In exactly 20 minutes I am doing a blog radio interview at the Paranormal Palace (www.blogtalkradio.com/paranormalpalace) with Royce Holleman. I will be posting the interview in its entirety for anyone who is interested in taking a listen later but if you have a mind to please drop in tonight live at 9pm EST.
Dayana
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
I'm on a roll this week:)
The muse seems to be with me this week. This is a good thing because I am a writer who has to be inspired to write. I have to be in the mood. I cannot in any way, shape, or form write on demand. It just doesn't happen.
I so admire writers who can put themselves on a goal schedule and write daily. That has never worked for me. Believe me I have tried. But that's how it is and I've accepted it. When an idea hits and the muse visits, I drop everything and go with it. And it has certainly paid off this week!
I dusted off a short vampire piece I'd done for a contest back in 2003 which did win and was published in a ezine back then thinking I'd use it for a free read submission as a precursor to my new release coming up in September, The Curse of the Marhime, at The Wild Rose Press. Thought it a good idea to further get my name visible.
After taking a careful look at the story, I thought I'd expand on it a bit and spice it up as well. I did, and I sent it in but it seemed I'd overheated it for the Black Rose line requirements which is the line that bought my novel. Okay, either I toned it down or I submit it to TWRP Scarlet line.
Hmmm...
Yep, I decided to submit it to Scarlet. The SE liked it and said she definitely would want it for the line but she wanted me to add at least another thousand words and some more heat. Since I subbed it as a possible free read, I had one question. Did she want it for a free read or a bona fide submission? She stated definitely a regular submission. Okay. I can do that. And I did. Added not a mere one thousand words, but over twenty three hundred words and a lot more heat. I resubmitted the piece and await the editor's thoughts.
Now I'd also dusted off another piece several months ago that I'd written for a contest and actually made second round with it but never got any further. This one I'd thought I would expand on as well but for a regular submission. The story was a very short piece and was one of those contests that you were given a specific line you had to use and write the story around it. It turned into a shape shifter piece when I was done so I thought hey why not give it more middle?
I began to revise the story some time ago but kept dropping it to the side. Just couldn't get the muse going and wasn't getting any good direction. I'd write a little then set it aside, and I'd pick it up once again only to set it aside. Well this has gone on for several weeks. But all of a sudden I'm inspired. I finished the vampire story so now I'm motivated to finish this one. I'd expanded the piece from maybe 1000 words to about 5000 words over the last several weeks but for some reason, today, I had a good flow going. Sat down with the story and added almost 4000 more words and finally finished it!
Yay!
I typed up a nice little pitch letter with a short synopsis and submitted it as well for consideration at TWRP, Scarlet line. We'll see.
Overall, I am very excited because from nothing came two submittable stories. Do you think maybe I should dust off one of those sequel novels now and honker down?
Hmmm...
Might be a good plan.
Wish me luck. Let's see if I can sell these stories now that I have finally finished them.
D~
I so admire writers who can put themselves on a goal schedule and write daily. That has never worked for me. Believe me I have tried. But that's how it is and I've accepted it. When an idea hits and the muse visits, I drop everything and go with it. And it has certainly paid off this week!
I dusted off a short vampire piece I'd done for a contest back in 2003 which did win and was published in a ezine back then thinking I'd use it for a free read submission as a precursor to my new release coming up in September, The Curse of the Marhime, at The Wild Rose Press. Thought it a good idea to further get my name visible.
After taking a careful look at the story, I thought I'd expand on it a bit and spice it up as well. I did, and I sent it in but it seemed I'd overheated it for the Black Rose line requirements which is the line that bought my novel. Okay, either I toned it down or I submit it to TWRP Scarlet line.
Hmmm...
Yep, I decided to submit it to Scarlet. The SE liked it and said she definitely would want it for the line but she wanted me to add at least another thousand words and some more heat. Since I subbed it as a possible free read, I had one question. Did she want it for a free read or a bona fide submission? She stated definitely a regular submission. Okay. I can do that. And I did. Added not a mere one thousand words, but over twenty three hundred words and a lot more heat. I resubmitted the piece and await the editor's thoughts.
Now I'd also dusted off another piece several months ago that I'd written for a contest and actually made second round with it but never got any further. This one I'd thought I would expand on as well but for a regular submission. The story was a very short piece and was one of those contests that you were given a specific line you had to use and write the story around it. It turned into a shape shifter piece when I was done so I thought hey why not give it more middle?
I began to revise the story some time ago but kept dropping it to the side. Just couldn't get the muse going and wasn't getting any good direction. I'd write a little then set it aside, and I'd pick it up once again only to set it aside. Well this has gone on for several weeks. But all of a sudden I'm inspired. I finished the vampire story so now I'm motivated to finish this one. I'd expanded the piece from maybe 1000 words to about 5000 words over the last several weeks but for some reason, today, I had a good flow going. Sat down with the story and added almost 4000 more words and finally finished it!
Yay!
I typed up a nice little pitch letter with a short synopsis and submitted it as well for consideration at TWRP, Scarlet line. We'll see.
Overall, I am very excited because from nothing came two submittable stories. Do you think maybe I should dust off one of those sequel novels now and honker down?
Hmmm...
Might be a good plan.
Wish me luck. Let's see if I can sell these stories now that I have finally finished them.
D~
Monday, August 18, 2008
Fay bears down, while I honker down...
Once again paradise awaits the decision of a big wind in the tropics. Lady Fay ponders her choice of direction to the annoyance of many. As with all tropical storms and hurricane issues here in sunny Southern Florida, we never know what the outcome may be, so we wait.
And watch.
And wait some more.
We're lucky with Fay. She's already in the Keys. Usually we spend a week or more watching a system well out in the Eastern Atlantic lolligag, wobble, build, loose strength only to rebuild then barrel down on God knows where at the last minute.
This is a good time to think about protecting not only home and property but your documents, such as important papers like birth certificates, insurance policies, warranties, titles, family photographs/photo albums, and yes, your computer documents such as manuscripts, stories, articles! These are all things that are either irreplacable or would cost much to replace in the means of stress, tears, and trouble.
While we rush around preparing the obvious, the last thing on our minds are the computer documents that could be lost. I suggest routinely backing all documents up on a flashdrive, memory stick, or online storage. I use my flashdrive and memory sticks all easy enough to utilize, so I am not familiar with online storage but I know they are out there. If anyone knows of specific sites please, by all means, post a comment, and I'll post the links.
If you utilize memory cards, flash drives, and/or memory sticks don't forget to take them with you if you have to leave. I remember one year we had over 21 named storms and at the time we lived in a double-wide manufactured home. All my papers, photo albums, and loose pictures spent the entire hurricane season in the trunk of my car! It was easier than packing them up and carting them out of the house each time we had to evacuate, which was a lot.
Now we live in a nice concrete block bunker, LOL but still the risks are the same. You just don't know until you've gotten past the storm what damage it may cause so its better to be prepared and nothing happen then not prepare and loose everything.
As for Fay, she is predicted to make land fall on the southwest coast but for now she sits annoyingly dormant torturing the Florida Keys, so we sit on a sigh awaiting her decision. Regardless, we will be affected in some degree, as all the convection, rain, storms, and winds are on the eastern side of the storm as are we on the south eastern coast.
I've backed up my files, prepared and protected my property and now wonder: do I have to go to work tomorrow or do I get to work on my muse an extra day this week?
hmmm...
Dayana~
And watch.
And wait some more.
We're lucky with Fay. She's already in the Keys. Usually we spend a week or more watching a system well out in the Eastern Atlantic lolligag, wobble, build, loose strength only to rebuild then barrel down on God knows where at the last minute.
This is a good time to think about protecting not only home and property but your documents, such as important papers like birth certificates, insurance policies, warranties, titles, family photographs/photo albums, and yes, your computer documents such as manuscripts, stories, articles! These are all things that are either irreplacable or would cost much to replace in the means of stress, tears, and trouble.
While we rush around preparing the obvious, the last thing on our minds are the computer documents that could be lost. I suggest routinely backing all documents up on a flashdrive, memory stick, or online storage. I use my flashdrive and memory sticks all easy enough to utilize, so I am not familiar with online storage but I know they are out there. If anyone knows of specific sites please, by all means, post a comment, and I'll post the links.
If you utilize memory cards, flash drives, and/or memory sticks don't forget to take them with you if you have to leave. I remember one year we had over 21 named storms and at the time we lived in a double-wide manufactured home. All my papers, photo albums, and loose pictures spent the entire hurricane season in the trunk of my car! It was easier than packing them up and carting them out of the house each time we had to evacuate, which was a lot.
Now we live in a nice concrete block bunker, LOL but still the risks are the same. You just don't know until you've gotten past the storm what damage it may cause so its better to be prepared and nothing happen then not prepare and loose everything.
As for Fay, she is predicted to make land fall on the southwest coast but for now she sits annoyingly dormant torturing the Florida Keys, so we sit on a sigh awaiting her decision. Regardless, we will be affected in some degree, as all the convection, rain, storms, and winds are on the eastern side of the storm as are we on the south eastern coast.
I've backed up my files, prepared and protected my property and now wonder: do I have to go to work tomorrow or do I get to work on my muse an extra day this week?
hmmm...
Dayana~
Thursday, August 14, 2008
LASR Anniversary Winner!
Well, my day to host the LASR first anniversary party was August 13th. It came and went so fast I didn't even realize until I received an email this morning with my winner's name!
Congratulations, Kirstin Kimball! A round of applause everyone, please. Kirstin has won a Summer Survival Gift Basket personally crafted by me chock full of goodies.
The contest lives on until the end of the month so please check it out daily. Lots more gifts offered from lots more hosting authors. Just click on the pink banner located on the right side of my blog.
Don't forget that the Dog Days of Summer Contest is still in full throttle, as well. For information on that contest please hop on over to www.romawolftales.com and click on the contest banner at the top of my home page. Hey, while your there please note the new home page:) Please let me know how you like the changes. I'm working on some website updating as you will notice:)
Coming soon, I will be throwing a Halloween bash right here. As some of you may already know, Samhain better known as Halloween is my favorite holiday. I begin getting excited September first and go all out with the decorating beginning in September with the fall stuff and whipping out the jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, vampires, black cats, etc in time for October 1st. I even take a vacation every year from the day job the week of Halloween! I'm gearing up a great contest this year and will offer a wonderfully ghoulish prize basket. For more information on this stay tuned.
Hope everyone has had a great week and will have an exceptionally fun weekend. And please don't be shy. Comments welcome! I want to hear from you so by all means, comment away:)
Congratulations, Kirstin Kimball! A round of applause everyone, please. Kirstin has won a Summer Survival Gift Basket personally crafted by me chock full of goodies.
The contest lives on until the end of the month so please check it out daily. Lots more gifts offered from lots more hosting authors. Just click on the pink banner located on the right side of my blog.
Don't forget that the Dog Days of Summer Contest is still in full throttle, as well. For information on that contest please hop on over to www.romawolftales.com and click on the contest banner at the top of my home page. Hey, while your there please note the new home page:) Please let me know how you like the changes. I'm working on some website updating as you will notice:)
Coming soon, I will be throwing a Halloween bash right here. As some of you may already know, Samhain better known as Halloween is my favorite holiday. I begin getting excited September first and go all out with the decorating beginning in September with the fall stuff and whipping out the jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, vampires, black cats, etc in time for October 1st. I even take a vacation every year from the day job the week of Halloween! I'm gearing up a great contest this year and will offer a wonderfully ghoulish prize basket. For more information on this stay tuned.
Hope everyone has had a great week and will have an exceptionally fun weekend. And please don't be shy. Comments welcome! I want to hear from you so by all means, comment away:)
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Life comes at you fast...
Has anyone had one of those days you wish you never got out of bed? Yesterday was one such day for me!
I started off with an exterminator--that we cancelled service with--ringing our doorbell at just after 7AM. Is there no communication in that outfit? Then I had a planned late day to the day job due to taking my Sheltie, GypsyLee, to the vet for her dental cleaning. This is always a stressful event because she hates the vet's office and the poor thing was diagnosed with T-cell cancer of the gums and lips about four months ago so you can imagine the visits to her vet and the oncologist. Anyway, we get there.
As many of you probably have experienced a visit to the vet is no different than a visit to your regular doctor's office. You hurry up to sit and wait... and wait.
Well, they finally take her back and I get a phone call from DH who asks me none too kindly why I set the alarm which, of course, I hadn't and proceeds to not so quietly tell me he can't find his key fob and can't remember the code. I tell him the code but he's so beside himself because the police have been there and now he's concerned about the false alarm charges from the city that he just can't seem to get the alarm to shut off, thus keeping the police around and suspicious.
Exasperated, I hang up the phone, tell the receptionist I'll be back and hurry off to save the day. I get home and everything is quiet, no police, but a very frazzled DH. We yell out our frustrations then ignore one another until he heads out to work, meanwhile I am calling the alarm company to report the malfunction and the police department to beg off the charges for the false alarm. Come to find out we're okay with the city as you have four false alarms a year without getting charged and the alarm company places us back on test mode until a service tech can get out on Friday. Okay, those fires are put out.
However, my stress level is now on high. I head back to the vets thinking they've already finished with Gypsy and are wondering where I am. We get the non-anesthesia procedure which takes about twenty to thirty minutes. I arrive sick to my stomach because to this point I've eaten nothing and the beginnings of a dull headache is pounding on my brain only to be told she's not done yet. So I sit and wait... and wait some more.
Now the place is filling up with barking dogs, playful and loud kids, a couple of kittens in a cage next to me are playing a little too roughly for my taste, and I'm getting sicker and more impatient. Then I start to worry. Why is it taking so long? Did something go wrong and they don't want to tell me? After all, she is sick.
Okay, the nausea is getting worse and the pounding of the headache along with it. I wait a few more minutes and I can't stand it anymore. I get up approach the desk and wait for someone to acknowledge me. Just when the receptionist ends her phone conversation and I open my mouth to ask, the door opens and out comes my beautiful GypsyLee! My heart skips and my stress level drops to medium. My baby is okay.
Funny how you really work yourself into a disaster in such a short time. My adventure began a little after 7AM and lasted until 11AM and I hadn't even gotten to work yet!
Thanks for listening! Please feel free to share your stressfull moments. I'd love to hear them because the grass isn't always greener on the other side and stress lives in many different forms. Good thing we can vent, huh?
I'm off to work after a normal unstressed morning today:)
Dayana
I started off with an exterminator--that we cancelled service with--ringing our doorbell at just after 7AM. Is there no communication in that outfit? Then I had a planned late day to the day job due to taking my Sheltie, GypsyLee, to the vet for her dental cleaning. This is always a stressful event because she hates the vet's office and the poor thing was diagnosed with T-cell cancer of the gums and lips about four months ago so you can imagine the visits to her vet and the oncologist. Anyway, we get there.
As many of you probably have experienced a visit to the vet is no different than a visit to your regular doctor's office. You hurry up to sit and wait... and wait.
Well, they finally take her back and I get a phone call from DH who asks me none too kindly why I set the alarm which, of course, I hadn't and proceeds to not so quietly tell me he can't find his key fob and can't remember the code. I tell him the code but he's so beside himself because the police have been there and now he's concerned about the false alarm charges from the city that he just can't seem to get the alarm to shut off, thus keeping the police around and suspicious.
Exasperated, I hang up the phone, tell the receptionist I'll be back and hurry off to save the day. I get home and everything is quiet, no police, but a very frazzled DH. We yell out our frustrations then ignore one another until he heads out to work, meanwhile I am calling the alarm company to report the malfunction and the police department to beg off the charges for the false alarm. Come to find out we're okay with the city as you have four false alarms a year without getting charged and the alarm company places us back on test mode until a service tech can get out on Friday. Okay, those fires are put out.
However, my stress level is now on high. I head back to the vets thinking they've already finished with Gypsy and are wondering where I am. We get the non-anesthesia procedure which takes about twenty to thirty minutes. I arrive sick to my stomach because to this point I've eaten nothing and the beginnings of a dull headache is pounding on my brain only to be told she's not done yet. So I sit and wait... and wait some more.
Now the place is filling up with barking dogs, playful and loud kids, a couple of kittens in a cage next to me are playing a little too roughly for my taste, and I'm getting sicker and more impatient. Then I start to worry. Why is it taking so long? Did something go wrong and they don't want to tell me? After all, she is sick.
Okay, the nausea is getting worse and the pounding of the headache along with it. I wait a few more minutes and I can't stand it anymore. I get up approach the desk and wait for someone to acknowledge me. Just when the receptionist ends her phone conversation and I open my mouth to ask, the door opens and out comes my beautiful GypsyLee! My heart skips and my stress level drops to medium. My baby is okay.
Funny how you really work yourself into a disaster in such a short time. My adventure began a little after 7AM and lasted until 11AM and I hadn't even gotten to work yet!
Thanks for listening! Please feel free to share your stressfull moments. I'd love to hear them because the grass isn't always greener on the other side and stress lives in many different forms. Good thing we can vent, huh?
I'm off to work after a normal unstressed morning today:)
Dayana
Monday, August 4, 2008
A week of contest reminders:)
Well, we are definitely in the Dog Days of Summer and its certainly a great time to involve one's self in romps through great websites while hanging out in the great airconditioned indoors, isn't it?
Well I've got additional ways to keep you out of the heat! The Long and the Short of It is celebrating their first anniversary with daily prizes this month and a climatic grand prize at the end on August 27th. You will want to check it out.
Then we have GotWolf? This contest winds down this month so you better get moving on those sexy werewolf heros/heroines! I've got my story just about done. For more details on this one hop on over to The Wild Rose Press.
So you see? Lots of cool ways to spend these hot summer days and win great prizes. Good luck! Now get moving:)
Dayana
Well I've got additional ways to keep you out of the heat! The Long and the Short of It is celebrating their first anniversary with daily prizes this month and a climatic grand prize at the end on August 27th. You will want to check it out.
Then we have GotWolf? This contest winds down this month so you better get moving on those sexy werewolf heros/heroines! I've got my story just about done. For more details on this one hop on over to The Wild Rose Press.
So you see? Lots of cool ways to spend these hot summer days and win great prizes. Good luck! Now get moving:)
Dayana
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Dog Days of Summer Contest is in full swing!
Hope you all are having a nice relaxing Sunday. I wanted to pop in and post a reminder to everyone that our Dog Days of Summer Contest is now in full swing. It began on the first and will run through the end of August.
Please go to my website: www.romawolftales.com click on the contest information banner at the top of my home page which will take you to my contest page for more details. Twelve wonderful authors are offering up a heap of great prizes such as books, perfumes, candles, gift baskets, and other assorted goodies. Look forward to seeing you all there.
And stayed tuned for our Christmas Ride through the Blogs Contest coming in December. This adventurous sleigh ride will run December 1 through the 24th. Keep an eye here for more details in the next couple of months.
Dayana
Please go to my website: www.romawolftales.com click on the contest information banner at the top of my home page which will take you to my contest page for more details. Twelve wonderful authors are offering up a heap of great prizes such as books, perfumes, candles, gift baskets, and other assorted goodies. Look forward to seeing you all there.
And stayed tuned for our Christmas Ride through the Blogs Contest coming in December. This adventurous sleigh ride will run December 1 through the 24th. Keep an eye here for more details in the next couple of months.
Dayana
Friday, August 1, 2008
Congratulations to LASR! Happy First Anniversary!
Today is the first day of The Long and The Short of It's month long first anniversary bash. Come join them for 27 days of great prize give ways--everything from free books, sweets, gift baskets, perfume, and a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate as a Grand Prize to one lucky winner.
For all the details click on the pink banner beside this post. It will take you over to LASR's great site. Enjoy free reads, author interviews, and a ton of other useful and fun information.
Please drop by my website on August 13th as I will be hosting the festivities and offering a wonderful Summer Survival Gift Basket as a prize. The prize winning question will be posted on the LASR website on my host day. Drop by pick it up, jump over to my site, and begin the search for the answer.
Happy hunting!
Looking forward to seeing you all.
Dayana
For all the details click on the pink banner beside this post. It will take you over to LASR's great site. Enjoy free reads, author interviews, and a ton of other useful and fun information.
Please drop by my website on August 13th as I will be hosting the festivities and offering a wonderful Summer Survival Gift Basket as a prize. The prize winning question will be posted on the LASR website on my host day. Drop by pick it up, jump over to my site, and begin the search for the answer.
Happy hunting!
Looking forward to seeing you all.
Dayana
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