it) never gave him any special help or prevliges. Kyle learned to do everything on his own using what he had. Period.

I was blown away by this kid.

He said that he never made any excuses. The tag line for his book (that I'm going to buy) is:

"It's not what I can do. It's what I will do."

Kyle is going to be on 20/20 tonight and his website is http://www.kmaynard.com/. You have got to watch and check out his website. After hearing him speak and hearing his gut-wrenching story you will never make an excuse again. Kyle went to do accomplish amazing things... played football, is a champion wrestler, and goes to college. He can type faster than most people with hands! He is truly an inspiration.

Did any of you guys see him on Oprah? Please give me your thoughts.

Nothing Lasts Forever, Right?

I have an ongoing series. It's called The Hunters. It is erotic romance, it's paranormal, it's a lot of fun to write. The first book, The Hunters: Tori and Declan came out almost two years ago from Ellora's Cave in ebook. Since then, six books have been released in ebook format. There's two print books out now, each containing two of the ebooks. The fifth story, The Hunters Ben & Shadoe will be out in print any day now.

I recently signed a two book contract with Berkley. This is going to be a spin off series from my Hunters books. The first book there is called Hunting the Hunter and it's scheduled for release in 10/06. Long way off...for now, though, the other Hunters books are still available through Ellora's Cave.

The Hunters seem to be pretty popular with the EC readers. Every week I get lots of emails
When will Mike get a story?
Are they going to be more Hunters?
Is Leandra going to have a story? Is she going to have a story with Mal?
Is Mal going to get is his own story?
I hope you keep on writing the Hunters forever....

Okay, yes, I love getting these emails. That means I did something right. I wrote a series good enough that readers like it. But uh...I can't write it forever.

Which brings up today's topic... SERIES!

I don't think any author should write a series forever. I mean, won't they get bored? Right now, I have roughly two more books planned in this series. Leandra and Mike~MIKE... Not Mal. Mal wasn't ever going to be paired with Leandra. He had his own mate from book 2. He didn't know it then, but I did.

And I also knew in book 4 who Leandra was going to fall in love with. What can I say, I like making them suffer. And nobody would make her suffer quite like the man she tried to kill. ;o)
So Leandra & Mike. Then Mal & Kelsey. I haven't started either of them. Right now, my brain is a little tired from the Hunters' books. It needs a break. I plan on writing Leandra's story first and then Mal's. After that, unless somebody just jumps out at me, that part of the Hunters world may draw to an end. I do have the spin off series with Berkley that I'm working on. The first book is done. The second book is contracted and in the works. I have sketchy ideas for two or three more books if they are interested.

I will tell you, I'm pretty excited about the Berkley Hunters. The world is do indepth, there's a lot of suspense...and I'm also scared to death. What if it falls flat...what if it sucks...but that's just part of it. I did something different~for me~with that book. I just have to hope it works.

I love vampires. I love werewolves. I love anything paranormal, out of the ordinary, but if you keep writing in that world for too long~doesn't that make make it become just a little more ordinary? That's why I don't think series, in general, can last forever.

Here's my reasoning...

• They can get boring for the reader.
  

I'm a reader too. I can't tell you how many series I fell in love with and for the first five or six books, I jumped on them the minute they came out. Books seven, eight and nine...eagerly awaited, but I no longer mauled the manager if she didn't have them sitting on the shelf for me. Book ten...eh, I could wait a week or two. By eleven, twelve and thirteen, well, I was reading them at the library and waiting for paperback, or not even buying them anymore unless it was in the trusty old used bookstore. There are a couple authors who are exceptions to this rule. But in general, for me, after the first few books... well, I will still enjoy them, but I just don't devour them the way I used to. Series can get old. They can get stale. I don't want to see that happen with any of my books. Although I'm sure some people will think it has happened, or that it will happen. It's all a matter of opinion.

• They can get boring for the author.
  

YES...this is entirely possible. It's not an issue now, but I get bored writing in just straight romance, which is why I write all over the spectrum. I don't just write contemporary. When, I write paranormal, I don't just write vampires. I don't just write werewolves. I don't always make the guy the vampire. Or the werewolf. That does tend to be the norm. I've also killed off my main characters. Now I've brought them back ~G~in a new world, in a new body, sometimes with a striking red dragon as a sidekick, but I get bored doing the same thing. So it's safe to assume I'll eventually get bored writing in the same series.

• You start seeing too many similar things on the market.
  

Right now, the market is full of paranormal books. That's fine. But I like trying new things. Sooner or later, I'm going to wrap things up just I can try to veer off in a different direction. A few weeks ago, my agent looked at a proposal that she said was different from anything she had seen before. Paranormal, yes... more in the realm of dark fantasy, but definitely paranormal. I like being different.

The thing is though, if you start seeing too many books on the market, sooner or later, won't the readers get bored with it? There needs to be a variety.

• There are other stories the author may want to write.
  

Lots of them. I know I have other ideas brewing. I have two books left in the Mythe world, possibly more. I still want to write more books in fantasy worlds. I have a two book suspense series that I want to pitch to Berkley that I haven't even started. and I can't until I finish Finding the Hunter. And if the editor is interested the proposal my agent sent her, then there's another book I have to finish before I can start these two.

But nope... sorry. The Hunters won't last forever. That's the bad news.
The good news...
The Hunters as you know them aren't lasting forever. I'll write more in that world, but the books will be different. The focus will be different. My writing style is changing-people who read Hunting the Hunter will see that.

I hope people like the changes. I'm really proud of this newest Hunter book. Nothing stays the same, right?

The Emmys!

The Emmys!

AWK! Okay I admit it I’m a DH junkie...that’s Desperate Housewives in junkie talk.
Every Sunday my kids—who aren’t kids at all because they’re all twenty-something, have jobs and don’t hit me up for money—come home to mooch dinner. And that’s great as long as they leave or sit quietly by nine o’clock so I can watch DH.

So I ask you...how can four gorgeous wise-cracking gals with really, really great clothes who get into more trouble—they sure don’t live in my subdivision--get aced out of Best Comedy by some suburbanites with wardrobes GoodWill would be ashamed of? I know it’s not about the clothes but maybe it should be, least a little. Ever wonder where the people on Everybody Loves Raymond shop? Scary isn't it that such a store exists.

Well, what do you think? Did the right TV shows/actors win the Emmy or not?

What about Best Drama? Lost! Okay, I don’t get it. I’m...lost. I keep thinking that show’s about people getting stranded on a tropical island. But then they find Polar bears and hatches in the ground and something’s out to get them and a guy walks who was in a wheelchair and people lose their memory and they take the kid on a make-shift raft out into the ocean—would you put your kid on a makeshift raft in the ocean? There’s something going on that I don’t get. But it won an Emmy so somebody’s getting it.

Then there’s Boston Legal. Denny Crane, Alan Shore. The two most sexist men on God’s earth. I love it! The camaraderie between these two guys touches the heart. Thelma and Louise do law.

House won for best writing but the main character is so crabby. Is anyone in life really that crabby and not been pushed in front of a bus? I have nightmares about him being my editor someday. And the gal from Medium won for best actress and that’s good because there’s got to be some upside for seeing dead people all the time and living with the crabbiest husband ever. Probably related to that guy on House...I bet I get both of them for editors!

And Monk won! Everybody loves a neurotic. Gives us all hope that even if we are nuts...and we all are...we can make it.

So, what do you think about the Emmys? Agree, disagree? Wouldn’t watch TV if your life depended on it? Can you explain Lost to me?
Diann Castell...who really wants a dress like the one Gabi wore on the Emmys. Actually I'd like to have a body like the one that went under the dress! I probably got a better chance of winning the Emmy.

Desperate Authors Meet James Denton

As many of you guys already know, (because we tell everyone we know and even strangers)sister author Dianne Castell and I spent the night in a private suite with James Denton, Terri Hatcher's love interest on the wildly popular Desperate Housewives. Well, okay, we didn't *actually* spend the night with him.... more like the evening and okay it was a suite at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio and there were there friends and family of his there (including his very cute brother, David) and our friends Judy Flohr and Jody Geison, but why focus on the details, right?

I wasn't nervous meeting him one bit and of course I said amazingly clever and pithy things to him so that he hung on my every word and even began taking notes for future story lines when he found out that I was a rich and world famous author. By the end of the night Jamie (that's what his friends call him) wanted to leave his gorgeous wife and two adorable children and run away with me. Let me give you an example of how clever I was by reliving the moment that we met. The door to the suite opened and there was a camera the size of Alaska pointed in my face and and James Denton extending his hand:

Jamie: "Hi, I'm James Denton."

Pithy me: "I know."

Jamie: Blinking at me expectantly.

Pithy me: Blinking back.

Jamie: "This is where you're supposed to tell me your name."

Pithy me: Still blinking while trying desperately to remember my name while the huge camera records it all for the evening news. Dianne and Judy are waiting behind me no doubt hoping to be as clever as me.

Jamie: Grinning and now shaking his head.

Pithy me with a lightbulb moment: "Oh, I'm LuAnn."

Actually, after the first few moments of being nervous, Jamie and his brother David were so warm and welcoming that we all relaxed and had an fun evening. He posed for about a thousand pictures, autographed anything we wanted and even posed with our books. To top it all off the money we bid for the evening with him was for charity so it was all good.

So excited about this new blog...

I'm really jumpin' with enthusiasm about being on a blog with these incredible ladies.  Our discussions are going to be fun and maybe sometimes a little out there and I don't know why that appeals to me...but it does. :)

 

Hugs,

Lucy

http://lucymonroe.com

Vamps and Scamps

Welcome to the blog.

We plan on discussing a variety of topics and we hope you'll join in! There's a variety of authors here, from adventurous historicals and fun, flirtatious contempororaries, breath stealing romantic suspense and heart-pounding paranormals, each author here has something different to offer.

The stories range from sweet and sultry to the dark and steaming erotic romance. You can check out our websites through the links at the side. If you have an idea for something you'd like us to discuss, or just a general question, feel free to email us.

Thanks for dropping by and we look forward to seeing you here often!