Last Train Home by David Mead

I had to share this. Just heard of this guy, who's a fabulous musician. Sorry to have to put a picture of Private Practice on the post. Ignore the picture and listen to the music. David Mead. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I'm going to buy his album Almost and Always tomorrow. This is my share for the day/night. Crap, it's almost tomorrow. Gotta motor.

Dawn of New Day

Today marks day #2 of my free time to write mode. With all the kids in school, except the 19 year old, and we won't get into that here, I have a full day to write. Second day started with a bang.
--Everyone got to school on time if not early.
--Littlest guy complained about hating his new school, because mat time (nap time) is toooo looonnggggg.
--I dried his tears, distracted him with a book at school, and bugged out. Tough love, cut the cord, etc.
--I exercised this morning. Yeah, the ground was shaking. Not from the miracle of my exercise, but from excess jiggle as I flopped around the block. Ugh. Such a long way I've fallen from my time in the USMC. ack. Gotta get back on (or is it off?) the wagon.

Getting ready to hit the java juice and type for a few hours. Chow!

A New Day

Today marks a new beginning. My Pre-K-er, who's four, was not selected (lottery, they pick your name out of a box) for a state funded school program so I was taking him to a Mother's Day Out program at a local church a few times a week. I figure I managed 2-3 hours of work per day while he was there. He liked it because he got to socialize with other kids.

However, with so many students needing schooling, the county has expanded the Pre-K program. My little guy is going to full time school as of today, 8:30-3:30. I just have to provide the transportation. He's so excited to eat in a "cafeteria." They could be serving cat poop and he'd eat it, just for a chance to eat off a tray and sit at that tiny table.

He's excited, and I'm excited. My kid will get gym class, art class and music in addition to learning and playing with others his own age. And I get an added three hours of work time. I'm curious to see how much I can get done, and so, back to work...

Remission, and an apology by way of Dawn Endeavor

Man, I've been remiss on postings for a while. But never fear, I've actually been working! No, really. Sure, you might think with all the new shows on television that I'd be watching the boob tube regularly (okay, you'd be right.) But my muse has been really kicking me in the tail lately.

• Just finished my big WIP brainstormed over two years ago (thanks Teri and Cat)
• 2/3 done my current WIP for a possible new publisher
  
• Just sent my editor an idea for my new Circ series, Dawn Endeavor. If you read Circe's Recruits: Hale, you met Hawkins, Fallon, Hayashi and Tersch. Their stories are going to be just killer. Check out the blurb (and the pictures!!) down below...
  
• Wrote up a new writing TO DO list as of today. I've got quite a bit to do. Let's hope the muse doesn't leave me anytime before 2015. *grin*

Take a look at my new Circs... I can't WAIT to write about them. Note, I don't normally search out pictures of my characters, but these guys are starting to feel very real to me, so I gave them some identity beyond my imagination.

Jesse Fallon, a smart aleck who reads minds, but can't read the mind of one very stubborn, fiery female.

Kisho Hayashi, a prognosticator and the calm one on the team, or so he thinks before he meets a stubborn mercenary who may or may not be Circ.

Julian "Jules" Hawkins, leader of the group. He reads auras; he has issues. I love Jules.
"Gunnar" Tersch. The strongest of the bunch, a real berserker, and a major pain in the *ss. Would it kill him to let me see his face?
Project Dawn Endeavor

Genetic manipulation has created the first super soldier--the Circ. Able to transform into hulking, inhuman beasts at will, the second generation of Circs, under Project Dawn Endeavor, is much more dangerous than the first. Psychically gifted, the secret four-man team who once worked for the Navy now belongs to the mysterious Mrs. Sharpe. Bent on cleaning up science gone wrong around the globe, Mrs. Sharpe sends the men of Dawn Endeavor out on behalf of the United States government. But there’s more to her agenda than patriotism. If only the team knew what she really has planned...

Join Me at Hitting the Hot Spot

I'm blogging today at Hitting the Hot Spot about male-male romance. Jump on in! And note: the post before mine has some rockin' pictures and an even better story to go with them. Holy cow, they're dead sexxxxyyy!

Over the Moon Cover

It's that time again. Time to share a new cover! My story, Enemy Red, is one of six werewolf stories coming out in the anthology Over the Moon, to be released from Total E-Bound in November. Woof, woof. Or should I say, wolf, wolf?

Done!!!! So Far...

I've been saving this picture for a special occasion. Sure, getting a $50K advance, a publishing contract from St Martins, or even my book on the NYTimes bestseller list would qualify. But I'm talking baby steps. I finished my current work in progress--the first draft, that is--an 86,000 word romance that just really seemed to come together this last month after an uneventful summer. Now I get a breather before I tackle my next, much shorter, project. Whew.

Rest in Peace

Rest in peace, Patrick Swayze.
He battled cancer, a fighter to the end.
Aug 18, 1952- Sept 14, 2009

(*&#!$$ Internet!!!

All day today the Internet has been wacky with connectivity issues that make me long to take out a gun and friggin' shoot my computer!

If I seem to be ending all my ING words with in', it's because I'm working on a quasi-western where folks tend to say gonna and done gone and hell yeah. I'm hoping that's not as irritating to read as it looks. But we'll see.

So my latest quandary... Fringe and Supernatural are now on the same night, Thursdays, at the same time, 9pm EST. Time to TiVo, if only I had TiVo. So I have to record one and watch the other. Of course it should be Supernatural I watch, but I like viewing Fringe with the husband, so we'll see. And why am I worried about television when I still want to see 9 that's out in theaters? Not to mention the books coming out/already out... Heat Seaker by Lora Leigh, the latest Karen Hawkins historical, and of course, Dark Slayer by C. Feehan. Man, oh man, time to reward myself,,,,just as soon as I finish this friggin' WIP.

See? There it goes again. That dang in'.

Go, Me!

1. Woke up
2. Excited because it's the season opener of SUPERNATURAL tonight. (I know, get a life, whatever.)
3. Almost done chapter sixteen of current WIP.
4. Feeling good because WIP is coming together.
5. Bought birthday present for last minute party for friend's 5-year-old--Happy B-day, Michael!
6. Prepped to cook early to get family needs out of the way...of the television. (I know, get better priorities. But it's Supernatural!!! Come on!!!!)
7. Nagged 19 year old to get a life and a job...for a half an hour. Go, me!
8. House is fairly picked up. Another go, me!
9. Bought husband motorcycle boots he'll probably hate, but that he nagged me to purchase so he wouldn't have to. Third go, me! of the day.

Cheers.
Marie

One More Day...

Just one more day and it's here--Supernatural returns to TV!
Yes, I sound like an idiot fan, but this show just keeps getting better and better. Two brothers hunting the things that go bump in the night is just my kind of show. And now that Lucifer is walking the earth, I can't wait to see how the apocalypse turns out.
Thursday night, between 9 and 10, I will not blink, will not move, and will not breathe for an hour as I watch the season 5 premier. You've been warned.

New Release: Creations Volume 1

Creations Volume 1 is out today, available from Total E-Bound in one print anthology. Included in this book are my futuristic stories The Perfect Creation and Creating Chemistry.

Here's a blurb: Enjoy!

The Perfect Creation

Knocked out and kidnapped by a beautiful fugitive who’s mistaken him for someone else is enough to turn Rafe’s day from bad to worse. A peacemaker, he’s sworn to uphold the law. But Erin brings out his protective instincts, as well as the mating urges he’s thus far in life been able to deny. When he learns this special woman is a Creation, an abomination in the eyes of the System and one that is to be terminated on sight, Rafe doesn't just bend the rules, he breaks them. Now he just has to convince Erin his love is real.

Creating Chemistry

Rescued from a lab where she was Created, Anin has had to learn a lot in little time. There's a death sentence on her head, and her two self-designated protectors don’t seem to understand her. Designed to yield, Anin craves submission the way she craves air. The powerful Fas brothers like her, but they don't seem to comprehend how very much she longs to call them “Master." But Nu and Set are a quick study, and it isn’t long before they’re commanding her body, heart and soul.

Available now at TEB

August Newsletter Contest Winner

Congrats to Paula for winning the newsletter subscriber ebooks contest.

Thanks to all who participated, and stay tuned next month!

Legend of the Seeker

A long time ago, I remember reading about two characters named Richard and Katherine, Kaelin, something with a K. It was a great start to a new fantasy series. And then, for some reason, I stopped reading the books.

Eleven books later, Terry Goodkind has finished his Sword of Truth series. I was recently turned on to this world again through a television series loosely based on his books. Called Legend of the Seeker, the story follows a young man named Richard Cypher, who turns out to be the Seeker, a person who follows truth and is destined to destroy a great evil plaguing the lands-- a man/sorcerer named Darken Rahl (see the dude in red, to the right). Along the way, Richard is paired up with a Confessor named Kahlan and a sorcerer named Zedd. He also fights the evil Darken Rahl, who's played by a guy doing a terrific villain. In other words, the acting is surprisingly good, not overdone. I won't go into too much detail, save to say I was expecting a cheesy Xena Warrior episode and received a shockingly good series instead.

The series is fun and addicting. I haven't read Goodkind's books and can't remember the one I did read, so I wasn't expecting the series to follow faithfully to the characters. From the reviews I've read from die-hard Sword of Truth fans, this is a good thing.

The dude who plays Richard is attractive, Kahlan is pretty, and Zedd is, well, wiley. The forbidden romance makes the stories flow, and the tension between the leads sizzles. There's plenty of martial arts and sword play in the show. The special effects aren't stellar, but they're not bad. What I really like about the series is that although the Confessor (heroine) wears a wacky dress, she fights like a champ. She uses daggers and can "Confess" anyone to do her bidding (while making them mental slaves for life, alas, so she uses it sparingly). The hero isn't always saving her. It's usually the other way around.

A strong heroine, empathetic hero, forbidden love, a terrific villain, and sorcery make this show a must see. Each episode is an hour long, and season 2 starts the weekend of November 7th. I caught the entire first season on Netflix (streaming video). Gotta love Netflix. It's better than Facebook for stealing away your life. haha

Check out Legend of the Seeker. It's worth the fantasy fix.

New Cover--Caging the Beast

Whoops. I said I' d post today about Legend of the Seeker (the TV series.) Well, I'll do that tomorrow. I was busy actually writing today. Yea!

So here's a sneak peek at the new cover for Caging the Beast, coming out from TEB in October.