Rachel Carrington's Blog, page 51

New release! I'm so excited!

Friday, December 16th, Mine to Take, the third book in the Spirit Series, releases from Decadent Publishing. I love this series, and I don't want it to end. I originally had decided this would be the last book, but I still might do a prequel simply because I really enjoyed writing about the ghosts and the paranormal aspect of the story. And isn't the guy on the cover hot? Here's a little more info about the story.

I didn't ordinarily break the rules, but everyone has bad days, right? I mean, as an Angel of Death, I always toed the party line. That is until one night when I was feeling particularly vulnerable and along came Dominic. He's another AOD, but don't think of him as an angel because really, he's anything but. To me, he was more like a walking advertisement for sin.

So that night, Dominic and I broke a cardinal rule—no fraternization between Angels of Death. Don't ask me why it's a rule. I guess that was why Dominic hauled ass before I even woke up the next morning. As an AOD, I understood. As a woman, I was pissed.

So fast forward two months, and both Dominic and I are facing disciplinary punishment if we don't figure out how to put our differences aside and work together. Unfortunately, I've never been one to let go of a grudge very easily, and when it seemed like Dominic had no issues about what he did, my anger grew by leaps and bounds.

An argument generated more heat than Chernoybl, and once again, Dominic and I delved into the disallowed. And while we were busy getting busy, we lost a soul in a horrifying way. Now, we've been given an ultimatum. Find the soul and help her cross over, or both Dominic and I will have to cross over ourselves. As in permanently.

Only two more days to go! 

For this I give thanks…

I love Thanksgiving and not just because of the food. I love that we have one day where we give thanks for everything and everyone in our lives. I have so many reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving that if I wrote them all down, this would be a tome instead of a blog post. So here are just a few:

I'm thankful to God for loving me and for being with me each and every day.

I'm thankful to my friends who are my family. They've been with me through the good times, the bad times, and the mediocre times. I wouldn't be me without them.

I'm thankful that I have a home, a place to lay my head each evening, and a cup of coffee in the morning.

I'm thankful that, even with the myriad things I can't do, there are still so many things I can do.

I'm thankful for my publishers who believe in my writing and in me.

And I'm thankful each day for each breath, each sunrise, and each chance to make today a better day than the one before.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Is accepting one another an impossibility?

For the past few days, I've dreaded logging in to Facebook because some people seem to find great humor in denigrating God and Jesus. And it's not just that they're making fun of them, they're doing so in such a vulgar, obscene manner that I find myself rushing to delete it. And these people aren't my friends. They're friends of friends who have been posting pictures on a Facebook page created by Christians.  I simply don't understand the need to be so graphically brutal in your disbelief.

Those pictures aren't necessarily created for the humor of those who don't believe but to offend those who do. Otherwise, why would they be posted on a wall dedicated to talking about God in a positive manner? I fail to find the purpose in being so horrifically obscene. People certainly have a right to their beliefs just as I do, but these images serve no purpose other than to mock people who do believe in God. And I simply don't understand why people can't just have their own beliefs and leave those who don't agree with them alone.

Will we, as a society, ever get to a place where we can accept one another, regardless of who we are, what we believe in, and how we choose to live our lives?  As much as I hope so, this new rise of humorless graphics doesn't create a very promising outlook.

Laundry or New Clothes?

Tonight, as I was putting clothes in my new dresser, I realized something. I have too many clothes. Maybe I already knew that deep down, but it's one of those things that, until you see the proof staring you in the face, you can deny it. After tonight, I can no longer deny it. But I have an excellent reason for the excessive amount of clothing.

I HATE DOING LAUNDRY.

I don't think there's any other household chore I hate as much as I do laundry. Therefore, I buy clothes. This way, I can go at least two months, maybe longer, before I have to do laundry. And in case you're wondering, yep, I have enough towels to last that long, too.

Until tonight, though, I didn't actually realize how much I had accumulated. Don't get me wrong. I don't have scads of clothes I don't wear. I wear literally everything I own at some point because I do periodically weed through my closet. I have a rule that if I buy one blouse, I have to get rid of two. The same with pants, etc. That way, I don't have more than my closet can handle. But now, as I look over the sheer volume of clothing, I can at least acknowledge that I really do hate doing laundry THAT much. And if someone eventually invents clothing that is self-cleaning like ovens, that person will earn a pretty penny from me.

Music, Music, and More Music

I don't listen to music when I write. I can, but I usually prefer not to. But during the day, I'm usually immersed in music. I have countless CDs in my car, my computer is filled with thousands of songs, and my tastes are eclectic. Adele (Rolling in the Deep has to be one of my all time favorite songs), Nickelback (Who doesn't like I'll Come for You, Next Contestant or Rockstar?), Aerosmith (I Don't Wan to Miss a Thing is still a top contender for favorites), Def Leppard (Pour Some Sugar on Me, anyone?), Taylor Swift (Too many to name!), Josh Groban (In Her Eyes), Beyonce (Halo and Best I Never Had), One Republic (Good Life), Three Doors Down (Silence Remains is a perfect song), Daughtry (pretty much all of them), and Brad Paisley (Definitely Little Moments and He Didn't Have to Be) all occupy some space. And I'm constantly on the lookout for new music. But the one thing I can't listen to? Music without lyrics. Absolutely hate classical music, bluegrass, or anything that twangs, especially banjo music. I'll pass on the opera, too, because I have to be able to understand the lyrics.

I've been told I need to expand my horizons and open myself up to classical music as it soothes the soul. I don't find it soothing at all. I'm always waiting for the lyrics to kick in. I like to sing, and if I can't sing along, I'm not interested.

What kind of music do you like? Do you listen to music when you're reading or writing, or do you require absolute silence? What about when you're cleaning house or running errands?

Oh, and one more quick thing, I don't own an Ipod. I don't use them because I'm either in my car where I can listen to CDs or close to my desktop, laptop, or phone, and I can listen to music on all three. Plus, I hate headphones or earbuds. Yeah, I know. Odd, but there it is.

Comfort Television

I just recently talked about comfort movies, the ones you turn to over and over even though you have them memorized. It's easy to get lost in the familiarity. I have the same kind of addiction with certain television shows, especially ones that are no longer on the air. Some of my all time favorites are Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, NYPD Blue, Alias, 7th Heaven, Smallville, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Charmed. I'm sure you'll recognize a theme.

I love fantasy and paranormal movies and television, but I also love action/adventure, and family drama. I have every one of the above referenced shows on DVD, and it doesn't matter how many times I've seen the episodes, I can settle in with them, and it's like visiting old friends. There's nothing like watching a favorite show to get the creative juices flowing, too. It's something to turn to when you're feeling down and want to get lost in something besides the troubles of your life. You can tune out the world for just a little while and enjoy someone else's journey.

What about you? Any favorites that you turn to time and again?

Comfort movies

Do you have comfort movies, those ones you turn to when you just need to relax and get lost in the wonderful acting and creative storytelling? I have to admit, I have more than my fair share of comfort movies. Just tonight I pulled out "Where the Heart Is", the 2000 movie starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd. It's a story of survival, of overcoming overwhelming odds, and finding love when you're not really looking. Have to love storylines like that.

Some of my other favorites are The American President, Practical Magic, Independence Day, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Shining Through,Blast from the Past, and an entire lot of Hallmark movies. You might not think action-packed movies like Independence Day could be considered feel good movies, but watching Will Smith battle the aliens and getting lost in a world far beyond our own is pure escapism.

What about yours? What are some of your favorite comfort movies? And if you haven't seen Shining Through with Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith, you're missing out on one of the great, under-appreciated movies!

Getting Hooked on Couponing

Okay, so I've gotten into couponing. I don't consider myself extreme, but I have discovered some pretty good deals, and I've already started saving a bundle on the necessary paper goods and beauty products. I doubt I will get as involved to the point where I'm spending four hours a day clipping and arranging coupons, but it really is a great way to save money even if you're only doing it modestly.

I especially love the myriad ways to save money at CVS Pharmacy. If you have one in your area, it's definitely worth checking out. I'm all about saving money, and that store has some of the best deals, especially coupled with coupons and their extracare bucks that translate into money. For more information on saving with CVS, visit www.southernsavers.com.  This site is especially helpful if you're just getting started couponing.

Bad Book Titles

Has a book title ever kept you from buying a book or at least made you hesitate? I know I've walked away from books before without even reading the back cover simply because of the title.  As an author, I hate to see a good book lose sales because of it's unfortunate name.

When I was just starting out writing, I didn't always choose the best titles. I remember the title of my very first contemporary romance that I began submitting–The Reluctant Romeo. Not terribly bad, but it sounds kind of boring. Now my book titles always have to say something about the book. For instance, I just recently signed a contract for a romantic suspense entitled "In Too Deep." I named the book that because the heroine gets in over her head when she tries to get a cop on her side.

Beyond bad titles, though, there are those ones that I find offensive which will turn me off of the book immediately. Some authors might choose those titles for the shock factor or because it's their point of view, but as a reader, too, I'm not going to buy anything that I wouldn't want on my book shelf at home or on my coffee table.

What are some bad book titles you've read that have turned you off the book before you even picked it up? Last year, the Huffington Post ran an article called "Twelve of the Worst Book Titles Ever", and I have to admit, most of those books I wouldn't go near just because of the titles. What about you?

Excuse me, but your tag isn't showing

Since I'm a big fan of creating book videos, I also watch a lot of them, too. And to help all authors who take the time to create and upload their book videos, I wanted to share some information I'd learned.

First, name your video appropriately. If the title of your book is Last One, the title of your video shouldn't be Last One.wmv. In fact, wmv shouldn't be in there at all as it's merely a distraction. Instead, the title should be Last One by (insert your author name here).

Second, the buy link to your book should be the very first thing you list in the video description window. You want anyone who views your video to have direct access to your book so make it easy for them. Make sure the http is in front of the website so the link will be active.

Third, Include a description of your book. You can use the blurb posted on your publisher's website.  Also include the genre of the book, the length of the book, and the price of the book. You can also include something simple like "Also available for Kindle and Nook" as well, but I would suggest keeping the buy link to your publisher's website only to avoid confusion.

And finally, don't just tag your video with two or three words and call it a day. Instead, be as creative as you were when you designed the video. Those important words in your blurb like war, science fiction, etc.? Include them in the tags. Don't just use paranormal romance. Let the readers know what type of paranormal romance it is, i.e., vampire, paranormal, romance, ghosts, zombies, etc. Also include your author name in the tag and your publisher's name as well as the book title again. Yes, it's possible someone might stumble upon your video when it wasn't what they were looking for, but they just might stay long enough to like it and, if it intrigues them enough, that buy link will come in handy.

I'll have more information about book videos soon!