Cut Scenes

I hate having to cut scenes because it takes me so long to write them in the first part.  Sometimes it’s necessary, though and I’ve learned to be ruthless when I have to.  It doesn’t mean I don’t hold onto them though.  There have been a few occasions when I’ve been able to use them later on.

Back when I submitted the final book to my Triquetra Trilogy, Our Sacred Balance, there was an epilogue included.  At the time I was unsure about the epilogue.  I liked the way that it brought the whole series full circle, but I wasn’t sure that it was necessary because the final chapter clearly showed that Jacob and Kristair had their HEA.  I submitted it anyway and asked my editor for her opinion and we concluded that the sweet tone didn’t fit a series that had been chock full of blood, violence and sorrow.

I thought that those who were a fan of the series, might like to have a little peek at this cut scene.  I miss these two.  I hope you enjoy.

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Recent Releases

I wanted to mention some friend’s releases that either came out at the end of February and in March.  I like an eclectic mix of books.  I enjoy short, epically long and everything in between.  So there’s going to be lots of mentions of all kinds of books in this blog when I hit a reading mood.  So without further ado, here are some interesting picks to take a look at.

Sad News

I lost my father-in-law on Monday.  My husband was with him when he had a heart attack.  I have known him since I was fourteen.  I have had the honor and privilege of calling him Dad for the last thirteen years.  He was a gentle and kind man who always had a smile on face and who accepted people for who they were.  He will be sorely missed.

Jabbers

On March 18^th I’m participating in The Romance Reviews Anniversary Party with a little Q&A about my latest release All Bets are Off.  This brings me to one of my favorite characters in the book, Eli’s beagle Jabbers.  I’d always been a German Shepherd girl myself, but after meeting my friend’s sweet beagle girl, I knew that was the kind of dog that Eli had to have.

Jabbers became as much of a character as Eli and Ash did.  He caused trouble for the man who broke into Eli’s house.  He had an unfortunate fascination with fisher cats.  And he was prone to getting his feelings hurt.  I’ve had many pets over the years and I’m always delighted by how expressive they are.  Jabbers was no exception.

Six Sentence Sunday

I haven’t done this in awhile.  I’ve been working on a novella for the last several weeks.  Actually, it was supposed to be a short story, but I’m terrible at staying within word length.  So far it’s at 10k.  It was inspired by a friend who wanted stories set in a museum.  I came up with a few ideas, but nothing really stuck at first until I decided to play to my strengths and make it have a paranormal twist instead of trying to write a contemporary.

Make me Whole involves reincarnated lovers, an ancient curse and statues come to life.  Here’s a little sneak peek at the beginning.  I hope you enjoy.

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Suzane examined each of the crates and then turned to Galen with a frown and puzzlement in her gray eyes.  “Where is the shipping information?”

“Didn’t see any.”  His fingers encountered layers of wool and Galen pulled out his pocket knife to carefully cut through the padding as the thrill of discovery made his heart leap.  “Come on,” he crooned low under his breath, “show me what you’ve got.”

“Four crates show up in the middle of a locked storeroom with no shipping information and you’re not in the least bit suspicious,” Suzane said with exasperation. 

My Girls

Not too long after my husband and I got married, I was gifted with a silver tipped tabby for my birthday by a family friend.  I love cats, well dogs too, but I was never allowed to have a cat growing up.  My mom thought they were evil and out to get her.  My husband never had the pleasure of a pet before and was pretty wary over the whole idea, but let the kitten stay.  We were assured by friends who had multiple cats that our beautiful little kitty was a girl.  So I dubbed her Sappho.  Only to find out later during a vet visit that my girl was a boy, only he answered already to Sappho so he kept the name.  He hated me.

Sappho however adored my husband.  He’d take nips at me and sit on my husband’s chest for hours on end whenever my husband came home upset over work.  He was a social worker so it happened quite often.  As much as that cat disliked me, he hated my son even more because after he was born my husband’s attention was divided.  I still miss him, because he was so good for my husband.  He passed three years ago just before Christmas.

Andrei Cuza Interview

When I first came up with the idea of the ghost story, it was all Dean’s fault.  He gave me the “what if” that led to the whole mess.  Most of my stories start out as a “what if,” and in this case it was: What if a man is murdered on his way home while just trying to be a good Samaritan and it’s up to his ghost to help his lover track down the bad guy?

At first I wasn’t going to do write it, but Dean kept poking at me.  He wanted this question resolved.  He wanted to know that his partner would be okay when the dust settled and he couldn’t do that until I wrote it.  Dean was a nice guy, but a persistent bugger.

So I started thinking about the man he left behind.  What kind of a man would readily accept help from a ghost without question?  What kind of circumstances could there be where such a man would prefer that his loved one moved on instead of staying to linger with him as a ghost?

February Update

I’ll have to say that February was a much better month than January. At the moment I’m almost completely pain free with my back. I have occasional days with spasms, but I haven’t had any of the spinal compression that made December and January so uncomfortable. And my husband is doing better too. The last time he went to the doctor his blood pressure and oxygen levels were normal. He did his sleep study test and should be getting his sleep apnea machine too.

It was a very busy month though. I didn’t get as much reading done as in January because I’ve been caught up in edits. I finished up the 3rd draft of my ghost story and sent it off for the final beta. I had the pleasure of working with a wonderfully patient police detective who answered my numerous questions about the beginning. Later on this week, I’ll do a blog about Andrei now that I’ve found a picture that kind of reminds me of him. He was a pain to find.

Diary of a Gay Nerd by Michel McDonald

I’ve had a hard time putting into words how I felt when I read Michel’s memoir.  Many parts struck a chord in me from my own childhood, though I was far luckier than Michel was and I didn’t have the added alienation of being gay.  I’ve known Michel for several years now, ever since he picked up my vampire trilogy and we started talking.  In that time, I’ve found him to be a very kind, passionate and determined man.  After reading his memoir I have to add brave to that as well and not just for what he endured and overcame.  To be able to write something like this, with such unflinching honesty, takes a rare kind of person.  Michel doesn’t gloss over his own mistakes, but puts them out there just as baldly as the abuse he went through.

I am honored to know such a man and call him my friend.

All Bets Are Off Reviews and Book Trailer

Good morning everyone.  Brrr.  The weather in DC cannot make up its mind.  I think that its really trying hard to be spring and failing.  I wanted to share some wonderful reviews that I’ve received for All Bets Are Off in the last two months since it came out.  Eli and Ash’s story was a hard one for me to write since contemporary m/m is way out of my comfort zone unless I’m writing it with Fae, but I’m really happy that I stuck with it.

Plus I wanted to share with you some pictures I had that reminded me of either the characters or setting as I was writing the story.  Plus there’s a book trailer that the wonderful and talented Voirey Linger made for me at the end.  I hope you enjoy.