Slow Sunday….

So, I wish had something exciting to tell you but it’s been a slow old Sunday in the burbs of Brizzie. The highlight was finding my old Promptel (code name for crap phone company) 10 year, long service, framed certificate shoved under a box when I was having a manic chuck-out-useless-stuff moment. I find these manic chuck out phases very cathartic because everything that I have not used in the last year or so gets sent off to goodwill, so someone else will buy it and then not use it themselves for a year. Anyway, I looked at the certificate and thought why have I kept this? There is also a really ugly pendant with my name engraved on it that went with the certificate but Murphy, my big, snail riding cement garden gnome has that around his neck. I think it makes him look jaunty. He can carry off the ugliness of the pendant. So, the certificate – why did I keep it? Was it pride in knowing that the company thought enough of me to give me the certificate and the pendant? Yeah, right. Was it because it reminds me of the crap times endured there? No, one moves on. Was it the really nice frame it was in? Bingo. Did I hang it up on the wall
feeling all nostalgic? No Idon’t even hang my Bachelor of Arts degree up on the wall because it’s just bit of paper. When I set out to do that degree many moons ago I thought it would be important. It’s not – not to me. Yes, education is always worthwhile but in my opinion all the fancy-arsed degrees in the world don’t make you any better than anyone else.

I have to write a synopsis after I finish this blog. Why? Well the good news is I got offered a contract from my editor for Tantalizing Tilly. Bad news is I have to sit down and summarize the highlights of the book. Yeah, maybe it doesn’t sound hard but many writers have trouble putting the essence of the book into a short, encapsulated form. I’ll be honest, I suck at it. I can write 50,000 words but a synopsis requires much more effort. Not only to you have to make it brief, to the point and make it understandable, you have to make sure there are no typos in it. I am the queen of typos. My mind works faster than my fingers and the two have trouble keeping it together. I once had a typing instructor say that I
had a really ‘ugly typing style.’ This wounded me deeply – not. Like I gave a rats if I type ‘ugly.’ The point is it gets done. I emailed my editor and promised the synopsis will be typo free when she receives it. Possibly that email lacked credibility as there was a nice big typo in it. Oh dear…I swear on a wine bottle it will be typo free.

Today, I realized I had not combed my hair in three days. I have a tendency when I am in a rush to go somewhere or do something to scrape my shoulder length up into a half arsed knot thing on my head. It actually looks pretty good as it has that untamed, wild look about it. Only problem is it gets as knotty as hell and I curse myself for being such a slack arse and yet I’ll continue to do it because I can. So tell me, what things to you skip doing when you’re in a rush or are you all too neat and tidy?





All the devoted Aussie Armitage Army people know Robin Hood is on tonight at 7:30pm on the ABC in OZ. I have put a picture of Richard Armitage on for the troops. I speak to no one during this period as I will be ogling Sir Guy. Ring me and one of my Grandma Elsie’s Irish curses will spring forth from my lips and it will not be my fault if you turn into a pumpkin. Most people understand this potential curse thing and wait until 8:30 to ring. On the whole most people who know me are very well trained. It’s taken me years to get them to that stage.

My Last Dark Day – Barbara Huffert

I am not a big fan of submissive type books. I generally want to slap the hero for the macho crap he is going on with and tell the heroine to wake up to herself. That’s just my personality, so although I did want to slap the hero in My Last Dark Day, I actually found the story impressive. Why? It’s a very deeply emotional and complex book on so many levels. No, I’m not going to tell you why because you should go and buy this book and find out yourself. All I will say is I went from wondering what the hell was wrong with the heroine to liking her because of and despite her flaws. Well done B. Click on the cover to buy.

Author and honorary Aussie Sandra Cox – I am teaching her to speak the lingo - has a great new contest http://sandracox.blogspot.com/ - check it out and enter to win a great prize.

Anny is talking about how dragons have difficulty buying condoms to fit on www.annycook.blogspot.com while Kelly is discussing either man’s inhumanity to man or how to balance a pen on her nose on www.kkirch.blogspot.com

www.freewebs.com/amarindajones/
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

Tuesday Trivia...

Okay, so I don‘t think I’d make a very good junkie. Why? Well I have to use this syringe thing to suck up this certain amount of progesterone cream (hormone stuff) and spread it on a fleshy part of my body. Now I have fleshy parts to burn, real women do, but that’s not that the problem. For the life of me I cannot suck this cream up in the teeny weeny, frigging syringe that is supplied. I ask you, why give a clearly hormonal woman a challenge like this? Are they mad? So I made executive decision #12638 and chucked the syringe and I am now dabbing my finger in the jar to get the cream. Sshh…don’t tell anyone. Is it the right amount I am using? Who knows? I look at it this way, on the odd, very odd, occasion I cook something from scratch I never follow the recipe because to me it’s only a guideline. I am applying the same logic here. If it kills me, I’ll let you know.

Madnaduk invited me to join the Armitage Army – what is it? It’s a group that is dedicated to all things Richard Armitage. See picture to the right and check out my blog from a couple of days ago - or go to http://thearmitagearmy.co.uk/main/ Did I join? Hell yes, the man has the ability make even the strongest knees wobble.

Naming…

As a writer, I collect names – the odder the better. If I hear a strange name I instantly write it down because I like my characters to have unique names – that’s not to say every day
names are not perfectly good but I like odd. I want people to wonder how the hell did she come up with that name? Being a writer means you are nosy – okay, some purists won’t agree with that but that’s my opinion and I don’t shy from it, as you know. I think you have to be a good snoop to be a writer. Why? Because writers need to observe stuff around them. How can you relate to your readers if your words have no basis in reality? How many times have you read a book I thought – crikey that was boring…okay maybe you wouldn’t say crikey unless you were an Aussie but you know what I mean.

I also check with fellow authors/friends (parts of whose works in progress I am lucky enough to read before they gets published) to make sure I have not inadvertently nicked one of their character names. No it’s not against the rules. It’s more of a courtesy. Writer Anny Cook and I both came up with the name Zipporah and I noticed author Bronwyn Green http://bronwyngreenblog.blogspot.com/ and I have had characters with similar names. It happens. It’s not a hair pulling event, it’s more that we tend to think a like. Writers are not
drama queens - most of the time. I will myself admit to the odd dramatic stamping of feet but I ask you what are Doc Martens double strapped Mary Janes for if not to stomp?

So what’s in a name? Depends. It can make a character sound tough or exotic. Maybe the character is intriguing enough on their own that they don’t need an odd name. It depends on the writer. Sometimes an odd name is better than the plethora of Jakes and Lukes that are constantly found in the pages of romance books. I used Nick in Seducing Celestine and I agreed with my wise Editor it was a name that romantically was done to death yet I wanted a plain name to balance out Celestine. See? Writers do tend to spend time on names.

Speaking of great names….Dakota Rebel’s story 'Kit and Mouse' is part of Bound Brits a great new anthology out now from Total-E-Bound. Dakota kindly agreed, after my email barrage to her, to give me an excerpt for your reading pleasure. Remember it’s just a click on the cover to buy.

Kit and Mouse – by Dakota Rebel - the blurb

Kit is a vampire who had been planning on a quiet evening out at the local pub. But that plan becomes null when Mouse walks in. As soon as Kit meets him she knows that this quiet, shy man is not really what he seems. She instantly knows that she has to have him.
Mouse plays into her hands perfectly, agreeing to accompany her home. But Kit is in for quite a surprise when the nervous veneer fades and this mortal becomes the demanding and dominating man Kit never realised she had been needing.

Excerpt – warning contains adult content

He reached up to softly caress my cheek. I leaned into his palm but he moved it to wrap behind my neck. He grabbed a handful of my hair, snapping my head back and staring into my eyes.

“Are you going to be a good girl and do what you’re told tonight?”

“I’ll try.” It was barely a whisper, but he nodded.

Then his mouth was on mine, our teeth and tongues crashing violently together. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, to hold myself tighter against his body, but I hadn’t been given permission. So I stood with my hands clenched into fists at my side, waiting for his next command.

“Touch me,” he said against my lips.

Immediately, I ran my hands up his back and over his shoulders. He kissed me again, slightly softer but still full of passion and heat. His hand tightened in my hair and he pulled me back again.

“No biting, and you do what I tell you to do,” he said. “Do you want a safe word?”

“No,” I said quickly. Probably too quickly. I wasn’t really thinking about anything but fucking him at that point.

“Just in case,” he said with a small smile.

“Okay, you pick. I don’t care.” The words tumbled out of my mouth, still without any real thought attached to them.

He kissed my ear and inhaled deeply before whispering, “Peaches.”

Then his mouth covered mine again. I ran my hands up his neck and wound my fingers in his hair, not as tightly as he held mine, but enough that he knew they were there. He pulled away to look at me again.

“Can you let a man dominate you, Kit? How long has it been since you weren’t in charge?”

“Years. I don’t know how long exactly.”

“Can you do it? Will you do it for me?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s your bedroom?”

Anny has the continuing saga of dragon romance and sex on www.annycook.blogspot.com – whoa before you hare off over there to see how dragons have sex - I would suggest carefully – Kelly has dragons of a different kind on www.kkirch.blogspot.com – then check out http://sandracox.blogspot.com/ and have a knowing laugh at Murphy’s Law. Yes, how bossy am I? Go - seek -buy - read.

www.freewebs.com/amarindajones/
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

Sunday once more...

Sex…what’s it all about in romance writing? Is it all that central to the plot when it comes to the relationship between the characters? I think we can all agree that the romance between the characters has to be the most important thing. If these are not people that you want to see get together then all the most imaginative, swinging from chandelier sex in the world is not going to make it happen. You have to believe they love each other even through she swears she can’t stand him or they are in peril as they fight the bad guy.

So, how much sex is too much sex? I have no idea. It depends on your own personal moral code. Some people consider any sex in a romance book pornographic while others like to read about the characters falling into bed - or wherever they have sex – together. I personally believe it depends on the style of writing. For example, in Honeysuckle author Anny Cook writes eye-popping sex. To me it’s funny, crazy and hot and it fits totally in with the story. While in Time For Love, author Kelly Kirch allows us a brief

glimpse of what is going to happen before she shuts the door on the characters moment together. That makes me want to read more as I want to know what the characters think the next day. In my own books, I try and write sex that is crazy, off-the wall and real. I personally don’t believe in writing soap opera perfect sex where the hero sweeps the perfectly formed heroine into his arms and over to the bed, where rose petals have been scattered and subtle candlelight highlights her porcelain skin. If you love that, then that’s great and I respect that. I just don’t believe sex is ever that perfect. Things happen that make you laugh.

So, what do you think? How much sex is too much sex? Do you cringe when you read it or do you smile and think I must try that out later tonight? Do you want the full blown fantasy of soap opera style sex or do you want real sex in your books? Feel free to comment.

Changing the subject completely…


I am completely pathetic at checking television guides as I don’t watch much television other then certain set programs. But today was different. Why? Because I knew the new series of Robin Hood was coming back to television. Why Robin Hood? It’s very historical. It marks a time in English history when the people were oppressed by cruel, greedy tyrants. Yes, I am a student of history. Okay and maybe, I really, really like to watch Richard Armitage who plays Sir Guy of Gisborne. Yes, it’s true, Sir Guy and Tim Tams are my weaknesses. I’ll admit I am quite pathetic over that man but I know I am not alone. There is a whole Armitage Army out there. So tonight I answer no phones or doorbells. I will be gazing wistfully at the dark and deadly sexy Sir Guy.

A big hello to fellow Steve Seagal aficionado Jane…the lucky woman got to watch a Steven marathon today. See? He really can save the world. Jane and I know the power of Steven.

I heard on the radio this morning that Aussies are more interested in saving money when they go to do the grocery shopping than worrying about the way something is packaged. Well duh. I totally understand what the environmentalists are saying. I get that they want less waste and therefore less impact on the environment but Mr, Mrs or Ms Citizen also has to think about their budget. It cannot be a shock that people will buy cheaper stuff in order to get by in life as opposed to analysing the packaging and buying more expensive stuff. That’s just the way life is. I also find the debate over plastic bags at supermarkets interesting. Yes, I have cloth bags that I use when I go shopping. I recycle and I compost stuff. What I don’t understand is if we get rid of plastic bags what do we put our rubbish in? One genius suggested
buying plastic bags to use for rubbish. Now, I ask you, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of less plastic bags if we go out and buy more to stop using the ones we shouldn’t be using now? Why manufacture more when they are the problem? I agree we are screwing up the planet but really unless someone can come up with a viable solution and not add to the problem shouldn’t we just continue to try to do our best and be careful?

Just quickly, I read the biggest load of racist crap on another blog today. Why would anyone print such rubbish for all to see? I know it takes all kinds to populate the world but you have to wonder what the grand plan was to have these idiots on the planet.

So, from sex to Robin Hood to saving the environment to idiots…that was my Sunday. Go check out Anny – www.annycook.blogspot.com and Kelly on www.kkirch.blogspot.com to see what they are thinking. I’m sure it will be memorable.

www.freewebs.com/amarindajones/
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?