Liz DeJesus's Blog, page 44

Shattered Frost

Down the Rabbit Hole by *ElenaKalis on deviantART


Red riding hood by ~silvestru on deviantART


Little Red Riding Hood -COLOR- by ~JerryCai on deviantART




7197 / 50000 words. 14% done!

Moment of Zen

I Dream... by =Laitma on deviantART


Writing... by ~bokka on deviantART

Writing is my moment of zen. It's what calms the weathering storms that often live within me. It's the best way I know to express myself when talking fails. It's the only thing that has ever made sense to me. Words...words, words...the only thing that ever helped me stay grounded and feel safe when the chaos of the world swirled around me.

With a pen in my hand I make sense.

The Guild Squid Hat

If you haven't watched Felicia Day's  The Guild  then you don't know what you're missing. That show is hilarious. 

Anyway I'm watching it on Netflix and one of the main characters, Clara, is wearing a squid hat. It's super cute. And I want it for Christmas. :) I would wear it all the time. LOL




This is Clara with her hat. And my husband found the same hat on etsy.com ! Score!!

Not as cute seeing as it's a guy wearing it, but since he's the one who made it...nothing wrong with that. At least he looks like he's having fun with it. LOL

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59453535/the-guild-squidhat-small-fleece-squid

Anyway if you haven't already, do yourself a favor and watch The Guild, especially if you're a gamer and nerdy. You'll get all the jokes. :D 

Feel the Rhythm of the Wolf

I'm excited to share with you AMAZON, Book One in The Ushers series, a hot, new release from VANESSA NORTH.



Jack's routine investigation of rogue wolf sightings threatens to uncover both Bianca's secrets and her passionate nature. Can she trust him enough to make the sacrifice her destiny demands?

BLURB:
Born albino, Bianca was spared death in infancy when her mother found safe haven among the ghosts and misfits of Amazon Pack. As Guardian of Amazon, she protects the hidden pack with a ferocity that belies her delicate appearance.

Jack’s routine investigation of rogue wolf sightings in his territory uncovers both Bianca’s secrets and her passionate nature. He finds her alluring and terrifying: he’s convinced she’s his mate, but is she also the Usher--key to their culture’s most sacred prophecies?

The Usher’s destiny requires a sacrifice to repair a rift in wolf culture and set the Goddess free. Can Jack and Bianca trust each other enough to pay that price?

EXCERPT:
Bianca pulled her v-neck t-shirt over her head, shucking off her shoes and jeans. Jack immediately started shedding his clothes as well. Growing up among wolves, he’d never really given much thought to nudity. Their bodies grew in size as they shifted, so he was accustomed to stripping down before a run in order to preserve his wardrobe.

He glanced over at the Albina as she shook her hair out. Standing in the moonlight, she was stunning. He saw her delicate pink nipples were still hard and aroused from his kiss. The curls of hair on her mound were as fair as her hair, and he saw the delicate pink folds glistening, swollen with arousal, peeking through the white curls. Her beauty was astounding.

He saw marks on her skin, leaned closer to examine them. Tattoos, he realized. All wolves were tattooed after their first shift. Most of them were tattooed in black ink with colors for emphasis, but several of hers were done in white. As befits Albina, he thought as he admired the elegant symbols. Her entire back was covered, here and there a shadow in grey? or a bit of color drawing attention to some of the more consequential tattoos. Clearly, she was a powerful Guardian for her pack--she’d not have been tattooed so many times without having achieved her place of power by virtue of her skills.

As she turned to fold her discarded clothes, he could see some scars on her body, remnants of fights won. The tattoos glimmered in the dark, beckoning him to trace them with his fingers, his tongue. He groaned, and she looked over her shoulder at him with a smile.

“Kathy has changed already, are you ready?” she asked, turning to stare at his body in the moonlight. Hard and muscled everywhere, his upper body hairy and tattooed all over. She looked at his signs and symbols of strength and honor, a visual representation of his place in his pack. They confirmed that he was a fit mate for her--his beautiful body bore scars of fights clearly dominated, and the tattoos that marked him as a leader curled around them.

She smiled, her gaze lingering at the proof of his arousal, standing proudly from the bed of black curls at the top of his legs. She blushed slightly as she realized he had followed her gaze. He grinned back at her with a wink as he sank to his knees.

She had seen many wolves shift before. However, she found herself curiously watching him, to see if her mate--there was no longer a doubt in her mind that he was indeed her mate—would seem different from those others.

It was sensual, witnessing his change--his body shook and he turned his head with a loud cracking noise. He owned his change like only a powerful wolf could--it was masterful, graceful almost, as his black fur grew over his body. Then he sat, watching her, a huge black wolf with golden-brown eyes. He was resplendent. She knelt next to him, still in her human form, and caressed between his ears. His fur was soft and his eyes kind. He closed them and rolled his head into her hand like a dog seeking a touch from his mistress. His essential masculine scent still surrounded him in his animal form, and as she stroked his head, he snorted and his tongue lolled out between sharp lethal teeth to lap at her hand. She loved the feel of his fur between her fingers, and he clearly enjoyed her attentions. But then he shook his head, took a couple of steps towards the woods and whined back at her. If they were mated, they’d be able to read each other’s thoughts, as pack-mates could, and even more than that, they’d be able to share their feelings through their mate bond. But even without that bond, she could sense his eagerness to run.

She grinned and let loose her wolf, feeling the change work over her, bringing forward the animal, tucking the woman away inside.

BUY LINK

Vanessa North was born in New England but moved to the South as a teenager, where she learned to appreciate biscuits and gravy, bluegrass, and that most welcome of greetings: “Hey y’all!”

She has a degree in Mass Communication, but has long since abandoned journalism in favor of writing romance. Instead of telling the news, V would rather tell stories. Vanessa has a voracious appetite for books and loves all kinds. She writes obsessively: every day brings new ideas and stories to tell. When she’s not buried in a book—hers or someone else’s—you can find her taking thousands of photographs of the people she loves.

She lives in Northwest Georgia with her handsome husband, not-quite-civilized twin boy-children, and a pack of dogs.

Learn more about Vanessa North on her website and blog . Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter .

First Frost firework video

Make your own slideshow at Animoto.

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

Glass Frost

So I've officially finished with Glass Frost. I got the edits back from my editor friend Shonell Bacon . Then gave the novel one last read through just to double check (you'll be amazed at the stuff you missed even with a second pair of eyes helping you out) and I even managed to add another 1,800-ish words to the manuscript. 

Took me a couple of weeks but I did it. The only thing that worries me is that people won't like the sequel. I just wanna get over the curse of the sequel, you know what I mean? Maybe it's just my own insecurities at work. Especially since so many people have said so many nice things about my book that I don't want them to hate the second book. Is it too slow? Is it not funny enough? Did Bianca change too much? Did she not change enough? What about Ming and the prince? What about Bianca and Terrance? Did I address everything that needed to be addressed in the second book? Is there too much information? Gah! 

Anyway nothing I can do about it now. I've already sent it in to the head editor at Musa Publishing. It's a done deal. I'll have to wait until I've been assigned an editor, hopefully the same one that edited First Frost, that'll be super helpful because she already knows the characters and is familiar with my style of writing. :)

Sigh. Wish me luck. And hopefully I won't suck the second time around.

Update: Sometimes you just want someone to brush your hair and tell you that your book is the prettiest book ever. o_0

:P


Cinderella in Wonderland by ~Julie-de-Waroquier on deviantART

Moment of Zen

colours of autumn by ~julkusiowa on deviantART


.autumn. by *witchlady750 on deviantART

I couldn't pick just one. :P Anyway I love Autumn, it's my favorite season. :)

Community

No Community tonight. :( Why does NBC keep playing with my emotions? WHY?!

Life as a god

Today we’re talking to the Sun God himself, Apollo, about his story Apollo Rising.

Thank you for coming to chat with us today. Why do you think Nancy DiMauro choose you to represent her?

I think it’s the blonde curls. [Absently flicks a lock of his hair.] She’s got a thing for them, and being the Sun god and all, I traded an extra hour of sunlight for the opportunity. She wanted to give her kids one last day of summer. Fair trade.

Tell us a little about yourself?
The family thing’s a bit complicated. I have a twin sister, Artemis. You so don’t want to see her when she’s mad. When we were children we had to protect our mother, Leto, a Titan, from Hera’s wrath since Zeus is our father. When Hera sent her pet, the Python, after Mom, I killed the beast when I was only four days old. We gods grow up so quickly. [Smiles.] We celebrated Python’s death with games. It was there Cupid shot me with a gold arrow. [Runs hand through hair and furrows brow.] I’ve never been what you would call lucky in love.

What is your birth date?
We didn’t really have calendars back then, and the passing of the years doesn’t mean as much to an immortal as it does to you. I have a number of feast days but tend to think of my “birthday” as the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

Where do you live? What is it about that area that drew you there?
I have houses all over the world, and of course, my palace on Olympus. The place I consider home is just outside Old Towne Alexandria in Virginia. I love that it’s so close to the Potomac River, which reminds me a bit of the Styx. Olde Town is an eclectic mix of old and new, and that appeals to me.

What do you wish people would know about you?
That I’m not my father. I’ve only ever loved Daphne, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t care about my lovers through the eons, and most of them didn’t end with bad fates. The ones that did. . . they still haunt me.

If you loved Daphne so much, why did you wait until now to try to break the curse?
Fate is a funny thing. It unfolds as it will. A person needs to be ready to embrace whatever Fate has planned for him. For me, that means a few thousand lessons in humility and asking for help. Arrogance, you see, [Shrugs.] it’s my fatal flaw. I wouldn’t be part of the Greek Pantheon without one.

What music do you listen too?
God of Music, remember? I listen to all of it. I just love when one of the Muses prods someone into doing the unexpected.

Will we be seeing more of you or are you stepping out of the lime light?
I’m hoping to step out of the lime light, but I doubt the Fates will allow it.

What is your perfect evening?
Evening is Artemis’s time. She’s the moon goddess. Now, my perfect solar eclipse? That’s a different story.

Why?
I’m an aspect of the sun, and light refracts. This means at any given moment, I can actually be in two thousand places at once. While, I’m sitting here with you, some of my other aspects are driving the sun chariot, inspiring artists, listening to a symphony, and having a discussion with my oracle.

Sounds exhausting. What do you do to relax?
I play my lyre, and spend time with Daphne.

Is there anything you wish Nancy had kept her mouth shut about?
[Gaze wanders to the ceiling.] I wish she hadn’t mentioned my collection of art that depicts Daphne. Alex, my oracle, is right. It makes me look more than a bit stalker-y.

Tell us about Daphne. What drew you to her?
Do you have an eternity? For me, it started long before Cupid shot me with that damned arrow. From my chariot, I look down on the world. I saw Daphne running through the fields and hunting game. The way the light flashed on her throat was entrancing. Her slender wrists and ankles begged to be caressed, and the sinuous lines of her body drove me mad with desire.

Then, my rival Leucippus disguised himself as a girl and hid within Daphne’s troop of nymphs. I told Daphne that she had an intruder in her ranks, and that the nymphs should bathe naked and thus expose him. They tore him apart. She was… remarkable in her fury. I would have seduced her then, but I knew she swore to follow Artemis’s path and take no lovers. I intended to honor Daphne’s choice. Then Cupid shot me with a golden arrow, and reason had no place in my heart. I had to make Daphne mine.

What really pushes your buttons?
Cupid. Enough said.

You’re not on the cover. How come?
Did you see how beautiful Daphne looks? Besides I am there in the way the sunlight and the rainbow bathe her skin. I’m really very happy with the cover.

What’s you biggest turn ons?
Daphne. [Laughs.] Could I be any more predictable? Music is also wonderful. It’s kept me sane through the eons Daphne’s been trapped in the laurel tree.

What are your biggest Turn offs?
Wow. There’s really not much that can ruin the mood. I’m a very sensual being.

What your favorite Ice cream flavor, Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry?
Yes.

Do you believe in ghosts?
You’re kidding, right? I’ve seen, and talked with spirits of those long past from the mortal realm in the Underworld. Hades rules over what you would call ghosts. So, yes, I believe in ghosts.

What is your biggest fear?
Losing Daphne forever.

Why should the readers be interested in Apollo Rising?
Who doesn’t like a good love story? Cupid once said that the reason heroes go on quests is to prove that they deserve the prize. The winged freak was right about that. Even for the gods, love extracts a terrible price.

Like most of the Greek myths, Apollo Rising is about so much more than whether I can break Daphne’s curse and restore her to her true form. It’s a story about accepting responsibility for our mistakes, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for love. Would you make a deal with Hades, the devil himself, if it was the only way to free your love even at the cost of everything else? I have to tell you, my uncle’s not a fun man to barter with, and he hates giving up the souls in his care.

Thanks for joining us. I look forward to reading about your quest.
My pleasure.

EXCERPT:
A soft glow beckoned from around a corner. While Hades pretended to be a traditionalist, he indulged in modern conveniences every chance he could. Ultra-violet panels, the ones mortals used to simulate sunlight, glowed from inside the walls. They brought day into the vaulted cavern. Hades had encrusted the ceiling with aquamarines since Apollo’s last visit. The light played off them simulating a summer sky. Another token of Hades’s love. Stalactites wider than a city bus hung from the ceiling. Others met stalagmites to form fluted columns reminiscent of the Pantheon. Stone draperies served as curtains, which separated Persphone’s chamber, and Hades’s media room from the main audience hall.

Reaching the center of the room, Apollo dropped to one knee.

“Lord Hades, I come to you as a supplicant.”

Hades could have passed for one of the stalagmites with his sharp and jagged features. His skin held a bluish cast from lack of sunlight. Obsidian color hair hung loose to his shoulders. Flint hard eyes glared at Apollo.

Persephone, on the other hand, reminded Apollo of a spring breeze. Sunshine colored hair swept away from olive skin, slightly pales in her time in the Underworld. Her bright ginger-colored tunic broke the unrelieved grays and blacks of the great hall.

“What brings you here?” Hades’s voice reverberated through the chamber.

Apollo raised an eyebrow. “I seek information, and possibly a trade.”

“Rise.”

The few times Apollo had needed something from Hades, he’d been treated as an honored guest. But not this time.

Enraged to the point of incivility by Persephone’s upcoming desertion, Hades was likely to vent his temper on any target. Sadly, Apollo provided him with one that could give him a decent fight. Daphne’s soul might cost more than Apollo could pay.

“What do you wish of me?” Hades asked.

“I wish to barter for Daphne’s soul.”

“I never said I had her.”

They’d never been friends, but then, they hadn’t been enemies either. There really wasn’t any reason for Hades to oppose Apollo’s attempt to rescue Daphne.

“Does that mean you are going to vie her to me?” Apollo asked.

“Give? Give? Now why would I do that?” Hades’s laugh grated in Apollo’s ears.

“What do you want, Hades?”

His gaze went hard. “A boon.”

“What kind?”

“Unlimited. To be provided when I demand.”

Apollo choked. If he agreed Hades could demand anything from him. Even the sun. The God of the Underworld had never been happy with his lot. Hades had helped his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, wrestle the cosmos from Cronus. The brothers then drew lots for their domains. Zeus chose the sky, which is why Apollo as his son, was the Sun God. Poseidon chose the sea. But the brothers tricked Hades into becoming Death. In choosing the underworld, Hades lost the ability to walk comfortably in the sunlight. But if he took the sun from Apollo, Hades could remain above ground with Persphone.

Could Phoebus Apollo lose the sun?

Who would he be without it?

Amazon BUY LINK






Learn more about Nancy DiMauro and her impressive work on her website Falcons Fables and blog .

Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter .

Spirit Day

Musa Publishing is having a Grand Opening tomorrow for their new line of GLBT YA books! Read the article here. 

I've also changed my background to purple in honor of Spirit Day. 

Here's something fun you guys can do tomorrow to support Spirit Day. http://twibbon.com/Support/SpiritDay