Celebrating

FINDING HER SON by Robin Perini earns 4.5 stars from RT! “Perini keeps the tension tout, the romance irresistible and the mystery so deep readers are going to have to pay close attention to the final, explosive climax.” Way to go Robin! Check it out at www.robinperini.com 

REVENGE by Dana Delamar is out now! Happy Release Dana! Take a peek at http://www.danadelamar.com 

THE PROFESSOR by Cathy Perkins is making waves at International Thriller Writers. Check it out! http://bit.ly/sXSprQ or http://cperkinswrites.com/

 Publishers Weekly says SINS OF THE HIGHLANDER by Mia Marlowe is “Fast-paced, tense & full of wicked desire“. Congrats Mia! Take a peek at http://miamarlowe.com/books/sins.php 

THE SINNER by Margaret Mallory gets a rave review from Joyfully Recommended Read! “The Sinner is perfect! Alex and Glynis are sexy, stubborn and simply divine together.” Check it out at http://bit.ly/veOCRh 

Great cover for PICTURE PERFECT, the new Legacy series, by Genie Gabriel. Way to go Genie! Check it out at www.GenieGabriel.com   

Fabulous review for TRUE HIGHLAND SPIRIT by Amanda Forester! Publishers Weekly gives it 4.5 stars! You go girl! Take a peek at http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4022-5307-2 

Love much, laugh often, live well,

Swan Mama signing off

I have 3 new books out in the month of January. In fact, each is a follow up book in their series. I followed reader requests and followed up on A Winter Tale with Marshmallows (Creating Home Series), Between Elves (Elflands Series) and Bunny Club (F*ck Like Bunnies Series).

New Book: Unraveling Midnight: Book 2 in Creating Home Series

 

Hi Deena! Welcome back! I know you’ve got a big on-going blog tour. I imagine you’re going to spend a lot of time talking about Relic and we’ll get to that but I’d like to get to know a little about You. The woman inside the writer.

I think we met at a Desert Rose meeting about 3 years ago- If I remember right, you are a transplant from New Jersey- will you tell me a little about where you lived before you moved to Arizona?

I actually grew up in Philadelphia, PA and then moved to New Jersey to become a teacher and marry my hubby. Philly was a great place to grow up. I enjoyed the city life. Moving to New Jersey gave me the suburban feel with all the farms and orchards around us. What’s funny is both places are extremely historical in nature. Everyone knows about Philly, but Manalapan/Freehold is the site of the Battle of Monmouth during the Revolutionary War. And we were only 15-20 minutes away from Princeton, another area loaded with history.

Oh it’s weird you say that. I’ve always thought we were sisters in another life. Because we’re alike in so many ways. I’m serious! I lived in Levittown until I was eight. It’s only thirty miles from Philly. My husband lived in Blairstown New Jersey… a short 80 miles from Manalapan/Freehold!  Who would have thought? =) So what made you decide to come to Arizona?

Well, isn’t that the coolest thing?! It’s a small world, my dear. We left the east coast because my husband and I had had enough of the horrible winters- nor’easters, black ice, subzero temps, shoveling. Brrr! I’m shivering just remembering all of that! LOL

What do you miss most? My family moved here in 1972.  I was only 8 and I have to say, I miss the 4 seasons.   A LOT!!! 

I don’t miss winter. Period. Lol I do however miss the food and region-specific treats like Tastykake and soft pretzels. I miss my friends and family back there.

LOL about the Tastykakes. Those Krimpets! And chocolate cupcakes with the real chocolate icing, a white stripe and cream filling!  Yum.  But I digress, can I tell readers a little about your family?

Sure! I’m married to my honey for nearly 19 years. I have two daughters – 11 and 15. Youngest is a gymnast and wants to be a writer. Eldest is a teenager. Need I say more? She wants to be a sports physical therapist.

Do you want to talk about being a teacher? I think you teach 6^th grade.  What is a typical day like? From the minute you wake up till the time you finally get to sleep.

I get up at 5:30 am, get washed and dressed and get on the computer to check emails and start my promoting on my social media sites. I rush out the door and get to school by 7:15. I walk hard around the school for 15 minutes and then I get to planning. After school, I get home about 4:00 and go on the computer again for more promoting and writing guest blog posts, interviews, MY posts for my site, and so on. Then I stop to make dinner and go back to either promoting, talking with friends, or writing when done until bedtime which is around 11. Lately I’ve been writing since I have Elixxir to finish, and not going on facebook as much.

How do you have the time to do all that and sleep too?

That’s why I have dark circle under my eyes! I live for weekends and breaks!

Your professional name is a pseudonym, has anyone recognized you from your writing life? (What’s that like?)

They know at school and it’s cute. Some people behave like my family and say things like, “Wow, I read it and then thought ______ wrote it!” And they laugh.

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not working?  (Including the work it takes to write and promote your books)

I love watching old musicals and going to the movies. I love eating, so going to a new restaurant is so much fun.

You also write poetry- I’ve read some of your poems and they are beautiful. How did you go from writing poems to novels?

I believe the transition came when I wrote a short story as a model for my class. I was teaching personification and wrote “I Hate the Dark”. It was so much fun, and it showed me the possibilities ahead of me.

Last year, when Trinity came out, you gave a great interview on a webcast called Must Love Books – I practically burned dinner while listening- how were you lucky enough to snag something like that?

It’s all about who you know in the biz! Lol That’s why making friends on facebook and with other authors is so important. You never know where opportunities are going to arise.

Tell me about the new blog tour!

I’m so thrilled to be taking RELIC on tour! Each stop has something new! Here’s the link to all the places I’ll be at: http://deenar116.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/save-this-post-tour-stops-and-dates-for-relic/

Relic sounds… Spellbinding! I can’t wait to read it. Will you tell the readers about it and how you got the idea?

Raphael has some unfinished business to take care from Trinity, so it was a natural transition into Relic. Here’s the blurb to give your readers a taste…

Raphael, a Brethren Savior, an angel with a forgotten past, has lost his power to heal and is on a self-imposed guilt trip to get it back. If he can’t, his tour of eternal duty as Brethren Savior will be revoked. On his journey, he winds up enmeshed in a web of attempted murder and resurrection all thanks to a woman he’s only seen in a photograph and by chance on an Arizona desert hiking trail.

Serena Sikes is a wanted woman. Desired by “undesirables” for a gift her brother gave her- a stolen relic with suspected healing powers. Hunted down in the Arizona desert and left for dead, she is found by none other than the angel who cannot heal.

Raphael and Serena are inexorably bound together, for locked deep within the relic’s heart had lived the soul of his long lost wife. Now, it resides inside Serena. Evil lurks around every corner as Raphael tries to keep both Serena and his dead wife’s soul alive and lustful temptation at bay.

Three souls bound together by an ancient relic, bound by a timeless gift, and bound by a love that is eternal.

Wow! Makes me want to run and get it right now! I’m going to finish this interview with a few fill-in-the-blank questions. Ready?

If I could cram three more hours in the day I’d exercise, read, and clean my house! LOL

If I had the chance to visit any place on earth I’d go to Australia and New Zealand.

When I got “the call” from Decadent I screamed, jumped up and ran all around the classrooms at school yelling, “I got the contract!” Really, I did.

If I didn’t write paranormals I’d be writing romantic suspense.

Thanks for dropping by, Deena! Good luck on your tour and with Relic!

Admitting to Not Writing

 I’m about to admit something horrible: I don’t write every day. The advice most people get when they start seriously writing toward publication is to write and read every single day. I just can’t do it.

 It’s not because I don’t want to. I would love to be able to sit down with my laptop each night and put 1000 new words on the page. The problem is that life interferes. I’m a PhD student and some nights I either have to work on an assignment I have due or grade papers for a class I teach. All of that takes a huge amount of time and often leaves my sucked dry of all creative energy. Without saying too much, I also work on a research study that spends a lot of time focused on the worst day of our participants’ lives. Sometimes it is too much and the last thing I want is to channel that into my writing.

Then there are the life things that get in the way. I have a wonderful husband who sometimes actually wants to see me without a screen in front of my face. I also have friendships to maintain, pets to take care of, and a house that is in a constant state of destruction (We’re remodeling. Slowly.). I’ll admit that some nights I just don’t feel like living in the world of my characters.

I’m going to admit something else too. Even when I’m not writing, I’m always thinking about it. I run through scenes I need to write in my head, imagine plots for the next book I need to write, and check my email a gazillion times to check on submissions I have out. Sometimes I have to force myself to sit at my desk and type at least a few paragraphs (or sentences on a bad day). Other times, I sit down and crank out thousands of words without thinking.

I think what makes someone a writer is the fact that they can’t stop thinking about their stories and putting them on paper. I haven’t gone a single day since I started taking writing seriously without at least thinking about a story or characters. I can’t. Somehow it has gotten in my blood and is as much a part of my habit as making breakfast or brushing my teeth.

Bio:

Emily Cale spent the majority of her childhood as a visitor to the worlds of her favorite authors. With encouragement from her English teachers, she put pen to paper and began imagining her own stories. Preferring the fascinating lives of her characters, she majored in creative writing. When not lost in a manuscript or a good book, she enjoys crocheting, rock climbing, and playing board games. She currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband and a very spoiled cat.

You can find me on blog (http://www.emilycale.blogspot.com) or hanging out on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/emilycale). I also welcome reader email at Emily.a.cale@gmail.com.

Public Display of Affection Blurb:

After a heartbreaking end to her relationship with her girlfriend, Lucy Stark is looking to try something more adventurous. She turns to Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand service to help her find the perfect woman to push her boundaries and introduce her to the more daring side of a sexual encounter.

Samantha Taylor’s helped more than one woman explore her sexuality, but Lucy’s the first to really get to her. Keeping her walls up and the women she dates from getting inside is a skill she’s managed to master. After one night of unbridled passion, she has to decide whether to give up her hard exterior or let the woman of her dreams slip away.

Buy Links:

Decadent Publishing: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=448&osCsid=k53gm93p0ek26d54p935na45b7

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Public-Display-Affection-Night-ebook/dp/B006ZIHUBS/ref=tag_stp_s2f_edpp_emily_cale

All Romance ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-publicdisplayofaffection-673179-144.html

I have been listening to our political debates and the current President’s speeches. Where do these people get off? Why are we listening to these arrogant, self-proclaimed leaders for our country. These men think that they know us, the American citizens, but they are only thinking of themselves. We need jobs! Let’s worried about the side issues; medical insurance, Wall street, and state responsibilities, later. Lets get money back into the American’s pockets and the government’s greedy hands out of our pockets.

The United States, within the last few years, has become a joke. My husband and I have worked our rear ends off to set aside the necessary monies for retirement. This was to be our time. We Worked For It, but our son-in-law has been out of work for almost three years. My daughter works nights for fifteen dollars an hour and is supporting their four children off of this and help from her parents. This help comes at a great cost. The government and their friends on Wall Street have crushed our stocks, have destroyed our savings and so my husband is not able to retire. Pretty much a kick in the crouch! Until our daughter and her family can get back on their feet, and the countries sly financial criminals are stopped, their will be no retirement in our household.

Entitlement??? Why are we having such a crisis on our hands? Why can’t we find real moral people in this country that can balance our budget (which doesn’t mean raise taxes and steal more money from their poverty or just barely surviving, countrymen) I am sick of hearing “we need to increase taxes in order to save this country.” That’s a lie. If I have a bill coming due, I tighten up my spending to allow for me to pay it. This country’s government needs to be replaced and filled with people who also learned budget and tightening up. Let’s get rid of three-quarters of our ridicules money hogging entitlements. We must reform them somehow!

If this country can’t afford steak, pick up some hamburger and put some money away for next week. You’ll find the money to cover the steaks. Don’t take from Peter to pay for Paul. Paul can wait! Has anybody seen our good friend who can actually make America a great country again?

Until next week,

Grand mama, Doree Anderson

Of course, that question was directed at those of us who might be interested in swapping our calorie-laden breakfast for a bowl of what some marketing geniuses want to sell us, but I’m going to ask you to muzzle your inner cynic for a moment because “what do you have to gain?” is a pretty good question.  A loaded question, no doubt, when combined with images of women stepping on a scale only to discover that the display reads “Joy” or “Confidence” instead of a number.  But the fact that they created a positive image in my brain with the display of jubilation, of the joy that I saw on the screen is why I’m even mentioning it here.  It probably didn’t hurt that I was fifty minutes into an hour-long session on my treadmill, and I was tired and thirsty and very ready for those last ten minutes to be over and done with.  Then, I watched that commercial, identified (for even a moment) with that joyful (confident, sassy, fill in the blank) woman who stepped on the scale, and those last ten minutes passed a little bit easier, with a bit more spring to my step.  Maybe for a moment or ten, I was no longer on a brisk walk to nowhere; I may have believed I was on the move toward a more joyful me.

So, maybe that momentary positive image had a physically positive impact on me.  Then again, maybe not.

Hey, I’d be thrilled to announce that my brain making a “Joy” connection to my diet and exercise routine has completely changed the way I view what sometimes feels like a forced march journey toward a personal finish line, but let’s be real.  That finish line is WAY off in the distance, and I have many, many miles on the treadmill ahead of me that will feel at times like I’m slogging my way through oatmeal.  But if I can keep the things I have to gain in the forefront of my mind during this losing game, maybe that’s just one more way I can help myself come out a winner.  Stay tuned on that score.  Time will tell.

Since I’m going “public” in this year of doing what I say I’m going to do, here’s my report for how I did in December: In short, not good.  No excuses.  It’s a no excuses year. 

My goals for January:  Get healthy — I’m still healing from the fall I took, so I’m working on strengthening and conditioning.  Diet and exercise (setting weekly goals).  Finish the revisions on my book.  Yes, again!  And the goal to meet to make sure those revisions happen this month?  Protect my writing time! 

Here’s to making our goals a reality and to a most successful 2012 in which we have many things to gain!