Cate Ellink's Blog, page 50

Wildlife Wednesday - small clawed otter

Here's another photo from Western Plains Zoo, of the small clawed otter who was looking right at me.

My sister has always been a huge fan of otters, so I always think of her when I see them. And I think of my Dad, because when I was in high school, I did an assignment for science on otters. We had to give a speech too and I was so nervous about that. So I decided I'd tape some background sounds to go with my talking, for a classy presentation!

So, I laid in the bathtub with the tape recorder going (this is in the olden days!) and I splashed and sloshed around in the bath. Then my Dad came in and made this "Aaarghkk, aarghkk, aarghkk" noise and left.

OMG I was wet. I couldn't stop the recording. I couldn't scream at him or the last ten minutes of sloshing was wasted. So I sucked it up and finished my otter sounds. When I asked him what on earth he was doing, he was a seal, getting ready to eat the otter. How we laughed. It was just too funny not to leave it in there. And so I went to school with a tape of water sloshing and a dad being a seal. I got a great mark for my ingenuity!!

So, on that note, I'll let you look up any sensible facts about otters if you'd like. The Taronga Zoo site has some here.

It is interesting that otters live in large family groups and that family is important to them :)

Sunday Story - anthologies

How do you feel about anthologies?

I love them. I like reading people who I haven't read before. It's a great way to find new-to-me authors.

I enjoy having a story included in an anthology because I hope someone might read it, enjoy it, and look me up, like I've done as a reader.

There seems to be a bit of a glut of anthologies/boxed sets at the moment and I've read a few that are disappointing to say the least. Although, maybe I'm just too damn fussy!

I've been on a bit of a kick to 'find out' what makes some of the 'big name' authors so popular. Anthologies are good for this because the stories are usually short and you can analyse them easier. But...I'm wondering if 'big name' authors take these things seriously. I've read a couple of anthologies now where I have skipped most of the stories from 'big names' because they've been shit. Really poor character development, dialogue that is so unrealistic I can't read it, sometimes the story sounds like a first draft. The authors in these box sets who I've enjoyed are often not the biggest name in the box.

So... does my taste in stories suck? Or have you found 'big names' aren't always good?

If I'm being totally honest, I don't often get hooked on 'big names'. I can never understand why their stories are so popular when I think there are much better writers around. So maybe it's me. Maybe my taste sucks and I'm just not in the 'in' crowd! LOL That makes sense - I'm never in the 'in' crowd!

Phallic Friday - sexual fantasies

I found this report online recently about sexual fantasies. It's a study trying to determine what's 'normal' and what is 'abnormal'. Why we need to categorise this stuff is another argument, so I'll just not touch that today!

Here are some of the interesting bits in the article -

It seems few fantasies are, by statistical definition, rare, unusual — or even typical.

Men fantasise more often than women. But not dramatically so.

The big disconnect between the sexes, however, is what comes after the fantasy.

Men mostly would like their daydreams to become reality.

Women, however, have a much clearer delineation between fantasy and desire. They tended to report little interest in trying the real thing.

The most common fantasies for women were: submission, sex with strangers, and using specific exotic locations.

The most common fantasies for men were: a threesome, cheating on their partner with someone they know.

The most common dreams were: sex in a romantic location, oral sex, and group sex.

There was some disconnect between the fantasies men enjoy, and those women enjoy.


I'm surprised that these results contain no mention of any fetishes. To me, these seem rather tame, and often fantasies people would be comfortable discussing with much laughter, over a beer. I was looking for a bit more depth to people's fantasies. Maybe I'm just abnormal :)

Are you surprised by these results?

Welcome to the world - LANA

LANA is out today!!

She's episode 2 of the Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives series.

I had a lot of fun (but much stress) creating Lana. I'm not sure how the world will receive her, but I hope they'll be invested in her fantasy world, and enjoy her.

If you'd like any more housewives information, join us in The Housewives Lounge on Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/TheHousewivesLounge

You can meet all 11 authors and their characters. I hope you'll love them all!

Here are some Lana teasers :)

And if you'd like to buy Lana, you can buy it here:

Amazon US:
Amazon AU
Amazon UK
iBooks
Barnes & Noble
Kobo 
or you can visit Escape Publishing for more information.

Wildlife Wednesday - yellow-tailed black cockatoo

These guys are around at the moment and boy, do they have a screech. They sound like a kid being killed! It's the most awful sound, high pitched and like it's being a strangled. They feed in a neighbour's tree and so a flock will come across, screeching, and then they all land to feed. That screeching has had me up a few times to see what's wrong. It's spine-chilling!

I don't know much about these guys but the Australian Museum site says they're in decline because of habitat loss, causing decrease in food supply and loss of breeding nest sites.

From the Birds in Backyards website, it says, "Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos have a long breeding season, which varies throughout their range. Both sexes construct the nest, which is a large tree hollow, lined with wood chips. The female alone incubates the eggs, while the male supplies her with food. Usually only one chick survives, and this will stay in the care of its parents for about six months."

Okay, so none of the sites say anything about their call being how I described it. Maybe it's my over-active imagination :)

Sunday Story - multiple partners

Don't forget to pre-order Lana! She's out on Thursday!How do you feel about multiple partners? Not in real life, but in your fiction? I find them really really hot. I had a binge on Kaliana Cole when I first ran across her stories - she has a town, Liberty Springs, where multiple partners is the 'norm' and a woman can live with a bunch of brothers or a couple of friends. Sometimes they marry one, but all live harmoniously together.

Most multiple partner stories don't have all the partners participating with each other, but those that do really heat my blood. Rhiannon Ayers has one story, Demons Within, that I read recently and the two men interacted with each other as well as the woman they both loved.

I think multiple partners is such a hot topic for me because it's in the realms o
f fantasy. I'm not really sure that I could physically handle too much attention! But thinking about it, writing about it, is really fun. I like that there's multiple dynamics, many things happening at once, and lots of people to consider.

I'm thinking of going down the M/M/F line for the next book I start. I'm hoping I can pull off some hot male-male sex with a delicious heroine involved.

I'm a little scared about juggling three people - not just the sex, but the emotional content too. I'm not really sure that I believe people could juggle the jealousy aspect in reality...but in fiction, I hope I can work through that somehow.

Anyway, on to multiple partners...just as soon as Tam and Jared get their act together and she learns to give great head!

God, I love this job!!

Phallic Friday - a little rant

I need to vent a little today. It's a 'debate' that's been going on for a while but recently ignited by Bianca Dye and Ricki-Lee Coulter. This is what I read - you can click here - an article where Bianca Dye was asking Ricki-Lee to reconsider her comments about not wanting children and asking her to freeze her eggs.

What bugs me the most about this 'debate' is the fact that people seem to think the children-choice is a debate. It's a personal choice. That means, it's up to the individual to make a decision - their decision.

It's mostly among women too, which bugs me even more. Men are rarely asked when they're having kids, or if they want kids. Why this discrepancy? Are women only here to provide children? Don't women have another role to play in the world?

I love kids. I think they're the best fun out. I spent years working with kids in my spare time, and enjoyed every minute of it. But it also made me realise kids weren't on my agenda. I love them, but I have never wanted the responsibility of having my own. At eighteen I was quite vocal about this. I have never changed my opinion but I'm no longer vocal! I've had lots of people around me have kids, and I've never got that clucky gene.

I've spent years with people quizzing me about my decision, arguing with me against my decision, and trying to persuade me to change my mind.

I was lucky, when I was growing up I had great aunts who didn't have children. I never saw them as 'lesser' people for that choice/issue. They had amazing lives as their own person and I always valued that. When I was in my 20s, a cousin said that she felt less valued than her siblings because of her child-free state. I'd never felt that in my immediate family and I still don't. But I must have grown up with different people to the norm because even some of my school friends don't have children now.

I'm closer to 50 than 40, and my decision has never bothered me. I don't regret not having kids, in fact, I'm very glad I've been able to do the things I've done and live the life I have.

I don't have a problem with people who do have children. In fact, I like to borrow their kids occasionally for silly movies, fun shows, carnival rides, you know, stuff you really need to do with a kid so people don't look at you strangely!!

I think it's time women stopped discussing other women's choices and let people live their own life!

Meet My Characters - blog hop

I was invited by Lisa Ireland to join a Blog Hop, introducing people to the characters in our books. You can read about Lisa's new story here - it's not out yet but let me tell you, it's a great rural story (I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek!)

Here's the draft blurb for Lisa's new story:
With rumours about her personal life splashed all over the Internet, writer and celebrity, Johanna Morgan, uses her best friend’s wedding as an excuse to escape New York and head home to Australia. All Jo wants is some peace and quiet, but with her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Galloway, unexpectedly back in town, suddenly Linden Gully seems anything but sleepy.
 
Ryan has thought about Jo every day for the past seven years, but it’s not just his heart at stake anymore. He has his six-year-old daughter to think about. He can’t risk Ella’s happiness, even if that means sacrificing the love of his life.


Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives Lana Next week (20th) is the big release day for my part of the Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives project. My heroine is Lana, and here's a little about her.

1. What is the name of your character?
Lana Driscoll, although she used another name in the past.

2. Is she fictional or an historic person?
She's definitely fictional!

3.When and where is the story set?
The story is set in Sydney, in the present day. Lana is a member of the upper class, social set in Sydney, Australia. The story makes use of the beautiful Sydney Harbour.

4. What should we know about her?
Lana is like no one I've ever known, which is why she was such fun to create. She's confident and independent. She's forged a career by hard work and dedication, and established herself in the high society of Sydney. She's loyal, but uncompromising. She lives life her way, and doesn't care what others think or say. She's not young, but she likes young men.

5. What is the main conflict? What messes up her life?
Lana doesn't have a messy life, she just has a secret life. This story allows us a glimpse into her secrets.

6. What is the personal goal of the character?
Lana wants pleasure. She has a fantasy that she hopes may come true, but she doesn't really expect it to happen. She's content with pleasuring young men.

7. Can we read more about it?
You have a week to wait before you can read it. It's available for pre-order at all ebook stores. You can follow the hashtag #Sydneywives, or join us on Facebook at the Housewives Lounge if you're keen on more.

8. When is it published?
Out next week!!

To pre-order, or buy after the 20th, please click on the relevant site:

Amazon US:
Amazon AU
Amazon UK
iBooks
Barnes & Noble
Kobo 

or you can visit Escape Publishing for more information.

I hope you enjoy Lana and the other 10 Sydney Housewives!

Wildlife Wednesday - footy kangaroos

Just a little diversion from the usual wildlife. I took a bazillion photos at the footy and thought I'd share some.

And please note: they aren't all Cooper Cronk (just mostly!), one of men who inspired my story Deep Diving!!

The first game was a test match between the Australian Jillaroos and the New Zealand Silver Ferns - women's rugby league. How I wished I was twenty years younger! I always wanted to play rugby league but had to settle for mixed touch footy.

The Jillaroos The roos pre-game, watching the Jillaroos


Warm ups
Post try celebrations
OMG....imagine mango on there! Directing play
How could you resist wolf-whistling that!? Warm up thoughts




We had these amazing seats, right next to the place where the Aussies ran out onto the ground.

Second half of the girls game, the boys came out to watch. I had to re-evaluate my views on some players. I am not a fan of some of them, and of course, they were the guys who spent ages signing autographs and being photographed with kids.

Then the boys came out to warm up pre-game. Wow, right in front of us. Mr E was groaning, but my camera was clicking almost as wildly as my heart was pounding! :)

The game was incredible. Australia clicked as a team. Lots more celebration and back slapping and high fives than the last few weeks. It was awesome to see. Cooper scored two tries, not right in front of me...but he scored two, so I couldn't complain!

And he stood in front of me enough times so I have a bazillion photos of his behind! (Not sure Mr E has read the scene with the muscle-dance self pleasuring but it crossed my mind more than once!).

Then just to make my day the most super fantastic it could possibly be... Coops swapped shirts...holy hell...his chest...not just his legs...I was in heaven! LOL. Mr E just groaned aloud.
David Klemmer's debut try

The Kangaroos

Wildlife Wednesday - footy wildlife

Just a little diversion from the usual wildlife. I took a bazillion photos at the footy and thought I'd share some.

And please note: they aren't all Cooper Cronk, one of men who inspired my story Deep Diving!!

The first game was a test match between the Australian Jillaroos and the New Zealand Silver Ferns - women's rugby league. How I wished I was twenty years younger! I always wanted to play rugby league but had to settle for mixed touch footy.

The Jillaroos The roos pre-game, watching the Jillaroos


Eyes on the ball Warm ups
Post try celebrations
Oh, yeah....the end of the game strip Yelling at someone
How could you resist wolf-whistling that!? Warm up thoughts




We had these amazing seats, right next to the place where the Aussies ran out onto the ground.

Second half of the girls game, the boys came out to watch. I had to re-evaluate my views on some players. I am not a fan of some of them, and of course, they were the guys who spent ages signing autographs and being photographed with kids.

Then the boys came out to warm up pre-game. Wow, right in front of us. Mr E was groaning, but my camera was clicking almost as wildly as my heart was pounding! :)

The game was incredible. Australia clicked as a team. Lots more celebration and back slapping and high fives than the last few weeks. It was awesome to see. Cooper scored two tries, not right in front of me...but he scored two, so I couldn't complain!

And he stood in front of me enough times so I have a bazillion photos of his behind! (Not sure Mr E has read the scene with the muscle-dance self pleasuring but it crossed my mind more than once!).

Then just to make my day the most super fantastic it could possibly be... Coops swapped shirts...holy hell...his chest...not just his legs...I was in heaven! LOL. Mr E just groaned aloud.
David Klemmer's debut try

The Kangaroos