Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 9

I've been remiss by Felice Stevens

I've been retired a year now and it's crazy how fast the time went. I thought I'd get a lot more accomplished in my house and with my writing but I think the lack of structure in my day meant I didn't produce what I could. 

When the new year started I went back over my year and decided to make a change. I vowed to stay off of social media, write more by doing sprints and take more control over my business. I wrote down my goals and books I wanted to write -yes I am using my planner still!!!-and have been able to write at a steadier pace. Having writer friends to sprint and brainstorm with has made a world of difference.

My last release, The Coincidence, is a book I have been wanting to write for a long time. It is a story of fate and hope and a love that as almost destined to be. Coby is a snarky, sassy man who uses humor as a shield against getting hurt. Eli hides behind his quiet sadness but when the two meet they are the perfect combination. Add in Tante Fay, who always has an opinion and I smile every time I think of them. It is quintessential Jewish New York City and just in time for Passover! It's on Kindle Unlimited for the first 90 days and I hope you give it a try.
Universal Link:  mybook.to/TheCoincidence

Gone to the Dogs

Good morning!  This week was Dog Fighting Awareness day, and the accompanying pictures and stories have been so heart-breaking. On a personal note, we had a dog rescued from this terrible "sport" as a puppy, and he was anxious and afraid his whole life, in spite of our love and efforts. So, in an effort to cheer all of us up, here are some pictures of our studio dogs through the years. The newest, Rogue, has since eaten the pillow in her picture, and no longer fits so well in the arm chair.  Have a happy day!






Find Falcon Sound Company on Facebook for fresh audio books recorded daily, and the dogs say "hi" too!

a little spring either or with BA, Julia, Kiernan and Sean

So we thought we'd do a fun little either or that's spring related. It's a baker's dozen, from informative to silly.


Day or nightSunshine or rainHot chocolate or chocolate milkCream egg or PeepsTulips or rosesSoft or hardGrass or patio stonesSwimming or runningBaby squirrels or baby sharksNetflix or network Ice cubes or crushed icePastel or neonCake or death


BA Tortuga
Day or night -- I'm a day time person, unless I can't sleep. Although my wife says I'm most productive after supper...
Sunshine or rain -- SUNSHINE
Hot chocolate or chocolate milk -- I like dark chocolate almond milk in coffee
Cream egg or Peeps -- Peeps, Cream eggs make me barf.
Tulips or roses -- Roses. ALLLL the roses.
Soft or hard -- Is this a sex thing? If it is, I'm a breast girl.
Grass or patio stones -- there is no grass, only Zuul
Swimming or running -- is there a bear chasing me?
Baby squirrels or baby sharks -- Baby shark, doo doo doot doo doo doo
Netflix or network -- Netflix, please. I'm addicted to weird Australian television
Ice cubes or crushed ice -- Sonic ice
Pastel or neon -- ALL THE COLORS
Cake or death -- So my choices are...or death?


Julia Talbot
Day or night - in between. I’m productive in the morning but I like to relax some in the evening
Sunshine or rain - sunshine - we get 325 day of it a year here. I do love how rain smells
Hot chocolate or chocolate milk - hot chocolate
Cream egg or Peeps - Cadbury baby
Tulips or roses - roses
Soft or hard - mmmm both
Grass or patio stones - here it’s patios. We haven’t seen grass in 6 years
Swimming or running - swimming
Baby squirrels or baby sharks - baby sharks! We call Boomie that
Netflix or network - netflix
Ice cubes or crushed ice - hmm depends on the drink
Pastel or neon - can I have both?
Cake or death- cake. Carrot. I can send my address


Kiernan Kelly
Day or night - I prefer night. No interruptions.

April Adventures

Hello, and happy Thursday! Spring is in the air, and April is up to her usual tricks. With the oh-so-gradual warming in the weather and the seemingly overnight appearance of tiny bright flowers, it feels like a beginning; the start of something great! Of course, this first week of the month, the other sign of the times is the tradition of April Fools' Day.  Hopefully everyone has recovered from some foolish fun!

It seems appropriate that The Fool is the first card of the tarot. The image is that of a young man, off on his adventures, bright and full of hope. His faithful dog's frantic warnings are ignored as he blithely walks off a cliff. The card portends a new beginning, a care-free spirit of optimism, the start of something great!

The Fool, in my opinion, gets a bad rap. Gullibility is the dark step-sister of innocence and vulnerability. Insisting we won't get fooled again shuts us off from this part of ourselves and the opportunities that come with it.  Getting fooled is the risk we all face when we put our trust in something or someone, and only time will tell if our foolishness pays off.  If narrating hundreds of romances has taught us anything, there's a reason they say, "only fools fall in love."

In any case, this is the week for beginning fantastic new adventures, just don't forget to watch your step!

March Releases

Happy Thursday in the Cafe! Here are our new releases from March, hot off the mic! Here is 33 hours of recorded romance for your listening pleasure from 3 authors and 3 narrators, Colin Darcy, John Solo, and Kenneth Obi. They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, but our month started with a wolf and ended with a bear. Indulge your animal nature and check out these great audiobooks.  Happy listening!





Find Falcon Sound Company on Facebook and at www.falconsoundcompany.com.

Favorite things about spring from BA, Julia and Sean

Hey y'all!

Kiernan is off on a trip, so here's Sean, BA, and Julia with our favorite things about spring!

XXOO

Julia

Visit our websites:

Sean's is http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

Julia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.com

BA’s is http://www.batortuga.com

Kiernan's is www.KiernanKelly.com

Evil Plot Bunny: http://www.evilplotbunny.com/

Julia's Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TurtlehatSt...

Facebook:

Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelW...

Julia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbota...

BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga

Kiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly

Liberty States Fiction Writers and Readers Conference

This is where you will find me this weekend! Overall, I have found this conference to be fairly diverse and the attendees more flexible and open minded than at other New Jersey conferences. I especially like it because it isn't only romance authors, so you get to have a wide range of discussions with people from all kinds of writing and reading backgrounds. I learned a lot last year, and I expect to do the same this year.


If you're a reader, this is the info for you:

Readers Track
Full Registration – $95

Day Pass Options:
Saturday Day Pass – $65
Sunday Day Pass – $35

Full Registration includes access to all Readers Track panels and events, spotlight signings, the Saturday night game night, and three meals.


Saturday Day Pass includes access to all Readers Track panels/events and the book fair to be held on Saturday, March 30. The price also includes the Saturday game night, and two meals.


Sunday Day Pass includes access to all Readers Track panels/events and the spotlight signings held on Sunday, March 31. The price also includes one meal.


Visit the conference site, the registration link is at the bottom:
Liberty States Fiction Writers & Readers Conference Registration.


Hope to see you there!

Jodi
jodipayne.net

You Don't Like My Main Character? Oh Well By S.C. Wynne

Good morning all!

I have a re-release of a book I wrote in 2014 that was published by Loose Id. This was a touchy book for some. It was a book that most people loved, and a few didn't understand. Mostly I've gotten many letters from readers thanking me for writing this book. Damaged Heart is a special book for me. It's a personal book for me, so maybe I'm not as easy going as usual when people criticize the story. Most people get it, but there are those few who whine Cory was mean.

Yes, Cory isn't a nice guy in the beginning, but he has his reasons. I see people sometimes rate this book low because they don't like Cory. Oh, well. I guess you have no empathy maybe for people who have suffered horribly, and maybe struggle to be who you think they should be? Not everybody is nice. Not everybody is well adjusted. Sometimes people have gone through stuff that makes them hard to get along with. But so long as the character tries to change? I don't get the negative review thing. I don't rate books low because one of the characters didn't start out as a nice guy. If the character remains a jerk the entire time? Yes, that would frustrate me. But I like growth in a character. I like watching them change and try. That IS the point of a book for me.

The thing is, when it's a romance novel, all ends well. It has to because it's romance.The cantankerous person always ends up trying and learning to love. So why is it some people just can't get past the "unlikeable" character in the beginning thing? I'm actually curious about that. It baffles me.

Maybe I'm odd because I enjoy characters with an edge. I loved stories like Taming of the Shrew, and John Wick. Who the heck doesn't love Hans Solo even though he starts out as a jerk? lol  I don't need my characters to start out nice, so long as they end up redeemed. In fact, I prefer they don't start out nice.

I might be the minority. Maybe most people love gentle lovey dovey characters who are sweet as pie from the first page. There is certainly a place for characters like that, but I like those characters the best when they have a foil; another character who is the opposite. I think that makes for a better story. In my humble opinion. And I actually am allowed an opinion.

Now let me give a disclaimer: All reviewers are allowed their opinions too. Readers have every right to hate everything I do, and every book I write. But I also have a right to my opinion. I have a right to write the characters the way I want, and the way that makes the best sense for the story I want to tell. Because, ultimately, it's my story.

I seem to be channeling Cory today. Oh, well. There's a reason I love him. lol


S.C.
www.scwynne.com

P.S. If you're interested in a love story with one sweet guy, and one asshole protagonist, who changes and learns to love, Damaged Heart is available here:

Amazon    Kobo    Barnes & Noble    Apple

Newest releases! BA, Julia, Kiernan and Sean

Happy Release Day to BA and Sean

Available now at Dreamspinner Press

Love is hitting the slopes, and the competition is fierce.

It’s Gay Ski Week in Aspen, and blind sculptor Bleu Bridey and his ex-fiancé, Dan, are at the Leaning N Ranch to unveil Bleu’s latest commission.

Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Shields is there too… and he’s Bleu’s true love who got away. Seeing Bleu again, Ryan remembers how they couldn’t get enough of each other in college.

Too bad it looks like Bleu is with Dan now, because Ryan would love to remind Bleu how good they were together, in and out of the sheets.

Between Ski Week parties, a bunch of exes, a private ski lesson, and one terrible accident that leaves Bleu stranded and Ryan in rescue mode, it’ll be a wonder if these two manage to survive, much less find a few seconds alone to remember how much love they have to keep them warm even in the worst of storms.

Go buy it here!

Sean has a re-release!

Out March 22

Swimmer Mike Gauliet is on his way to an Olympic berth, sitting on the edge of fulfilling his potential and achieving the dreams his coach and lover, Jessy Turner, has for both of them.

All Mike wants to think about is swimming his laps faster than anyone else. Too bad things aren’t going exactly according to plan. Mike’s getting threats, and he’s afraid to tell Jessy and determined to handle things alone.

When the threats escalate to the point where Mike can’t hide them, though, Jessy takes over, moving Mike to a new training location, promising to keep him safe. Mike and Jessy try to go on with business as usual, but someone has such hatred for Mike that it seeps into their everyday life, straining their relationship, making Mike wonder if he even wants to swim anymore. Danger lurks around every corner, in and out of the pool, and while Mike and Jessy work with the police to discover the culprit, one attack leaves their life in shambles. Can Mike and Jessy find their attacker and get Mike back on track to a championship?

Pre-order it here!

Julia and Kiernan both have shorts that have been re-released on Evil Plot Bunny! And Julia has a Minerva Howe short that's a brand new Planet Fantasy story.

Check them out here!

XXOO

Julia, BA, Kiernan, Sean

Visit our websites:

Sean's is http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

Julia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.com

BA’s is http://www.batortuga.com

Kiernan's is www.KiernanKelly.com

Evil Plot Bunny: http://www.evilplotbunny.com/

Julia's Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TurtlehatSt...

Facebook:

Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelW...

Julia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbota...

BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga

Kiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly

Happy Sunday all!Its also St. Patrick's Day, so today I'm...

Happy Sunday all!

Its also St. Patrick's Day, so today I'm offering up my favorite soda bread recipe.
IRISH SODA BREAD

Ingredients:

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup raisins
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.

3. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then add in the currants or raisins. I use a pastry blender, but you can also pulse it in a food processor or even use two knives. If you must to use your fingers work quickly so you don't melt the butter.

4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, then add the beaten egg and buttermilk and mix with until dough is too stiff to stir. Use something sturdy like a wooden spoon.

5. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Knead as little as possible, over kneading makes the bread tough.

6. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky and not pretty. No worries, that's right!

7. Transfer dough to a baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit) and score the top, making a big X. Don't be afraid to cut right in, it helps the dough bake evenly.

8. Bake until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes. (Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.) If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.

9. Let cool a few minutes: Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly.

Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. It's best right away.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Jodi

jodipayne.net