What I Read Last Week

I just realized the date - so Happy 12/12/12! That's pretty cool!

I only finished one book last week, mainly because the book I'm currently reading was a mistake from the get-go, but I'm too stubborn to stop reading it (Note – if you've never read a book from the author and you are handed a free copy of the third book in a series, do not read it. I'll have more to say next week, I'm sure.). Anywhooo, here's what I read last week:

Dec 6: "Deliver Me From Darkness" by Tes Hilaire. Yay! A freebee book paid off. I found another author to follow (like I needed one, but who cares!). Blurb: He had once been a warrior of the Light, one of the revered Paladin. A protector. But now he lives in darkness, and the shadows are his sanctuary. Every day is a struggle to overcome the bloodlust. Especially the day Karissa shows up on his doorstep. She is light and bright and everything beautiful – despite her scratches and torn clothes. Every creature of the night is after her. So is every male Paladin. Because Karissa is the last female of their kind. But she is his. He may not have a soul, but he can't deny his heart. This was one of those books where I HAD to put it down or I'd never get any writing done. I loved it that much! I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.

 

I had upped my goal on Goodreads back in September (from 55 to 80 books), and this book reached that goal. Don't know how many more I'll get read in the few weeks left of the year, so I'm not going to adjust it again. Do you read more or less during the holidays? Or does it stay pretty constant year-round?

I'm headed for Kentucky again today for another nice trip with the husband and hoping to get a lot of editing done. At least I got my Christmas shopping finished, so it's less guilt I'll be free of anyway!

 

Television Rant - Not the shows, but the sets

As I sit in Buffalo Wild Wings watching the Steelers play (of which I can't understand why the local CBS station didn't show the game since the Bengals were on FOX – I think there are more Steelers fans than Browns fans down here), I realize I really hate wide screen televisions.

Not the size, or the fact the picture is sharper. I love all that. What I hate is the set-ups available.

The regular old televisions only came one way in the past – 4:3. The new ones have zoom, stretch, or whatever to make the picture look all wonky.

Why can't the newfangled televisions only come one way? Is it all that important for the whole screen to be filled? Just leave the set alone!

If a show airs in 4:3, you get the black bars on the side. If a show airs in super wide screen, you get the black bars on the top and bottom. When you mess with the set-up, everything looks weird. And I notice.

Out of all the television sets in B-dubs, the Steelers were shown on the ONE set where the screen was stretched all weird-like. It's a HD show. It shouldn't need any stretching. So instead, the people are tall and skinny and the lines on the field bend outward (especially when the picture is scanned – ugh!). Plus, the picture is blurry. Well, it would be sharp for one of those old-fashioned 4:3 sets, but not for an HD one.

Technology can be great, but it's also one big pain in the butt. Especially for this OCD person.

Please tell me I'm not the ONLY one who notices these things. My husband thinks I'm crazy! Heck, I probably am – I AM a writer!

By the way, the Steelers lost (we didn't even bother to stay for the whole game), but my Rams won (with 48 seconds left in the game, too). They haven't been at .500 in I don't know HOW long!! Yay!

 

 

My Current Project

My husband had to travel to Kentucky for work and asked if I wanted to tag along. I thought, why not? It's not really costing us more than if I had stayed at home (just my meal, if I don't share his, that is). Also, when I'm at home, I feel the need to clean or decorate (you know, for that big holiday that's coming up), not just sit and edit.

Hotel rooms aren't all that great, but now I can work without all that guilt. I could do this more often!

So, what am I editing? My vampire series.

The first book in the series – book 3, MY SUNNY VAMPIRE – is out on submission. I realized that when I sell it (or self-publish), it would help to have the other books in the series all cleaned up. Only problem, the third book in the series – book 2, SARAH'S TURN – is a syrupy piece of crap.

That is the sequel to the second book in the series – book 1, THE UNCOMMON ONE – and it just didn't work. So, I decided to rewrite it for another couple. This created a problem, though. If I was making it someone else's book, then I had to end book 1 with the ending from book 2.

Confused? Yeah, me, too!

Anyway, my current project is cleaning up book 1 (it needs it, but it's nice to know I still love the story, if not the title) and getting immersed once again so I can end it differently. Once I finish that, then I'll completely revise book 2, which I guess when you look at it, will really be book 6, right? Or not? What do you think? Even though I'm using some bits already written, the couple is being written from scratch.

In the end, my series will be as follows: MY SUNNY VAMPIRE (book 3 with Jack and Sunny), MY RELUCTANT VAMPIRE (book 1 with John and Sarah), and MY VAMPIRE HERO (book2/6 with Sam and Janie). I'm perfectly fine with the first title (in fact, I love it), but I'm still playing with the other two. If I get lucky with a small press, hopefully they can come up with better titles. If I'm self-publishing, then I'll have to work on them some more.

I really love working in the hotel room, though. No interruptions. No guilt. No getting up and snacking. Of course, I'm not getting any decorating or shopping done (I'm not about to walk to the store – it's freakin' cold outside), but if my husband doesn't care, then I don't either. He's taking another trip next week. We'll see if he invites me again.

 

What I Read the Last 2 Weeks

Oh my gosh! This is my 400th posting! How crazy is that? Three years ago on Thanksgiving I started doing this thing. Time sure flies, doesn't it?

Last week I was on a ship enjoying a cruise and didn't post anything, so basically the following is what I read in the past two weeks. Most of them read on that cruise, by the way.

 

Nov 24: "Blood Deep" by Sharon Page. This book is a historical paranormal romance, toward the erotic side. Blurb on back: Going to her lover, Miranda Bond speeds through the night, headless of danger. Then her carriage is captured by two daring and mysterious highwaymen – two devastatingly handsome men determined to share her in fantastic games of erotic titillation… Miranda's captors are deadly and dangerous vampires, who have escaped from a hellish prison to seek revenge. She cannot resist as Zayan and Lukos take her to the precipice of surrender – for it may be her innocence that brings them all release… I read the first book of this series and liked it well enough so when I saw the author at a convention, I wanted to buy the next and get her autograph. But she had the third book. I asked her if I needed to read the second to understand the third. She said no. I think she was wrong. I felt confused at times (especially in the beginning) and never really connected with the characters. I enjoyed the first book a whole bunch better and not so sure I want to go back and read the second. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads.

 

Nov 26: "666 Park Avenue" by Gabriella Pierce. This book is a paranormal, but not a romance. Might even be considered horror (but not in the Stephen King or Dean Koontz kind of way - is there such a thing as light horror?). Blurb on back: Ever since fabulously wealthy Malcolm Doran walked into her life and swept her off her feet, fledgling architect Jane Boyle has been living a fairy tale. When he proposes with a stunning diamond to seal the deal, Jane can't believe her incredible luck and decides to leave her Paris-based job to make a new start with Malcolm in New York. But when Malcolm introduces Jane to the esteemed Doran clan, one of Manhattan's most feared and revered families, Jane's fairy tale takes a darker turn. Soon everything she thought she knew about the world – and herself – is upended. Now Jane must struggle with newfound magical abilities and the threat of those who will stop at nothing to get them. I got this book for free at RT this year. The cover and blurb intrigued me. Wasn't sure what to expect, but it kept my attention. I just wish the ending was a little better, but apparently it's the beginning of a series (one I might look into some more). I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

 

Nov 28: "Ghost Walk" by Heather Graham. This book is a paranormal romance. Believe it or not, I've never read any of her books before. I got this one at the 2010 RT for free and finally found a time to read it. Technically, I read it in a day (less than 24 hours), even though I started it on the 27 and finished it at 1 a.m. on the 28. Blurb on back: Nikki DuMonde's newest employee is standing at the end of her bed at four o'clock in the morning begging for help. It's a joke, right? Besides, as manager of a successful New Orleans haunted-tour company, Nikki doesn't scare easily. But in the light of day, harsh reality sets in as a police officer informs her that Andy was brutally murdered – at the exact time Nikki swears the distraught woman was in her room. No one believes her except Brent Blackhawk, a paranormal investigator desperately trying to forget his tragic past. Half Irish, half Lakota – and able to communicate with the dead – Brent is used to living in two worlds. Bur when he realizes the ghost of a slain government agent is also trying to reach out to Nikki, he knows that she, too, must listen to the dead…if she wants to keep living. I really liked the book (which told some New Orleans stories) and connected with the characters very easy. Loved the romance! I'll definitely check out more of her work. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.

 

Dec 1: "Virtually His" by Gennita Low. This book is marked as a romantic suspense. It should say "This book will PISS YOU OFF!" Blurb: Chosen to be the ultimate secret operative, Helen Roston has become the most dangerous woman in the world. Two years of training and she's now ready for the final phase – a risky combination of virtual reality and a mind-altering serum. When her mysterious and faceless "trainer" syncs his mind to hers using the program, she's amazed at her sizzling response to his virtual touch. But Helen likes to be in control. She's not going to beg for more. Helen's final test is a challenge mission, picked by the other government agencies whose candidates lost out to her. To succeed, she has to put herself completely in the hands of her trainer, a man she's not sure she can trust. But all of COS Command are counting on her. She cannot fail. I struggled with this book from the beginning, but stuck with it hoping for a payoff I never received. I had no idea this was the first book of a series (no where on the cover does it state anything like that). Even so, it should have had some kind of ending. It did not. Next – If a book is marked as a ROMANTIC anything, it should better have some romance in it. This one had sex – soooo not the same thing. Finally – I had no idea who the trainer was (even in his POV), and it was only assumed at the end. Hated that! I will NOT read the next book, since I no longer trust this author. I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads.

 

So, two hits and two misses. I need to read more hits. I find I read them faster, too. If I can put a book down because I don't want to read it (as opposed to putting it down so I'm not wasting all my time reading instead of writing, like I should be), then I should seriously consider whether or not I should finish the darn thing. Doubt I'll do it, though. I'm stubborn that way, I guess (or would that be hopeful??).

 

Hope you're reading something good!

 

 

My Vacation - Yes, There's Pictures!

Driving down to New Orleans was a lot less tiring than driving back. Probably because we took two days to get down there and only one day to return. That, and the fact my husband was trying to see if he could read a book in one day (he'd never done it before), so my four hour driving stint turned into six and a half (I drove from Tuscaloosa to 30 miles out of Cincinnati). He proudly finished the book at 11:00 pm and drove the rest of the way home (which took all of 90 minutes – Thanks, Tess Gerritsen!).

 

Besides all that driving, the cruise was wonderful. Weather was sunny and warm at both Progreso and Cozumel. Thoroughly enjoyed that!

We had scheduled excursions for both stops, but our kayaking trip in Progreso got cancelled at the last minute (not enough signed up for it), so my husband and I took a $3.00 double-decker bus tour through the little town.

 

Then we walked down to the beach. Our friend wasn't feeling well, so she stayed on ship (so it was probably a good thing the excursion got cancelled or she would have been out some money!). Progreso is a nice, quiet place. The place the Mexicans come to vacation (or so we were told by two Canadians who now call Progreso their home).

 

During the summer, the place gets packed with 150,000 people. As you can tell from the pictures, not so many visit during the off-season. Although, why it's off-season, I have no idea. The weather was TERRIFIC!

We were hit numerous times to purchase massages and the Mayan cell phones (large conk shells!). I cracked up at that.

We'd been in Cozumel before (back in 2007) and didn't sign up for anything then, because nothing really appealed to us. This time we took the XRail excursion. The guide called it the Mexican Lamborghini.

 

This was one rough event (and muddy, too), but a whole lotta fun! I didn't take my camera along – wasn't risking it getting ruined – but the tour guides took lots of pictures. Yeah, they came with a price (and some T-shirts), but it was worth it.

 

This was our second best excursion ever (River Tubing in Belize is still #1) and if we ever go back to Cozumel, we will definitely do it again (of course, next time I will NOT drink anything at the half-way point unless it's hot out and I'm sweating – riding in those things with a full bladder isn't so great).

On our assigned dinner table, my husband had the privilege to be the only man amongst nine women – Mary #1 (our friend), Mary #2, Karen, Passion, Rachel, Danielle, Diane, Ruth, and ME! Sometimes you wonder what kind of dinner mates you'll end up with. So far, we've been lucky. Dinner was enjoyable, although I think the table behind me was having a bit more fun than we were – or maybe they just drank more!

Overall, we had a great time. I don't know when our next cruise will be (since I'm currently not bringing in a paycheck), so I'm glad I have this one as my last to remember for awhile. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Here are some more (and as always, click on the photo and you'll get a better/larger view):

 

Port hole was a bit on the wet side, but I just
loved the sunrise!

I was looking at taking a picture similar to the Corona
commercial, but I don't think I quite got it!

Not sure what they were building in Progreso, but the
birds appeared to enjoy it!