Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Santa's Off Season (POEM)


I post this poem I wrote every Christmas Season because it makes me laugh. I wrote it and yes I still laugh at it. I wrote it for a contest years ago.

:) I hope you laugh too.

Tirzah
__________________


Santa’s Off Season

No, I ain’t gonna sit in your lap.
Don’t want no presents, no gifts,
don’t need no old man to give my skirt a lift.
You got a belly like jelly,
and crumbs in your beard.
And what's that smell? Wet reindeer?

And it’s none of your business
if I’ve been naughty or nice...
Sober up, fool, and go home to you wife.
Your cheeks are all rosy, your eyes have a shine,
I know that look...too much wine.
And breaking into houses,
that, moron, is a crime.

I just came over to say...
that you, old man, you're in my way,
so move that god-forsaken sleigh.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Vampire Cover--for Nadia

This vampire cover is not romantic. The book is about and angry, ill vampire.

Nadia needs for her friends and family to be able to see the possible changes side by side so I've listed them below.

So far the author wants the teeth bared, face close up and prefers blond hair. So concentrate on the close ups.

I prefer this one:
VERSION: DARK SHADOW, Blond Hair, Teeth Bared 6

Tirz

VERSION: RED POSTER 9


VERSION: CARTOON RED 8
___________

alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677099420320734274" /> VERSION: DEMON RED TINT 7

_____________

VERSION: DARK SHADOW, Blond Hair, Teeth Bared 6
___________


VERSION: Plain Blond 5
__________


VERSION: REJECTED ORIGINAL WINTER TINT, Shadow Trim, Full Body 4

__________

VERSION: DARK HAIR, TEETH Bared
3

_____________________


VERSION: REJECTED FULL BODY YELLOW Cemetary
2
__________


VERSION: REJECTED Rainbow Vampire
1

Monday, November 14, 2011

Odd Quotes that amuse me...

Those who can't think well, often speak the loudest.

To find monsters, look inside yourself first.

If your greatest fear is dying, then you've never really been afraid.

My zombie can eat your vampire.

If God had wanted you to be happy, you would have been born someone else.

Jesus loves you;I'm not Jesus.

Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one but you probably don't to see it up close and personal.

What are some odd quotes you like?

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Discussing Books From Authors I Know


Hey Bunnies,

Have you missed me? The computer is up and working again. I've been thinking about all the great writers I know through my website and my workshop and I realized that I know a lot of published writers.

So today I'm going to talk about the books published by people I know. I hope you'll look at these books and consider adding them to your read list.

After compiling the list, I realize I know a LOT of authors, both traditionally published and independently published. Due to the sheer number of books, I'm splitting this post up. The second half will be posted over the weekend.

The books talked about on this post are: The Celibate Mouse, I Wish I Were Engulfed by Flames, Girl in The Box, This Time You Lose, The Bum Magnet, Far From Happy, The Grateful Undead: They're So Vein, The Love ThingTirzah

Books from AUTHORS I KNOW:


The Celibate Mouse--Diana Hockley
Book Description: Shell-shocked from a tragedy at work and an acrimonious domestic upheaval, Detective Senior Sergeant Susan Prescott flees town to recuperate, but fate has other ideas. Her plan to house-sit for relatives in a rural community is shattered when Susan witnesses a very public murder within an hour of her arrival.
Click Here For Book Trailer

My Thoughts On the Cover: I love Diana's book cover...although I probably would have made the red coat a little brighter...lol. But I think it's a great cover and really builds suspense. And I'm a little sad I didn't create it. :) This book was one of the first ones I made a book trailer for so I'm fond of it.

Thoughts on the Book: Oh I love a good murder mystery, don't you? The plot is beautifully detailed. I really think it'd make a nice weekend mystery for television--someone tell a producer. The characters are flawed enough to be human and interesting enough to deserve a book be told about them.

Overall, I find this to be a great little rainy day murder mystery, perfect for curling up to in a warm bed. Hey, I have no boyfriend so if I chose to curl a book, don't judge me. :)


Invisible-Jeanne Bannon

Description: Lola’s not pretty. Lola’s not popular. Lola wishes she could disappear … and then one day she does just that... For seventeen-year-old Lola Savullo, life is a struggle. Born to funky parents who are more in than she could ever be, Lola’s dream of becoming a writer makes her an outsider even in her own home. Bullied and despised, Lola still has the support of her best pal Charlie and Grandma Rose. Not only is she freakishly tall, Lola’s a big girl and when forced to wear a bathing suit at her summer job as a camp counselor, Lola’s only escape from deep embarrassment seems to be to literally vanish.

Click Here for BOOK TRAILER
My Thoughts on the Cover--This designer went for less is more. The eyes grab you in the middle of all that whiteness. The feel of aloneness feeds into the plot. This cover shows restraint sometimes is best.

Thoughts on the Book: Jeanne can thank The Hunger Games for gettting me excited about YA again. After years of reading bad teen porn (what else can I call those adolescent make out books with some sort of magic in them?), that book made me excited for YA again. So I was willing to give her LOLA a chance. I related heavily with her main character. Haven't we all felt like the ugly duckling and haven't we all wished to disappear? This book is one that should be read in high schools. I think it has what so few YA books have--it has heart.


The Apocalypse Gene--
Description
: Global pandemic is raging.

Olivya Wright-Ono's once loving home has been converted to a hospice for the dying. Her ability to see auras forces her to witness, with agonizing detail, the vibrant colors of life consumed by malignancy. When Olivya sees evidence of disease creeping into her mother's aura, she has no one to turn to but Mikah. Can he unearth the Kindred secrets and find a cure? Can she trust this boy whose power allows him to manipulate her very emotions? With her mother's life, and that of the world, in the balance, Olivya and Mikah embark on a quest to stop the Pandemic, only to discover it is far, far more than a mere disease . . .

Click Here for the BOOK WEBSITE
My Thoughts On The Cover--Ah love the lightening blended with the DNA strands. It's science and fantasy blended. I wasn't sure I liked the brigher color strands at first but I've warmed up to it.

Book Thoughts--Another YA that should thank The Hunger Games I've warmed up to YA again. I'm so glad I didn't miss this book. The book is dark but never hopeless. It's a wonderful blend of dysopia, love story, a touch of sci-fi and a bit of fantasy. Boys and girls, it's Christmas already and I'm happy with my gift. :) What I was struck by in the book is how effortlessly the world building is done. I believe in this futuristic dark Chicago. I hope for Mikah and Olivya. And the authors slowly lead the reader forward until the whole premise seems like truth. Hard to do but---so wonderful to read.


Hardware--J.L. Campbell

Descrption: Camille Moyston has managed to put the nightmare of a violent attack behind her. Having forged a safe, predictable life, the last thing she needs is a cliché, oversexed Jamaican male expressing interest.For Quinn Mayhew, life is too good to waste time chasing a haughty, irritable woman who is too cautious to accept him for the man he is, but somehow she symbolizes everything he desires in his future.

When Camille's inner fortress finally starts to crumble, Quinn is arrested for murder and everything changes...

Thoughts on the Cover--Lovely blue water tones, sexy kiss...it tells me what I'm getting. A tension filled love story set near the water.

Check out Joy's website: The Character Depot


Thoughts on the Book--I haven't read this one. BUT I have read Joy's award winning short stories and I love the taste of Jamaica in her books so I can't imagine this isn't a good book.


The Grateful Undead
Descripton:--Be careful what you pray for. I merely asked to live a long healthy life and hinted that I wouldn't mind starting over while keeping the knowledge I had accumulated in my 58 years. And if a more youthful body and less wrinkles were involved, I certainly wouldn't complain. Well, I'm here to tell you, God does listen… to everything… and he's got quite a frigging sense of humor. I'm the undead proof. And so are the rest of my family, the whole dysfunctional lot, who wasted no time in baring their necks for a chance to share in my new found fountain of vampire youth.

Cover--It's irreverant and so is the book. I still think it needs more color. But I always love more...that's why I no longer own a bedazzler. :)

Thoughts on the Book--HAHAHAHAHAHA--does that sum it up? The only thing worse than a house full of pissy menopausal women is a house full of pissy women with 20 year old bodies and bad attitudes. It's a darkly funny.If any of you have ever had family problems or 'female' problems and love the vampire life---please, please go buy this one. Volume 2 comes out soon--Gator Baitin'.

Check out her website: The Grateful Undead: They're So Vein


Far From Happy-- Jeni Decker/Not Yet Published

Description: Jackson Fouchet steps off a bus at the Port Authority in June of 1987—directly onto Times Square—an 18 year old kid with the word naiveté plastered across his forehead.Immediately spotted by a young hustler, he begins his journey from peep shows to the last bathhouses, getting involved with Mr. B, the mob-connected owner of multiple clubs, all under fire from a new mayor embarking on an anti-sleaze campaign directed squarely at The Deuce.

He spends the next 20 years on the streets trying to swim against the mob who controls the gay sex trade, the politicians trying to eliminate it, and the misfits addicted to it—until a call in 2008 forces him return to his native New Orleans and a dying sister. Coming home proves harder than coming out in this story about love, family and acceptance.

PUBLISHER WEEKLY Review: "[Far From Happy] does a fine job navigating inner turmoil, family dynamics and political realities, grabbing you by the heart even when you’d rather turn away. Its no-holds-barred sexual content is challenging, but far from gratuitous; rather, it sharpens an already edgy story of indifference, shame, and, finally, acceptance."

Thoughts on The Book: I read this book in my online workshop before it was picked up by a publisher. If you've never read LGBT literature, this book may be the one to start with. It's gritty and the sex scenes may be overly graphic for some BUT this book is more about emotional growth of Jackson. Yes, he was a hustler but Jackson is also a person who is broken emotionally. I bawled reading this book, just bawled. I was at turns repulsed by Jackson and heartbroken by him. In the end, I just really wanted to save him. It's a wonderful book but it is NOT for every reader. Be prepared for a gritty, dark climb into the light.


I Wish I Were Engulfed In Flames-Jeni Decker

Description: This is Jeni's brutally honesty and darkly funny memoir on raising two boys with autism.
CLICK HERE FOR BOOK TRAILER

Book Cover--It's kitchy. The cover was debated, disected and discussed to death at my workshop. Although I don't think it would have been the author's first choice, I think it does grab the eye off the book shelf. What I worry about is that the cover is a bit cutesy. As the book's title tells you, this is a funny memoir with an edge. The edge is missing in the cover.

Thoughts on Novel: This is non-fiction. If you are looking for a book where we all hold hands sing 'Oh Happy Day', this isn't that book. Engulfed is an honest book full of frustration, pain, love, anger and laughter. Probably the most commerical of Jeni's books, it's still a book unafraid to look you in the eye and tell the truth. A rare commodity.

VISIT JENI DECKER's WEBSITE


This Time You Lose--Chris Strayln

DESCRIPTION: What would you do if street thugs invaded your home? What if you’re a daycare provider, caring for a dozen children at the time? Lisa Kaamp, a most unlikely heroine, faces just such a nightmare in This Time You Lose, the suspense driven story of one woman’s struggle to survive when she and the children she cares for become victims of a home invasion gone terribly wrong. Lisa Kaamp operates a small childcare business out of her home in Nogeksum, Michigan. Highly respected and known for going the extra mile for her daycare kids, she thinks she’s handled every daycare emergency possible. But nothing prepares her for the horror she now faces. Lisa finds herself bound and gagged, four strange men in her home, and the daycare children held hostage in the next room.

Book Cover--One of the very first covers I ever designed so, of course, I LOVE it. Hah.

Book Thoughts: A home invasion story where being a hero is more than just words. It's a tense book, a real nail biter. It reads quickly but you'll be reading it sitting on the edge of your chair. Not a book if you have high blood pressure, the excitement may hurt you. :)

CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE for This Time You Lose



Girl In The Box--Sheila Dalton

Official Reviews
ABNA Publisher Weekly Review
In a series of deftly handled flashes ... this novel successfully juggles themes involving relationships, commitment, professional jealousy and helplessness in the face of international issues.

--Publishers' Weekly
One to Watch: The protagonist's dark past, not to mention the book's focus on international issues, professional jealousy and journalistic crusading, is akin to [Stieg] Larsson's Lizbet Salander. --Quill and Quire, Jan./Feb. 2011

Description: Caitlin Shaughnessy, a Canadian journalist, discovers that Inez, a traumatized young Mayan woman originally from Guatemala, has killed Caitlin's psychoanalyst partner, Dr. Jerry Simpson. Simpson brought the girl, who may be autistic, back to Canada as an act of mercy and to attempt to treat her obvious trauma. Cailin desperately needs to find out why this terrible incident occurred so she can find the strength to forgive and move on with her life.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BOOK TRAILER
Book Cover: I like the subtle colors of the cover. I also like that the girl is faceless. The cover echoes the title, she's boxed and removed from color. It's sad cover but very self-contained, just like Inez. I also really liked what they did with the font. Font is so important.

Thoughts on the Book: The book builds slowly. Unlike so much of the in your face suspense, this book warms to a acid burn of psychological suspense. Oh what a film this would make, somebody get ten million together and help Shelia bring it to the screen. I think the opening scene where the image of Christ is bleeding sets the theme for Inez. Both she and Jerry are both sacrificed for the sins of others. Am I reading too much into it? Dunno.

Beautifully paced, emotionally suspenseful--The Girl in The Box is what psychological suspense use to be when it was still good. You won't get Die Hard action so if you want car chases and jiggling boobs, it's not the book for you. But if you like a thinking suspense book that grows organically? Then buys this!


The Bum Magnet--K.L. Brady

DESCRIPTION: Charisse Tyson’s got it all going on . . .
She’s a savvy, successful real-estate agent with a quick wit, a low tolerance for BS, a gorgeous size-14 body, and a thirst for top shelf vodka. Despite her dream house, luxury car, and appetite for life’s best—like fine dining and hot men—she seems to have her own special talent for attracting players. Why do all of her ex-lovers belong in the Losers Hall of Fame?

There was Lamar, the hazel-eyed Adonis who sowed more wild oats than Quaker. . . Sean, an expert at juggling relationships . . . Marcus, whose lips wandered as often as his eyes . . . and others, too. But just as Rissey swears off sex and vows to dump her emotional baggage, she meets house-hunting client Dwayne Gibson. There’s no way she can resist his seductive smile and rock-hard body. . . . Will Dwayne turn out to be the biggest bum of them all? Or will this time be different?

Book Cover: There are so few great racially diverse stock photos, that's why I was so excited to see the cover for 'The Bum Magnet'. The African American model is beautiful, plus-size and gorgeous. Pefect for the character. The only thing I might have added was a bit more sex but can you have too much sex?

Thoughts on the Book: I read the early draft of this book on my online workshop. Karla shopped it for a bit but couldn't quite find a place for it. Then she self-published the book...it sold well and attracted the attention of a mainstream traditional publisher. This book is the pubilishing Cinderella tale. Her second book publishes within months.


The Love Thing--Chris Delyani

DESCRIPTION: Twenty-two-year old Greg DeAngelis moves to San Francisco from New York to escape his overbearing father, who's pressuring him to go to law school, and his ex-boyfriend Matthew, who dumps him for an older, richer man. To make desperately needed money Greg temps at a law firm, where he blunders into the role of the firm’s official birthday cake maker—despite his utter lack of culinary skill. A lot of guys vie for the hero’s attention as he navigates the rough waters of office politics and single life in San Francisco, but only one of them can give him "the love thing." Can he figure out which one, before it's too late? This comic novel is about the importance of love and friendship, and of knowing who your true friends really are.

Book Cover--Actually, it's not one of my favorite covers. I think this cover could use a little romance. :) BUt it's not a bad cover, just not as engaging as I'd like.

Book Thoughts: This was my first male-male romance. It opened my eyes to a whole world of LGBT books that are at heart--romantic. The main charcter is a bit lost. Greg's dad wants him to be a lawyer and he'd be good at it but his heart's not in it. When the guy he loves leaves him for another man, Greg re-locates, finds a temp job and searches for himself. He makes a few wrong turns in life, love and cake recipes but I loved this young man. I wanted him happy. It's a sweet book.

AMAZON PAGE

Check in next week for more books by authors I know.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Computer Problems-_Delay in Tuesday POst

Lost my keyboard. May have a delay in posting this week.

Sorry!

Tirz

Saturday, November 5, 2011

GLAZED (Short Story)


Glazed was written years ago. It's all about a guy that is so focused on his own pleasures, he missed the important stuff. It's so old and I'd do it differently now. Honestly I don't think I'd write it this way at all now. I do love that I got to play with taste and scent. The food descriptions were so much fun.

But I think it's a bit rushed and it's not as well developed as it could be.

Still it's amusing so I'm sharing. Here is one of my early short stories
---Glazed.

Tirzah
__________

Glass rained down in a sparkling cloudburst. Slivers of light, like live things speared into the passersby. I could barely hear the people screaming from inside my bakery but I could see it in dazzling techno-color.

People, smeared with bright streaks of blood, were scattered over the street. Some still, some running, and the worst, just hugging the ground, crying. The large glass windows in the county clerk's office were shattered all over the road. I shook my head at the noise and mess.

I took one last bite of the chocolate éclair, deliciously sweet, licked the dark streaks from my fingers, and went about straightening the shelves and wiping down the counters. The police weren't long in coming, followed closely by the ambulances. I counted the personnel gathering at the scene and started mixing another batch of batter.

Both coffee pots were brewing, I put out the fresh glazed donuts and popped another batch of snicker doodles in the oven. Some song was playing over and over in my head; I hummed a little piece of the melody, trying to catch the title. I liked things to be orderly. What was the name of that song? I nibbled on a cinnamon roll, pinching off little bites, savoring the glaze. I hummed a few more notes.

The bell jingled over the door and two uniformed police officers came in. One sported a paunch over his belt and wore tinted sunglasses. The other was shorter, thin, and dark.

"Morning Officers, would you like to try some of the glazed? They're still warm. Mmmm...all gooey." I washed my hands at the back sink and turned back to the officers, "So, what will it be?"

The heavy one took off his sunglasses and tucked them in his front pocket, "I'm Officer Mulroy and this is Deets, we wanted to ask you a few questions about the trouble this morning."

"What trouble?" I opened up the back of the display and took out two crème horns.

"Sir, surely you heard the explosion this morning?" Mulroy stepped closer, the plastic buttons of his shirt scraping against the counter.

"Oh that. I saw the window blow out. Is that what happened? An explosion? Well, isn't that interesting. How about a crème horn, fresh baked this morning?"

"No thank you. Are you the Derry on the sign outside?"

"Yes, that's me. Derry Dean of Derry's Delights. How about some of my lemon cookies? I mix lemon zest into the batter and it really makes the taste pop." I held out a small display tray, I had developed the recipe myself. They looked good, crisp and not to sweet. I tossed one into my mouth, mmm...good.

"Sorry, I have a weakness for sweets. Are you sure you don't want any? They are terribly good, if I do say so myself." I helped myself to another. Heavenly.

The dark one cleared his throat, "Sir, about this morning, what exactly did you see?" He pulled out a small black notebook and cheap ballpoint pen.

"Hmm...this morning. Yes, I was just trying one of my new éclairs, the dark chocolate, when the windows blew out. Would you like one? Coffee?"

"No. The windows?"

"Oh yes, the windows." I checked the batch of snicker doodles in the oven, not quite ready yet, "Mmm, the windows. Well, about nine-fifteen the windows shattered and hit all those people on the street. The coffee's a special blend, hazelnut and vanilla. Are you sure you don't want any?"

"No coffee. Mr. Derry, we're trying to run an investigation here, do you think you could just give us the specifics? The explosion was at 9:15am?"

"Well...there was an explosion, the windows blew out. Oh, I was so fortunate that I wasn't baking cakes this morning. Yes, where was I, yes, the glass went everywhere and all the people started running and yelling. I don't suppose you want to try a piece of peanut butter fudge?" I slid a smooth, sinful portion into my mouth. I closed my eyes on the rich, delicious taste. I opened my eyes to Mulroy's red, irritated face.

"Was it 9:15 or not?" Deets spoke this time, his words bitten off and spit out like a mouth full of unsweetened baker's chocolate.

"Isn't that what I just said?" I poured a small cup of coffee, sipped. Ugh, the taste was off.

I poured out what was in my cup and poured another cup. Oh my, the taste was overpowering, almost bitter. Tsking to myself, I carried the pot over to the sink and drained the remainder of the pot down the sink. Thank goodness they had not wanted coffee, I would have been ashamed to serve this tainted concoction. It was the last time Andree would sell me...I heard a slapping sound. The heavy police office was slapping his notebook against his hand, his face flushed red.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry if you wanted coffee but that sludge wasn't fit to serve to pigeons. If you have the time to wait, I'm going to put on a new pot. perhaps Sweet Georgia Brown...nice robust flavor..." Already, I had turned to get the beans from the sealed canister when I heard a muffled question.

"What?"

Speaking slowly through clenched teeth, the gypsy cop, darker than ever, leaned over the counter, "Did you see anyone strange around the area earlier this morning?"

"Stranger? No...no one strange. Nobody but the regulars but I was pretty busy. I guess business will be pretty bad until they fix up the street. I hope the repairs won't take long. Are you sure you don't want something? A piece of coffee cake?...danish?" At the sharp shake of their heads, I sighed. No one really appreciated the art of dessert anymore. I picked up a lemon tart and bit into it's perfect sugared brown crust, God on earth.

"Well, I guess that's it, Mr. Derry. We're going to be leaving now. If you remember anything else, you can contact us at this number." Aggravated, Mulroy tossed his card on the counter. The two men then turned and headed back out to the carnage outside.

I shook my head. They hadn't even had a cup of coffee. I took another succulent bite of tart. A riot of taste assaulted my taste buds.

Glorious. Hearing the bell, I glanced up to see Mr. Pearly ease his way through the door. Wizened with age, hair whitened by the years, Mr. Pearly was my favorite customer. Often, he would come in and sit at the counter, trying my newest confections, sipping coffee and looking out the window. Poor fellow, retirement had been hard for him. I knew money was tight so often I would let him critique my experiments and not charge him for his order.

"Morning Dee, quite a bit of excitement you had this morning," his voice was warm and heavy like molasses.

"Yes, but I'm afraid that no one seems hungry. Do you want to try my new chocolate strawberry crème?" At his nod, I pulled open the display door, and extracted a perfect dark chocolate cup filled with strawberry crème and placed it in front of the elderly gentleman.

Distracted, I looked around my spotless kitchen. I checked the fridge for the second time. Sigh. Something felt out of place but I couldn't quite place what it was. I turned my attention back to my customer.

Mr Pearly raised his fork and broke the surface, slicing deeply into the soft center. He lifted the sweet morsel of pink and chocolate mixture to his mouth and tasted. He held the bite for a moment, chewed, and swallowed delicately.

"Nice presentation but the filling is just a bit tart, don't you think?" he held a second forkful up to my mouth. I scooped it up in my mouth, held it, absorbing the flavor. True, I had noticed it before; the strawberries were a bit overbearing to the chocolate. Perhaps, the strawberries weren't ripe enough...maybe milk chocolate.

I nodded to him, smiling with relief. That's was it. The filling was off. Mr. Pearly had helped me perfect quite a few of my recipes in the last year. I retrieved three of the white chocolate truffles from the back case, his favorites, and set them beside his plate. He smiled and finished the strawberry crème.

"I thought you'd be in earlier, Mr. Pearly."

"I would have been but I had a little retirement business to take care of. Some goodbyes that needed to be said," his brown eyes were momentarily sad.

"Yes, I saw you go into work this morning. It must be hard to be denied doing the thing you love. Mandatory retirement is a terrible thing. Thank goodness, I own my own shop." I blushed, realizing what I had just said to poor Mr. Pearly. Losing his job last year had been hard but I didn't need to rub his nose in his misfortune. "Forgive me if I said anything..."

He waved off my apology, "What they did to me was a terrible blow but I finally feel I made a little peace with myself."

His dark nut brown eyes looked out my front window and stared at the glass covered street, sheet covered bodies, and crying victims huddled in front of the gutted building. Mr. Pearly pointed to a middle aged woman in a blood stained pink suit, "That was my supervisor."

Blood still streamed from her head and left leg, her eyes open but unseeing. Poor, poor woman. Those that had survived would be out on the street, living hand to mouth just like my friend, Mr. Pearly. I vowed to send each family a gift basket, it was the least I could do. Something niggled at the back of my mind, I was forgetting something.

I started to mentally check of the supplies I would need to finish the baskets.

"Do you want me to send your regrets with the care baskets that I'm sending?" What was bothering me? Nutmeg? I'm sure I had nutmeg.

"No, that's all right. I'm sure they all know how I feel."

Digging through the cabinets, I found the nutmeg. Placing it on the counter, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease. I nibbled on a butter cookie. Anxiety made me so hungry. What was it?

I mentally ran through my morning, Mr. Pearly had enter the building across the street about nine this morning just as I put the second batch of cookies in. The bombing just had me all rattled. Oh, I was missing something so important. What was it?

"Oh well, as long as you're sure." Aggravated, I refreshed our half-full cups. Business was going to be so slow today. Sigh. No use letting good food go to waste, I selected a perfect glazed donut from the covered glass platter and bit into it's sugar flaked outside...delicious.

Then, I smelled the acrid smell of burning cookies. Darn it, I forgot the snicker doodles. I always miss the important things. I found myself humming...what was that song?

Friday, November 4, 2011

Nano-nano, nano, nano...NANO....



Guess what?

It's NANO!

National Novel Writing month. I'm talking part in National Novel Writing Month again this year. The goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 days.

Yeah, we're all nuts.

That's 1667 words per day, every day.

Why? Because as I said we're all nuts. No, just kidding. Because it gets me off my butt and gets me writing in bulk.

Why 50,000 words?
That's the least amount of words that's still considered a novel.

Have I ever done it before? Yep. I even won once before. I wrote a horrid werewolf romance novel that year. It was fun. And no, you may never read it. I have no desire to publish a werewolf romance but the story was keeping me from writing anything else. I purged it.

The other two years I didn't get 50,000 words but I still did over 25,000 words in both of those. When else do you write that much in 30 days?

What am I writing this year?
I was bored with comedy so I'm going back to my roots and writing a suspense novel.

What do I win? Not a whole lot. I get to hang out with my writer friends. I get an e-certificate saying I finished. I get 50,000 new words.

Why do I still do it? Because even when it makes me miserable I'm still happy doing it.

MY TITLE: The Child Thief

Plot: A man can't stop himself from following an eight year old boy around and spying on him. Then that boy disappears. Two years later, another boy disappears. Investigator Elle Tresse is begged to look into the case. But what she finds is more complicated than she expected. Good guys and bad guys keep switching hats in this suspenseful tale where the truth more dangerous than any weapon.

So that's what I'm doing this month.

Are you NANOing?

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Wolf with cats





Its fairly easy to create scenes that don't exist. Here's a quick book scene that was put together in less than 10 minutes.

Imagine if we spent time and cleaned it up?

I was feeling lazy. I should smooth the edges between the transplanted cats and the background.

Also the snow under the lynx is messy.

Still that's maybe 45 minutes to get perfect, 20 to get good enough.

I'm happy with this for 10 minutes or less of cloning.

When you are writing a fantasy or sci-fi book having these images from your book can make your website really come alive.

How-to's coming soon....

Tirz