Typing away on Friday

I've had a busy week. I'm trying to catch up on everything because I won't have any time next week. I've been doing some work for my beta readers this week. I haven't done anything on my WIP except tweak my synopsis. I'm trying to give it more of the protagonist's voice. A little attitude and sass.

I'll be picking my mom up at the airport on Sunday afternoon and she'll be staying for a week. I won't be able to get on to blog, comment or respond to emails. Please don't think I'm ignoring any of you.

Thank you very much to Elizabeth Arroyo and Myne Whitman for passing on to me The Versatile Blogger award. They're two wonderfully talented and fascinating women. Please check out their sites.

I watched a Norwegian film last night called Trollhunter. It was a bit silly and done in Blair Witch style, but the trolls were awesome. It's worth it just to see the trolls.

I'm nearing 100 followers. I'm so excited and thankful. Sometimes I get a little stage fright writing an entry. Yet I hope I'm not boring you to death. Once I hit 100 followers, I'll have a giveaway. Hm, any thoughts on a clever name for it?

Have a good weekend!

And yes, that photo demonstrates exactly how I sit down to type with a gorgeous muse whispering in my ear as he admires my sexy lean shapely legs. Well, I guess my legs have shape!

A random Thursday meme

This weekly meme is hosted by Booking Through Thursday.

1. What do you think of reading aloud/being read to? I don't mind reading to children, but I don't do well in front of an adult audience. I'm not fond of being read to. I prefer to read myself.

Does it bring back memories of your childhood? No. I know I read a lot when I was a child, but I have no memories of being read to and I have a great memory.

Your children's childhood? I read to my son all the time. My husband reads to my son a lot. I think it important to read to children even if they're infants. I hope my son remembers it when he gets older.

2. Does this affect the way you feel about audio books? Yes. I don't like to listen to them. They're too slow. I read pretty fast.

3. Do you now have times when you read aloud or are read to? I don't have any specific times. I'll either suggest reading to my son or he'll grab a book from his shelf and bring it to me.

Wicked Wednesday - paranormal romance heroes

Oh, the hot and sexy heroes of paranormal romance. How I adore you! From ruggedly handsome werewolves to exotic demons and smoldering vampires. The mysterious and gorgeous monster hunters and all those other wonderfully scrumptious heroes out there.

Sometimes it's difficult to come up with an original hero. A lot of them seem to have the same characteristics. He's strong both physically and personality-wise, but he has to be to deal with the feisty heroine. He's possessive and protective. Two things the independent heroine usually fights against. He's clever, because he has to find some way past the heroine's emotional defenses. He'll sacrifice everything for the heroine and that's what makes us all love him in the end.

Many of the heroes are Alphas. Powerful and dominant men. Fans of the genre won't deny they like it. I won't! Most of the heroes I write are Alphas. Yet there is a place for Betas too. Heroes that aren't bulging with muscles or out looking for a fight. The men who are quiet and intelligent, who are fiercely ethical and aren't afraid of being emotional. They'll still sacrifice everything for the heroine, but not in a way anyone expects. These are the heroes that surprise us.

Who are your favorite paranormal romance heroes? Do you prefer Alpha heroes or do you believe that Beta males can be just as amazing?

Teaser Tuesday with City of Bones

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

City of Bones is the first book in Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series. It's another YA paranormal that I'm giving a try. So many people have recommended it. I'm liking it so far. I have all the books sitting on my kitchen table. So if I get on a roll, I can keep going!

Here's the teaser:
"Real elves are about eight inches tall," Jace pointed out. "Also, they bite." (page 118)

Musing Mondays

This is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. 

The question today is: what does it take for you to give up on a book you've been reading?

For most of my life, I never gave up on a book. I continued through to the bitter end. I don't like to invest the time in a story and not give it a chance. These days, though, I don't have the time to force myself to read something I don't like. I have a pile of books on my kitchen table and a list of ebooks accumulating on my computer for when I get my Nook. I only get a few hours to myself each day. I can't waste my precious time.

Lately, I've been reading a lot of YA books. There's been a lot of hit and miss. I recently finished Possession by Elena Johnson and I loved it. I then tried a book called Discord's Apple and I couldn't get into it. I liked the premise of it, but the story didn't suck me in. So I put it down. Now I've started The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I'm really liking it so far. Those are big books!

Saturday Snapshot - September 24

Saturday Snapshot is a great weekly meme hosted by At Home With Books

Flying down the street.

I think it so funny how when toddlers run, they thrust out their arms behind them

and lean forward with their hands curled back.

No one teaches them this.

I wonder what it is inside of them that makes it seems like the best way to run.

Second Campaign Challenge

It's time for the Second Campaign Challenge of Rachael Harrie's Writers' Platform Building Campaign. It's much harder this time around. Plus, I feel a little added pressure having been one of the final twelve finalists of the first challenge. Yet I'm excited!

Here's what Rachael tells us about the Challenge:

Write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should:

• include the word "imago" in the title
• include the following 4 random words: "miasma," "lacuna," "oscitate," "synchronicity,"

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional and included in the word count), make reference to a mirror in your post.

For those who want an even greater challenge (optional), make your post 200 words EXACTLY!

Once you’ve posted your Challenge post on your blog, pop back here and link directly to it in the Linky List below (please make sure you include the direct link to your post, not just the link to your blog!).

Entries in the Second Campaigner Challenge will close on Monday, October 3rd (at 11.59pm EDT). That's a week and a half (longer this time), so make sure you get your post in the Linky List before then if you want to be eligible for a prize! As usual, while everyone is very welcome to take part in this Challenge, only Campaigners will be eligible for prizes.

I decided to carry on from the first challenge. So many of you wanted to know what happened after the door shut. Here you go! Enjoy.

SOUL IMAGO

As soon as the door shut, Soren's mouth was on mine. Hard and hungry. My hands were in his silky hair and my leg wound around his waist. I could easily lose myself. I already had one dark lacuna in my memory. I couldn't let myself forget anything else.

I pushed him, trying to get my legs between us. “Get off of me!”

Soren chuckled and refused to budge. His breathe was hot and his heart pounded as loudly as mine. “You want me. You need me.”

“I don't need you.” I've said it so many times that I didn't believe it any more than he did. Every word was like miasma upon my soul. When once I was so certain of who I was, now everything was unclear.

He traced the thick scar along the right side of my neck with the pad of his thumb. I trembled at the tender touch. “Synchronicity brought us together, love. If you don't work with me and the Queen reaches Imago, she'll kill us both.”

I froze. My mouth unable to fully oscitate.

“You-”

“She's here.” In the rear-view mirror, I saw my nightmares spill forth.

(exactly 200 words)