Vanessa Jaye's Blog, page 4
January 1, 2013
December 25, 2012
Merry Christmas
I've been meaning to post this greeting since this morning but stuff kept croping up. Better late than never though. Hope everyone had/is having a lovely Christmas with friends and family.
Luv,
Jaye
December 23, 2012
Christmas Craftiness
I always seem to come tip-toe-ing back in here with some excuse , erm reason for my extended absence.
Sometime around mid-Nov my boss "volunteered" me to be in charge of the festive challenge charity drive and the department decorations.
Let me tell ya summin, that friggin festive challenge almost kill me. lol. Luckily my boss later nominate two other coworkers to work with me and eventually I off-loaded the remainder of the charity drive activities on them to run with (once everything was in place) because the decorating was crazily time consuming. Just about everything was made/crafted, not store bought.
I posted this pic below on Twitter & Facebook to show messy-state my dining-room table had been in for a good 2 weeks straight. At this point, I was putting together the gas-lamps that were going to be a major part of the Victorian Christmas decorating theme.
For a couple of weeks I was putting in 12hr days, plus working on the weekends to get the decorations done. I've made it known I will not be doing this next year. There was way too much catch-up to do official work-wise and with things in my personal (there are no decorations put up in my house this year-just don't have the energy to do it. I didn't get my Xmas cards mailed out either and just did my grocery shopping for Xmas 2 days ago. Thank god I've been buying the odd Xmas gift all yr, including stuff I bought at last year's boxing day sales, or I would've have been screwed on that front also.)
Anywho, it's all done. I'm happy with how things turned out. There is definitely a magical, other-worldly, feeling when you come into our department. And here are the finished results.
We won the decorating challenge, btw, and earn a free lunch for the department on the company's dime. Also, overall the company raised almost $40K for the Childrens' Christmas Wish Charity.
Sometime around mid-Nov my boss "volunteered" me to be in charge of the festive challenge charity drive and the department decorations.
Let me tell ya summin, that friggin festive challenge almost kill me. lol. Luckily my boss later nominate two other coworkers to work with me and eventually I off-loaded the remainder of the charity drive activities on them to run with (once everything was in place) because the decorating was crazily time consuming. Just about everything was made/crafted, not store bought.
I posted this pic below on Twitter & Facebook to show messy-state my dining-room table had been in for a good 2 weeks straight. At this point, I was putting together the gas-lamps that were going to be a major part of the Victorian Christmas decorating theme.
For a couple of weeks I was putting in 12hr days, plus working on the weekends to get the decorations done. I've made it known I will not be doing this next year. There was way too much catch-up to do official work-wise and with things in my personal (there are no decorations put up in my house this year-just don't have the energy to do it. I didn't get my Xmas cards mailed out either and just did my grocery shopping for Xmas 2 days ago. Thank god I've been buying the odd Xmas gift all yr, including stuff I bought at last year's boxing day sales, or I would've have been screwed on that front also.)
Anywho, it's all done. I'm happy with how things turned out. There is definitely a magical, other-worldly, feeling when you come into our department. And here are the finished results.
We won the decorating challenge, btw, and earn a free lunch for the department on the company's dime. Also, overall the company raised almost $40K for the Childrens' Christmas Wish Charity.
November 24, 2012
That Killer Red Dress
Son and I were debating about who plays Nikita in the tv show. I said Sandrine Holt. He said Maggi Q.
(Sandrine's on the left)
He was right. It is Maggi. Then he mentioned the killer red dress she wore in mission impossible.
(This is the best pic I could find, but as you can see what little of that dress there is, Maggi’s characters does it justice.)
I immediately countered that no one touches Sophie Maceau in her red dress in The World is Not Enough.
(This pic really doesn’t do her justice in the dress; you have to watch the scene. Girlfriend looks good both coming and going. And just standing still. lol. )
We started reeling off memorable red dresses (mostly because it occurred to me this would make a fun blog post.)
Who can forget Jessica Rabbit?
Another girl who does so much with soo much in so little. Lol.
Now this one is a little random, but all remember: the girl in the red dress in The Matrix.
Michelle Pfeiffer on top of the piano in The Fabulous Baker Boys.
As with a lot of these pics, it was as much (or more) about the woman in the dress, as it was about the dress itself. A still for the movie doesn't capture that 'wow' factor because it was the actress/character's attitude/personality all shrink-wrapped in this bright wrapping.
This is another one that had more visual impact in the movie scene that it does in pictures: Julia Roberts Pretty Woman.
And lastly, a two-fer: Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes:
One cool thing has come out of this post. My current wip/short story, has a big party scene near the end in which my heroine knocks the heroes socks off. Initially I had a vague-ish picture of her in a midnight blue gown, but now I might be putting her in a version of That Killer Red Dress™.
Of course that's if I find the time to write. For the rest of the week-end I'll be working on day-job stuff. Stuff that has a looming deadline but I haven't been able to get any real traction on because of all other day-to-day things I'm juggling/catching up on at work. :-P
xo
Jaye
*
(Sandrine's on the left)
He was right. It is Maggi. Then he mentioned the killer red dress she wore in mission impossible.
(This is the best pic I could find, but as you can see what little of that dress there is, Maggi’s characters does it justice.)
I immediately countered that no one touches Sophie Maceau in her red dress in The World is Not Enough.
(This pic really doesn’t do her justice in the dress; you have to watch the scene. Girlfriend looks good both coming and going. And just standing still. lol. )
We started reeling off memorable red dresses (mostly because it occurred to me this would make a fun blog post.)
Who can forget Jessica Rabbit?
Another girl who does so much with soo much in so little. Lol.
Now this one is a little random, but all remember: the girl in the red dress in The Matrix.
Michelle Pfeiffer on top of the piano in The Fabulous Baker Boys.
As with a lot of these pics, it was as much (or more) about the woman in the dress, as it was about the dress itself. A still for the movie doesn't capture that 'wow' factor because it was the actress/character's attitude/personality all shrink-wrapped in this bright wrapping.
This is another one that had more visual impact in the movie scene that it does in pictures: Julia Roberts Pretty Woman.
And lastly, a two-fer: Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes:
One cool thing has come out of this post. My current wip/short story, has a big party scene near the end in which my heroine knocks the heroes socks off. Initially I had a vague-ish picture of her in a midnight blue gown, but now I might be putting her in a version of That Killer Red Dress™.
Of course that's if I find the time to write. For the rest of the week-end I'll be working on day-job stuff. Stuff that has a looming deadline but I haven't been able to get any real traction on because of all other day-to-day things I'm juggling/catching up on at work. :-P
xo
Jaye
*
November 13, 2012
Everything Old is New Again
I have a Xmas short on the bookshelf page of my website under free reads. I've been meaning to format it and get it up on Amazon for a couple of years now, but this year I FINALLY got er done.
The lovely and uber-talented Sasha White (who is a kick-ass author in her own right) created my new boss cover art and the formatting of the manuscrip for upload. She also did a little hand-holding whilst I figured out all the ISBN stuff and registered my publisher name Jaye Bird Books (for my free reads only).
Check out the Sasha did:
Awesome(!), amirite? The male model/guy she chose sooo works for Furio, my werewolf hero--The crazy hair, the prominent nose, the bedroom wolf eyes. ::Woofwoofpantpant:: Love it!
At the moment The Wolf Who Stole Christmas is only available for download at Scribd and Smashbooks but it should go live at other distributors/retails sooooooooon! (And ofcourse, you can still read it on the website.
I'll let you know when it's available for download elsewhere
Jaye
ETA: A BIGGER sized pic of the cover!!! lol
The lovely and uber-talented Sasha White (who is a kick-ass author in her own right) created my new boss cover art and the formatting of the manuscrip for upload. She also did a little hand-holding whilst I figured out all the ISBN stuff and registered my publisher name Jaye Bird Books (for my free reads only).
Check out the Sasha did:
Awesome(!), amirite? The male model/guy she chose sooo works for Furio, my werewolf hero--The crazy hair, the prominent nose, the bedroom wolf eyes. ::Woofwoofpantpant:: Love it!
At the moment The Wolf Who Stole Christmas is only available for download at Scribd and Smashbooks but it should go live at other distributors/retails sooooooooon! (And ofcourse, you can still read it on the website.
I'll let you know when it's available for download elsewhere
Jaye
ETA: A BIGGER sized pic of the cover!!! lol
October 27, 2012
Folktales and Folk remedies
ETA - a post title!
Just did some ol skool Jamaican doctoring. BF told me to soak some pimento/all spice seeds in rum, then use the rum to rub my neck, chest, face, inhale it and rub the bottoms of my feet then cover with socks. Yeah, that last one is weird. I know.
I just happen to have some Wray & Nephew overproof* rum on hand from Wappy kill Philip** (heh), so I mixed up the concoction, left it to marinate for awhile, then took a really hot/steamy shower and applied as directed. Surprisingly I don't smell like a distillery. lol. But I do feel a bit better.(I think the rum fumes just burnt off a good portion of the virus bugs. lol)
Anywho, considering we are heading into cold/flu season, feel free to try this bit of carribean homeopathy. My mom used to do this when I was a kid, except I think she also added bay leaves to the mixture, which I shall do later (the idea is keep the mixture on hand in a bottle and top up with rum as you use it)
** -- "From Wappy kill Philip" is an old jamaican colloquism along the lines of "From Adam met Eve" ie a long time ago. And because I have no head for zee rum, yah? It has sat on my kitchen counter for at least 15 yrs. At least. So the saying is apropos here.
There are different stories behind the whole Wappy kill Philip/Fillop thing. Some people said the murder never happened, some say it did and it was one slave killing another, or a domestic dispute between two brothers Willam 'Wappy' and Phillip. Others say the killer was Ashton Jolly (aka Whappie King) and that the victim was killed by a Whappie King "fillip" (ie a sudden quick motion). Fillip became Philip or Fillop in some cases. No one seems to know why Wappy/Whappie killed Philip/Fillop but all agree the reasons have been shrouded in the mists of time.
Hmmm... maybe those rum fumes have gotten to me... ::shutting up now::
Just did some ol skool Jamaican doctoring. BF told me to soak some pimento/all spice seeds in rum, then use the rum to rub my neck, chest, face, inhale it and rub the bottoms of my feet then cover with socks. Yeah, that last one is weird. I know.
I just happen to have some Wray & Nephew overproof* rum on hand from Wappy kill Philip** (heh), so I mixed up the concoction, left it to marinate for awhile, then took a really hot/steamy shower and applied as directed. Surprisingly I don't smell like a distillery. lol. But I do feel a bit better.(I think the rum fumes just burnt off a good portion of the virus bugs. lol)
Anywho, considering we are heading into cold/flu season, feel free to try this bit of carribean homeopathy. My mom used to do this when I was a kid, except I think she also added bay leaves to the mixture, which I shall do later (the idea is keep the mixture on hand in a bottle and top up with rum as you use it)
** -- "From Wappy kill Philip" is an old jamaican colloquism along the lines of "From Adam met Eve" ie a long time ago. And because I have no head for zee rum, yah? It has sat on my kitchen counter for at least 15 yrs. At least. So the saying is apropos here.
There are different stories behind the whole Wappy kill Philip/Fillop thing. Some people said the murder never happened, some say it did and it was one slave killing another, or a domestic dispute between two brothers Willam 'Wappy' and Phillip. Others say the killer was Ashton Jolly (aka Whappie King) and that the victim was killed by a Whappie King "fillip" (ie a sudden quick motion). Fillip became Philip or Fillop in some cases. No one seems to know why Wappy/Whappie killed Philip/Fillop but all agree the reasons have been shrouded in the mists of time.
Hmmm... maybe those rum fumes have gotten to me... ::shutting up now::
October 8, 2012
Happy Turkey Day!
Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canucks!
The turkey's got another 2 hours in the oven before we get to sit and chow down. Got to bed 4am so I'm a little sluggish today. Also, a long time friend/coworker's husband passed away Friday night after a long illness, so feeling a bit low-key today all things told.
But still very aware of all the many blessings and amazing people in my life.
Hope everyone who is celebrating Thanksgiving today has a wonder time with friends and family. And if this is just another Monday for you, well I hope it's been a good one for ya.
Jaye
*
September 11, 2012
Take a Walk
With me over to Mary Hughes blog, where I'm doing a guest post and offering another short excerpt from Hunter of the Heart.
And while you're there you should poke around a bit. She has a great line up of guest posts and a great backlist of books.
Yours,
Jaye
September 4, 2012
Hunter of the Clueless
Yep. That's me.
This is what happens when you're still learning the ropes on a new and demanding job while dealing with various repairs needed at home.
You totally forget that the print version of your last ebook has just been released!
Hunter of the Heart is now out in print (as of Sept 4th). I'm really fond of this book, even though I can't quite put my finger on why. lol. It's the mix of characters, story setting. It's just a little different than other werewolf stories out there, and judging by some of the reviews, a number of readers agree on that point. If you've been around recently you know that I was working on the second book in Moon, Magic, Madness series but put it aside for a bit while it simmers a bit more in the subconcious. But never fear, there more stories to tell in this world, I have the outline for three more at this point.
Anywho, here's a excerpt from Hunter of the Heart:
Nate’s hand pressed against
her back, urging her towards the small wooden table under a large tree.
Templeton saw them seated then headed inside to get refreshments; Mitch offered
to help and excused himself to follow the older man indoors.
“Okay?” Nate asked.
The place did skeeve her out, yet
as she stared into Nate’s eyes she realized that she was actually okay because
he was with her. And that was an
unsettling revelation.
Where had this confidence in
him come from? Not to downplay the whole saving her life thing, but she was
getting far too attached to him, far too used to and dependent on him. She shifted restlessly in the nylon folding
chair.
“Things
will never return to the way they were, Tessa.”
“Will you stay out of my head!”
His eyes narrowed and she felt
him pushed against the boundaries of her mind. “No, I won’t, not any longer. I’ve given you time Tessa. You can’t say I
haven’t.”
Images flooded her, of what Nate wanted to do to her and
what he wanted her to do to him. All of his pent up frustrations from the last
few days came at her like a tidal wave, drowning her in heated sensations.
A moan dredged up from her
throat and her back arched off the chair as her breast grew heavy with need.
She was gasping for air, every nerve ending alive and thirsting for his touch.
Tessa gripped the table edge unable to break Nate’s erotic hold on her senses.
“Not any longer Tessa,” he
vowed hoarsely.
He touched her then, his hand
lightly resting over hers on the table, his finger-tip just a whispered stroke
across her knuckles. It was exquisite, unbearable pleasure. She went wet and his
nostrils flared as he breathed in and she knew, just knew he was savoring the scent
of her arousal. A low rumble rose from
his chest.
Then
just like that, he snapped it off. Cutting the flow of feelings and emotions.
The images disappeared as if he’d pushed a button. But her body remembered. She
sagged back against the chair, panting and trembling. She stared at him,
wanting to be afraid; but she wanted his kisses more.
*
*
I linked to Amazon above because I can't seem to access Samhain beyond the home page, but Samhain has 30% off on all new print releases.
This is what happens when you're still learning the ropes on a new and demanding job while dealing with various repairs needed at home.
You totally forget that the print version of your last ebook has just been released!
Hunter of the Heart is now out in print (as of Sept 4th). I'm really fond of this book, even though I can't quite put my finger on why. lol. It's the mix of characters, story setting. It's just a little different than other werewolf stories out there, and judging by some of the reviews, a number of readers agree on that point. If you've been around recently you know that I was working on the second book in Moon, Magic, Madness series but put it aside for a bit while it simmers a bit more in the subconcious. But never fear, there more stories to tell in this world, I have the outline for three more at this point.
Anywho, here's a excerpt from Hunter of the Heart: Nate’s hand pressed against
her back, urging her towards the small wooden table under a large tree.
Templeton saw them seated then headed inside to get refreshments; Mitch offered
to help and excused himself to follow the older man indoors.
“Okay?” Nate asked.
The place did skeeve her out, yet
as she stared into Nate’s eyes she realized that she was actually okay because
he was with her. And that was an
unsettling revelation.
Where had this confidence in
him come from? Not to downplay the whole saving her life thing, but she was
getting far too attached to him, far too used to and dependent on him. She shifted restlessly in the nylon folding
chair.
“Things
will never return to the way they were, Tessa.”
“Will you stay out of my head!”
His eyes narrowed and she felt
him pushed against the boundaries of her mind. “No, I won’t, not any longer. I’ve given you time Tessa. You can’t say I
haven’t.”
Images flooded her, of what Nate wanted to do to her and
what he wanted her to do to him. All of his pent up frustrations from the last
few days came at her like a tidal wave, drowning her in heated sensations.
A moan dredged up from her
throat and her back arched off the chair as her breast grew heavy with need.
She was gasping for air, every nerve ending alive and thirsting for his touch.
Tessa gripped the table edge unable to break Nate’s erotic hold on her senses.
“Not any longer Tessa,” he
vowed hoarsely.
He touched her then, his hand
lightly resting over hers on the table, his finger-tip just a whispered stroke
across her knuckles. It was exquisite, unbearable pleasure. She went wet and his
nostrils flared as he breathed in and she knew, just knew he was savoring the scent
of her arousal. A low rumble rose from
his chest.
Then
just like that, he snapped it off. Cutting the flow of feelings and emotions.
The images disappeared as if he’d pushed a button. But her body remembered. She
sagged back against the chair, panting and trembling. She stared at him,
wanting to be afraid; but she wanted his kisses more.
*
*
I linked to Amazon above because I can't seem to access Samhain beyond the home page, but Samhain has 30% off on all new print releases.
August 25, 2012
Since we last tuned in to our intrepid writer….
Not much
has happened. Lol.
I did try to keep up on the fast draft
sci-fi/time-travel romance idea but between being pressed for time and wrung
dry from day job and stuck on the story progress because of lack of gmc I was
getting nowhere fast.
Then a
couple of days ago I started on a new idea. It’s a contemporary romance.
Humorous and sexsaay (goes without saying). A friends-to-lovers theme, which I’ve
never written before but boy am I going to have fun with the hero and heroine. With this story I started with character and
gmc and let the plot evolve from there.
Prettymuch how I wrote Felicity Stripped Bare.
Funny how in so many ways I need to relearn
how *I write* --that is, what process works for me. Now that things have settled down a bit in real life, I hope I can refocus on my writing again. Anywho, I wrote a little over 1,000 words
yesterday between my 30min subway commute to work and another 20mins on my lunch
break, so I’d say I’m on the right track. :D
Feeling so positive about this, I’ll be sticking a word progress meter in
the sidebar for it.
In other
news, Hunter of the Heart is out in print next month! Yay!! I might do a contest on Goodreads for a free
copy but to be honest my contests always seem to be a bust, so we’ll see.
Now I’m
going to hit the gym and sauna, then get some writing in.
Later lovelies!
*
