Happy Hump Day!

Soapy!!

Talking Vampires...Again

What do you want out of your vampire? Silly question? I want to know. I've been investigating vampires again and wanted to know: What do you really want out of your vampire? What turns you off about a vampire? What is a must for a vampire?
You're probably thinking, Slayer's off her rocker again. Nope. Just reading more reviews.

The reviews aren't even for my work. Nope. I go looking for the next good book to read and check out the reviews. I walk away wondering if the book is really that good/bad and how two reviewers read the same book but have such diverging thoughts.

So about those vampires...Scary? Bloodthirsty? Killing all humans? My thoughts are, if the vampire in that particular author's world is destructive and scary sexy, the kind that's out to rule the world without taking humans as pleasure objects...great. Keep that world that way throughout the story. More power to you. Purists don't want vampires that sparkle, wink, make eyes at a female for another other reason than to destroy her in order to get her blood. Wonderful. Not my thing, but whatever works.

But what if the author stays true to the world they've created, but the vampire does something that's not typical. I'm pretty sure Dracula never sparkled. And yet, this practice of sparkling has created such a heated debate there are denziens of teen girls who think all vampires do nothing but. I cite the reviews of Dracula on Goodreads where the individuals are totally shocked that ole Drackie came first and doesn't shimmer.

Is there a tried and true this is the ONLY thing that vampires can do manuscript out there? If there is, I haven't seen it. Is it possible that one can be totally turned off by a vampire that does something out of the norm? Sure. I'm not one for guys who don't shave their bodies. Sorry, not big into hairy men. I figure it this way, if the vampire does something, say eat food, as long as the author has explained why - survival of the fittest and fitting in to do just that - then go for it. As long as it stays logical for the character and the world, who am I to say that the vampire is written wrong?

Or am *I* the one who is totally off my rocker? I'd love to know. Come on and chatter with me. Pros, cons... I'm all ears.

Happy Hump Day!

Tasty

Just One of Those Things

All I wanted to do was put books on my reader for DH to read them. Yep. That simple. Of course, it wasn't that simple. Nope. So what happened? Glad you asked. I wanted to add the books I'd written to the ereader because DH takes the reader to work. He reads at lunch. Sometimes I'm not sure how he does it because some of those are darned hot. Anyway, that's what I wanted to do.

I plugged in the reader. Accessed the program. Score and score. I grab the title and proceed to drag and drop it into the reader file. WHAM! Nothing happened. "Transfered 0 of 1 files" Well, crap. Tried again. Like four times. Same thing every time.

I could've given up and moved onto something else. I could've. I didn't. Why? I hate giving up. So I went to the instruction manual. "File Corrupt" GRRRRRRR!!

Fine. I go to the website. I figure that if they have customer service, then I'm heading there. Thankfully it was free customer service. I've seen plenty of places that have 'free' customer service, unless you haven't bought an extended service plan. Then you're just stuck. So I got lucky. Connected to the CS person and got the situtation sorted out. Only took me another hour to do so, but hey, it's fixed.

I'm not sure what all was wrong, but I can put the books on and all is well. I've got stories to work on and things to do tonight. But isn't it funny how one thing can spiral into a couple hours of work you never expected to spend? Just one of those things...

Seriously?

Some days, I have the exact idea that I want to blog about... and other days I sit here and stare at that blinking cursor. Today is one of those latter days. No seriously... I've been sitting here staring at my computer screen, begging my brain to come up with something anything... and still I draw a blank.

Kind of like writing, dontcha think? Okay, EXACTLY like writing. I know that it gets frustrating for those of you that are bugging me for stories that I've promised, Ideas I've mentioned and heck, just something to let you know I'm still writing (:::cough cough Megan:::) My lack of time and sometimes mental energy makes it hard to even want to make the effort some days. Even with my muse and characters screaming at the top of their lungs in my head, it's difficult to justify the writing when the baby wants to be held or the dishes are stacked in the sink (although I will avoid the second one like the plague until one of the MEN who also live in this household pitch in, but that's another story) and I gaze longingly at my computer and wonder, "Will I ever get to just sit down and write and actually finish all these things I've started? Will I actually get to play with Megan with our stories we've come up with?" and life laughs in my face and says, "Sure, if you can get the kids here - here - and here and get home in time to get little one to sleep and take the five minutes you might get to power up your laptop and write something down." Yeah... life likes to mess with me.

I learned a long time ago, or at least I thought I did, that I wasn't ever going to say that I could "finally start working on something since it's been so quiet around here!" yeah, that's just begging for life to give a great big belly laugh and throw something else into your path.

So, while I've tried making a schedule of when I plan to sit down and do these things, there is usually something to stops me from doing it at the time I want to, and by the time I remember it again, something else has come up. My question here for those of you who actually read this (otherwise I'm talking to myself... but I'm cool with that! LOL): What do you suggest would be a good way to carve out some time just for my writing, yanno, before the voices drive me wonkie? yeah, that's my train of consciousness today... hope you enjoyed! LOL

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Monday Author Interview with Nicole Morgan

I'm here, I'm here... running late... as usual. Blame it on the men, but I could sure use a drink. But I can wait until Megan introduces our guest author for today!

Today we have the fantastic Nicole Morgan on the couch with us. I'm super excited to have her here because her books are really steamy. If you ask nicely, Javier will bring you a drink Nicole. ::snaps fingers:: Javier? Yes, love. a couple of drinks, please? Thank you. Now Nicole, tell us your latest news?

I finally wrote my very first paranormal romance. If you had asked me 2 years ago if I ever thought I’d be saying that, the answer would have been a firm, NO. But, I decided to challenge myself and jump out of my comfort zone. I’ve submitted it for publication, and am eagerly awaiting news to find out if it’s as good as I think it is. I really did put a lot of time and effort into this one, researching history of long ago to make the story really flow and sound plausible. So if everyone reading this could cross their fingers and toes for me, that would be GREAT!

Comfort zones are meant to be pushed... :-D I'll cross my toes (yes, I CAN do that!)

Jumping out of the comfort zone can be worth it. Grin. I'll have the boys cross their fingers for you,. What are your current projects?

I’m currently writing the 3rd book in my Intimate Temptations Series, appropriate titled Intimate Seductions. It’s the story of Warren, a mid thirties stable manager to a ranch in Texas. The young granddaughter of his employer has grown up from pigtails to perfection before his eyes. She’s beautiful and off limits, but I think we all know what happens when one is told they can’t have something. It just makes us want it more.

Sounds yummy.. and you gotta love when the fact that the woman the hero once thought was just a little girl puts all that womanly ... not so much a girl... in his face, lol.

Wow. You are busy! The more I look at your cover art, the more I really like it. Who designed the covers?

The cover art on all of my current releases has been done by the very talented, Jinger Bruton Heaston. She has a way of taking my thoughts and ideas and making them a reality. They can all be seen on my publisher’s author page here: http://bookstrand.com/nicole-morgan

Have to say I like those covers too. She looks to be talented!

Very cool. I'm seeing lots of covers. How many books have you written? And the harder question, which is your favorite?

Geez, I thought I was being interviewed about my books. NO ONE told me there would be math involved. *sigh* Okay, give me a minute. *looks up squinting while counting on my fingers* It seems I have written a total of 12 books. Eight of them are current releases and the others will be out in the coming months. By the time this interview goes live, that count will most likely go up to thirteen! Which one is my favorite? Hmm… that’s a tough one, but I would have to say any of my Navy SEAL books from my Sweet Awakenings series. Please, please don’t make me choose. LOL. I love all of their stories so much.

Wow... twelve books. How awesome for you. Hmmm... Navy SEALS...

Did I forget to mention we will make you choose? Just kidding. We won't. Not today, anyway. Grin. What do you think makes a good story?

While I love a good erotic romance story, I am a complete sucker for stories which throw in some suspense and intrigue. Which is probably why almost all of my stories have that aspect built into them in one way or another. There’s nothing quite like a good bit of mystery to add to the heat of a relationship.

I have to say that some of my favorite romance, whether they're erotic or "straight", are the ones with a little bit of intrigue.

You can say that again. Now for some really fun questions. What is your favorite pizza?

Mmm… Spinach and mushroom hands down! For those who have never tried it, DO IT! It is so yummy for your tummy! 

Okay... no offense intended, especially when I tell my kids not to disparage other peoples' taste in food....but the mushrooms make me shudder. Just saying. I like spinach, though!

Hmm. I'm good with spinach that's not cooked. I'm not sure you've got me on this one. Are you a morning person or a night person?

I would have to say a night person. Even if it’s been a long day and I’m tired, I almost always get my second wind and can actually be very productive in the moonlit hours.

I'm such a night person... poor Megan will be fading on her side of the country and I'm raring to go, lol. Maybe because it's finally quiet in my house I can feel more productive. :::shrugs:::

I can, too. With Kealie being 4 hours time change difference from me, yeah, I've learned to work in the moonlight. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke? If so, which do you prefer?

Of course I can. I would have to say I prefer Coke over Pepsi. I’m not the type of person who can point out the variances in flavors, so I can’t really tell you why. Truth be told though, if I was to have any indulgence of the soda variety, it would be Dr. Pepper. That is my favorite of the caramelized selection of soft drinks.

And here I am in the Pepsi camp, despite my mother calling me a traitor to the "real cola", lol. But that's not even the drink I drink the most either... my weakness is Mountain Dew.

When you know, you know. How many fingers am I holding up?

Pffftt… that’s easy! 12! Wait…umm…why are you looking at me like that? Hang on a second, I’ve got something in my contact.

It might be easier to just guess... between the two of us... it's probably more than you think!

snicker. We really were holding up 22 fingers. Javier helped. If you could wish for anything, what would you wish for?

Without a doubt, without question and without even giving it a second thought, I wish for PEACE. There is so much war, violence and crime in the world, wouldn’t it be nice (truly) if mankind decided to live in harmony with one another, rather than at odds? And add to that – if my genie was granting me 3 wishes – no more disease or poverty. That would be my wish.

Very altruistic...I like it!

Well, those are great wishes. Here's Nicole's links:
http://www.nicolemorganauthor.blogspot.com/
http://nicolemorgan1.webs.com/
Thanks Nicole for being here. I hope you've enjoyed your time on the couch. Feel free to ask the CBs for anything. But note, they do bite.

Yes, thank you for hanging out on our couch and putting up with our Cabana Boys today... I know just how much of a hardship that can be :::wink wink:::

Any questions for Nicole? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?

What's in a Vamp?

The other day I was tolling the Amazon fantastic and happened on a couple books that looked interesting. Both books featured vampires. I love a good vamp. Heck, I love a bad one. But the thing that really caught me on both books wasn't the cover, the blurb or even the first chapter. Nope. It was the reviews.

Why would I care about the reviews? Giggle. The reasons are many, actually. Reviews give insight into readers' thoughts while reading the book. They let us know what worked or didn't work on the book. I appreciate reviews. Besides, it feels good as a writer to know someone is not only reading what I wrote, but appreciating it.

I also look at them for what the reader wasn't impressed by. In the case of both books, it was the vampire. So now to my question, what's in a vamp? The one reviewer pointed out the the vamp didn't act like a vampire. Upon first read of the review and that particular comment, I thought, hmm you actually KNOW what a vamp should act like? The reason I said that was my last visit to an indie book store. There were at least five different subcategories of paranormal books. Shifters, faeries, fairies, vampires and witches. Then there are the zombies. I also had a friend who writes paranormal, vampires in particular. From what I've gleaned from not only her, but the store and the books I've read that are paranormal, the rules are your own as long as you stick to them and keep things constant.

That's where the reviewer had the issue. The vampire wasn't acting like a usual vampire. Now hmm. Is that fair? I'm not sure. If the author stuck to the constructs of the book's world, then the whole thing should be taken and reviewed on the story as a whole. Not the accepted practices of a vampire/zombie/witch/etc. Here's the thing. Zombies don't fall in love. Right? The standard for a zombie is an undead indivudual who wants to eat brains. Love doesn't factor into it. And yet, zombies are accepted within the paranormal community as being capable of romance. Back to my question - what's in a vamp? Just because he can eat/drink/pee, does that mean he's not a vamp? Maybe there was a reason behind what the author gave for him being able to do these things. And if the author stuck to that, then what's the issue?

So I ask, does a vamp have to stick within the standards of what a vamp - or any other paranormal being - should be or is the deviation okay? I'd like to think it is and that the story should be reviewed on the merits of itself. What are your thoughts? Am I off the mark? Losing it? Maybe a little closer than I think? Let me know.