Wednesday Reads

I’m almost finished with my novella, which I’m currently calling A Vampire Wedding. Still don’t know if I’ll keep that name, but I haven’t gotten any better suggestions (yet). Anyway, here’s what I read this week:

Sep 26: “Midnight Awakening” by Lara Adrian, third book in the Midnight Breed series, a paranormal romance at 369 pages. Blurb from book: With a dagger in her hand and vengeance on her mind, Darkhaven beauty Elise Chase prowls Boston’s streets in search of retribution against the Rogue vampires who took from her everything she cherished. Using an extraordinary psychic gift, she tracks her prey, well aware that the power she possesses is destroying her. She must learn to harness this gift, and for that she can turn to only one man—the deadliest of the Breed warriors, Tegan. No stranger to loss, Tegan knows Elise’s pain. He knows fury, but when he slays his enemies it is with ice in his veins. He is perfect in his self-control, until Elise seeks his aid in her personal war. An unholy alliance is forged—a bond that will link them by blood and vow—and plunge them into a tempest of danger, desire, and darkest passions of the heart… I’m really getting hooked on this series. I was just buying one, read it, wait for a B&N coupon then buy another. Now I’m thinking I might want them all on hand!!! Yeah, this series is very similar to J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, but who cares! I love that series, so why wouldn’t I love something similar? Lots of romance and action with just the right amount of sex (yeah, sometimes there can be too much). I’ll be reading this series to the end, for sure.

Sep 29: “Hard To Hold On To” by Laura Kaye, #2.5 in the Hard Ink series, a contempory romance novella at 166 pages. Blurb from book: Edward “Easy” Cantrell knows better than most the pain of not being able to save those he loves—which is why he is not going to let Jenna Dean out of his sight. He may have just met her, but Jenna’s the first person to make him feel alive since that devastating day in the desert more than a year ago. Jenna has never met anyone like Easy. She can’t describe how he makes her feel—and not just because he saved her life. No, the stirrings inside her stretch far beyond gratitude. When the pair is thrust together and chaos reigns around them, they both know one thing: The things in life most worth having are the hardest to hold on to. This was a gut wrenching little story. Had me in tears many times. Most of the series probably falls in the romantic suspense genre, but not this one. Still a good story and I look forward to reading #3.

So… It seems I can’t think of a question to ask today (my brain gets that way sometimes). Got a question for me?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

I Used to Love Fall TV

When I was younger, I couldn’t wait until the TV Guide came out showcasing the new Fall television season. I’d go through that thing, picking which shows I wanted to watch and then moaning when some would be against each other. Because this was before the world of VCRs and DVRs. Before there was a zillion cable channels to choose from. Before series could start any time, any where.

Somewhere along the way I’ve lost interest. I stopped getting the TV Guide when it stopped listing the local stations, but I think I just used that as an excuse to finally cancel my subscription. I still watch TV, but not with anticipation. If it weren’t for my hubby, I’d watch way less than I do. But he likes watching and I like watching with him. I just wish he didn’t like to watch so many shows.

If someone had told my younger self that I would eventually feel that way, I would have said they were bonkers! Because I was a television junkie and I was sure I’d always be one.

Anyway, I did see one of the new shows last night (from a recording): Blindspot (I think that’s the name of it). Hubby wants to watch a few more episodes before he decides he wants to stick with it. I could quit it right now and be okay. Although the guy in it is kind of appealing. J

So… Did you see the lunar eclipse last night? I saw parts of it. Pretty cool.

Have a great Monday!

Stacy

Pictures From My Cruise

I’m surprised I even remembered to download the pictures. Too many strange distractions almost made me forget! You see… I noticed a stink bug crawling on the inside of my French door.

Ugh. I hate those things.

So I got the Raid and sprayed it. It fell on the floor and I covered it with a glass, waiting for the stinker to die. I went back to my laptop and a few minutes later, I noticed two more of those things on the door. I sprayed along the top seam, and then three more crawled out! Aack!

As I mentioned on Facebook: I thought Raid was supposed to kill the bugs, not invite them inside!!!

So my attention was pretty much on those things during the afternoon, just waiting for them to die so I could scoop them up and toss them in the trash. Seems Raid doesn’t kill them very quickly. Kind of cruel, I know, but then they should have stayed outside.

Anyway, I did manage to remember my pictures, so here they are.

 

We left out of New York City. The day started out beautiful, but turned cloudy/rainy by the time we departed. I really loved that curved building in the middle (might have to click on the picture to enlarge it). Every floor seems to have a patio!

 

I was surprised at the amount of construction going on.

 

Nice shot of one of the touring boats sailing by Lady Liberty.

We arrived in Boston two hours late because of a malfunctioning engine (which did get repaired before we docked). We were going to tour Fenway park, but wouldn't have made it in time for the last tour. Bummer! It was a very windy day, though. We just walked around the port instead.

Here's the first lighthouse we visited in Portland, Maine, called the Bug.

No sand on these beaches!

This was the second lighthouse we visited in Portland. This is a picture of my hubby! Walking along those rocks was not easy. Some of the gaps were rather large. But I made it to the end.

Here's a view from the lighthouse. It was quite a trek!

This was the third lighthouse we visited in Portland. Got hubby to take my picture with my camera.

Behind the scenes of the fish market in Portland.

Birds!!

 

Still in Portland. Apparently, if you love someone and want to lock their love, you purchase a lock, attach it to the fence, and then throw the key away. At least, I THINK that's what it's all about. Teaches me not to listen to the tour guide all the time!

Here's a picture of our room. The balcony rooms are way bigger than the inside cabins. It's even got a couch!

It has a bigger desk area, too. Yeah, we take lots of stuff with us!

This was taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is the guard to the Citadel (I believe).

This here is Peggy's Cove. Those rocks are something, aren't they?

Me, at the lighthouse in Peggy's Cove.

This handsome fella played the bagpipes and you could hear him from all over.

On the day we were to arrive at Saint John, New Brunswick, the crew put out the towel creatures around the pool area.

Cool alligator. Or is that a crocodile?

This is the reversing falls in Saint John. You see... the Saint John River (in the distance) flows into the Bay of Fundy. When the tide is low, the river flows into the bay. When the tide is high, the bay will flow back into the river (because the tide in the bay fluctuates way more than the river does--something like a 30" difference). This was taken at low tide, but not at the lowest. During the lowest, I was told these rapids are a lot rougher.

Covered bridge in New Brunswick. Was told that whoever owned the land closest to the covered bridges were responsible for shoveling snow INSIDE the bridge so the sleighs could travel through them.

Bay of Fundy. Those are caves in the distance. During low tide, you can walk to them (and inside them) and not get wet (shows you how much the tide fluctuates here, huh?). The tide was rising when we got there and we couldn't go and visit.

Here's a shot of the reversing falls with the bay flowing back into the river. It was too calm to really see any difference, though. Again, we were a little late. Ah, what can you do? It was a tour.

 

Our last night on the ship and the moon rose. I thought it was pretty and wasn't sure how well the picture would come out. Not too shabby! You can even see some stars (or maybe they're planets--I can't tell from here).

 

Overall, we had a great time. I would have liked to have seen some fall colors, but it was warm up there (near 80 on some days). Couldn't have asked for better weather, though.

So… how do you go about killing stink bugs? These were the big diamond-back kind. I would have LOVED to squish them, but I really don’t want to find out why they have that name. You know???

Hope you liked the pics and have a great weekend.

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and I'm Moving Up!

I’m five books ahead of schedule. Ain’t that awesome? I think I might actually reach my goal this year (unlike last year, where I was 2 books shy).

Here’s what I read this week:

Sep 17: “Dinosaur Lake” by Kathryn Meyer Griffith, first book in the Dinosaur Lake series, a horror/thriller at 275 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: An ancient predator has been reborn in the caves beneath Crater Lake…and it’s hungry. Ex-cop Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for eight years and he likes his park and his life the way it’s been. Safe. Tranquil. Predictable. But he’s about to be tested in so many ways. First the earthquakes begin…people begin to go missing…then there’s some mysterious water creature that’s taken up residence in the caves below Crater Lake and it’s not only growing in size, it’s aggressive and cunning…and very hungry. And it’s decided it likes human beings. To eat. And it can come up onto land. So Henry, with the help of his wife, Ann; a young paleontologist named Justin; and a band of brave men must not only protect his park and his people from the monster but somehow find where it lives and destroy it…before it can kill again. This book kind of reminded me of Jaws. Well, except sharks are for real now. It’s written in omniscient, which is kind of expected in this type of genre, but even so, I got a little confused as to whose thoughts I was in during some parts. Still, it was a fun read and it did keep me wondering what the heck was going to happen next! I think it would make a great disaster flick (just like Jaws). Don’t let the sequels fool you, though (yes, there’s a II and III out there I believe). This is a complete story and it ends. If you loved Jaws or Jurassic Park, you’ll get a kick out of this one!

Sep 20: “Unexpected Eden” by Rhenna Morgan, the first book in the Eden series, a paranormal romance at 257 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: Most people believe Eden no longer exists. Lexi Merrill’s about to learn they’re wrong. A hard-working bartender with a self-sufficient backbone and a wary nature, she knows pickup lines like a second language. So, when Eryx Shantos barges into her world with too-smooth words and a body to back it up, she locks up her libido and vows to keep her distance. Eryx has other ideas. As king of the Myren race, Eryx is duty-bound to enforce the laws preventing exposure of their existence to humans. Yet The Fates have led him through his dreams to Lexi, a temptation he doesn’t want to resist. The question--is she Myren, or human, which makes her forbidden fruit? When Eryx’s nemesis tags Lexi as his next target, Eryx insists on taking her home where he can keep her safe. Lexi had no idea “home” would mean the one-and-only land of creation…or that she’d trigger a prophecy that could doom her newfound race. Actually, this felt more like a fantasy than paranormal. Too many strange names for me to keep track of (but that’s an issue for me and not necessarily one for you). This series has a story that is not resolved in this book, but at least there weren’t any cliffhangers. I enjoyed the story, just wish I knew how I was supposed to pronounce some of those names. If you like to read sexy romances with some adventure in a world unlike our own, give this one a try.

RWA (that would be Romance Writers of America) changed their rules for admittance into PAN (that would be Published Authors Network). Used to be I needed to either earn $1000 on one book published through a traditional publisher, or earn $5000 on a self-published book, or I could be PAN-eligible for a $1000 advance on a book published through a traditional publisher (becoming PAN once the book is actually published). I couldn’t apply because none of my traditional books have earned at least $1000 (I didn’t get an advance, either) and my self-pubbed book hadn’t earned at least $5000.

Go figure, huh? You’d think my books would be selling like hotcakes. Or chocolate. They’re that good. Would I lie to you? ;)

Now… I just have to be published (whether traditional or self) to become PAN-eligible and a can become (full-fledged) PAN once any one of my books (traditional or self-pubbed) earns at least $1000. I applied and…got in! I’m now PAN-eligible. Whoo hoo! What’s the difference between the two, you ask? I just can’t vote for the PAN Liaison. I’m okay with not voting (for now). I’ll earn that $1000 eventually (and I have a feeling it might happen with Ghostly Liaison first).

Isn’t that a wonderful way to start a week? I think so.

So… Did you ever read Jaws? (I read it when I was 17, just before the movie came out.) Did you like it? (I loved it so much I was ready to watch the movie!) Think you might check out Dinosaur Lake? Let me know!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

 

What is it With Me and Watches Lately?

Last year during Dragon*Con my watch died. That’s when I realized just how much I use that thing! When I returned home, I got the battery replaced and made a note to make sure to have the battery changed before the next Dragon*Con.

Then in May I went to the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. My watch died. Really? That was two conventions I was LOST during. Pulling out my iPhone to check the time just doesn’t work for me because I keep my phone in my purse, not my pocket.

When I got home, I took the watch back to the store I got my battery (they guarantee them for a year). She said the battery was fine but the contact was dirty. If cleaning it didn’t work, then the watch was probably broken. Well, she cleaned it (free of charge, bless her) and it worked. I was happy!

Then August came around. My watch kept stopping every now and then. I had to face the fact: my precious Steelers watch, a watch I’ve had for close to 10 years, was dying. Whaaa!

I could have gone out and bought a watch to replace it, but a watch makes for a nice Christmas present (I picked out this pretty Penguins watch I want), so until then, hubby gave me his Steelers watch (because he doesn’t wear them anymore—he’d rather use his phone or ask ME the time). Yeah, it’s big, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that it kept time.

Until I got on the cruise.

Yep, you guessed it. The watch died on me! I was soooo frustrated. Ship’s time and local time were not the same while in Canada and my phone picked up local time. Think my brain always realized they were off? Nope. Argh!

Next cruise/convention I will pack TWO watches. And spare batteries. I will not be unprepared again.

I know you were probably hoping I’d have posted some pictures of the cruise. Let me tell you, you’re lucky I’m posting this. And that’s only because writing about my watch dying made for some fun writing. Haha! I promise to have some cruise pictures posted by Friday. PROMISE!

So… What do you feel lost without?

Happy Monday!

Stacy