Caroline Hanson's Blog, page 7
November 7, 2011
I'm baa-aack! Plus Conferencing and Why I went Indie
And I am back! It's good to be back. My kids stumbled in to say hello at 5 am and I've got a tennis match this morning, which I am going to lose at like nobody's business. Unless eating three pounds of chocolate cake in a four day period and not exercising for several weeks is actually good for me, then today's outcome is a foregone conclusion. If someone finds my competitive spirit, please return it.
The conference was very interesting. Every day my brain hurt. If you are a writer and are thinking about conferences, let me tell you, I've been to a fair amount in the last year and there are some stinkers out there. My opinion is that RWA and your local chapter is a great jumping off point for info and contacts. A big conference like RT or RWA National is good too, but if you want craft, it's better to go to an all day course from someone like Bell, Vogler, Dixon, Hague or Maass. The Hero's Journey and story arcs, all that stuff is fascinating and can not be covered in a two hour time period.
I've been asked why I independently published and if I tried to go traditional before Independently Publishing. And to a certain extent I did. I finished LID at the beginning of 2011 and went to a pitch conference. I was told by an agent who is very prominent in Paranormal/Urban Fantasy circles that vampires were dead-dead. And that the odds of me getting it published were very low (she said this without reading a single word I had written). I cried. She was really mean. And although writers are told to expect mean agents, it still sucks when it happens.
Then I sent out half a dozen query letters and got rejections back so quickly it made my head spin. Rejections are supposed to take awhile, like weeks, so how come I was getting a 12 hour turn around? Was my query that bad? No. I will say my query was good. It was a variation of the book blurb and had been seriously worked on. Yes, six queries is nothing. Maybe I should have continued but I really didn't want to.
The last rejection letter I received said 'I have no idea if your story is any good but we are not acquiring that genre right now.' My first thought was 'Oh.' My second thought was 'Oh, shit!'
I had finished a book for a genre that agents and editors were saying was dead. But I loved Valerie, Jack and Lucas. Truthfully, I loved Marion too. She cracked me up. And I didn't want to put it aside, start on another book and hope that the vampire 'trend' would come back around in ten years and some publisher might be willing to publish the book. Perhaps I could have gone small press or an e publisher but I didn't see the point.
I also toyed with making them not vampires. If you've read a dragon book you might ask yourself if it was originially a shifter/ vampire book that got changed. It probably was. Cause who really wants to bone a dragon? No one. But it was different enough two years ago that it might have been published.
After more revising and revising I published LID in August and I think it's turned out pretty damned well. Additionally, the industry is in a state of change. Like DVD's and music, book sales and the way books are consumed is changing faster than the industry would like. Everywhere I go, when I meet someone who is an 'insider' I always ask, 'where do you think the industry will be in five years?' and the answer I get is that one of the big six probably won't make it but they might survive on non-fiction (which is super profitable), and that with the collapse of book stores and lack of shelf space, publisher's time and money will go to big authors.
Mid list and new authors are screwed.
I have also heard murmurings that the industry is waiting to see what will happen with Amanda Hocking. If she sells well and makes the jump to traditional with a lot of sales, then I believe (and others who actually know something seem to agree with me) that most new authors will be forced to build up a following independently and prove that they can promote themselves.
If they make enough sales and get enough followers then the big six might make some effort to scoop them up. In my opinion, that's better for everyone. Right now authors don't get a lot of money and their book can drop into obscurity and there is nothing they can do-- the rights are gone.
Also, the industry doesn't want to give a lot of money to an author who can't perform. So if an author is making a lot of money independently, a traditional publisher will have to make it worth their while to give up that profit, which makes them more invested in a book and less likely to give it a low print run and have it disappear. Everyone becomes invested.
The other thing I've heard, which is kind of mind-boggling and kind of obvious at the same time, is that in 5 years 80% of books will be read on e readers and apps. Holy shiznit.
The conference was very interesting. Every day my brain hurt. If you are a writer and are thinking about conferences, let me tell you, I've been to a fair amount in the last year and there are some stinkers out there. My opinion is that RWA and your local chapter is a great jumping off point for info and contacts. A big conference like RT or RWA National is good too, but if you want craft, it's better to go to an all day course from someone like Bell, Vogler, Dixon, Hague or Maass. The Hero's Journey and story arcs, all that stuff is fascinating and can not be covered in a two hour time period.
I've been asked why I independently published and if I tried to go traditional before Independently Publishing. And to a certain extent I did. I finished LID at the beginning of 2011 and went to a pitch conference. I was told by an agent who is very prominent in Paranormal/Urban Fantasy circles that vampires were dead-dead. And that the odds of me getting it published were very low (she said this without reading a single word I had written). I cried. She was really mean. And although writers are told to expect mean agents, it still sucks when it happens.
Then I sent out half a dozen query letters and got rejections back so quickly it made my head spin. Rejections are supposed to take awhile, like weeks, so how come I was getting a 12 hour turn around? Was my query that bad? No. I will say my query was good. It was a variation of the book blurb and had been seriously worked on. Yes, six queries is nothing. Maybe I should have continued but I really didn't want to.
The last rejection letter I received said 'I have no idea if your story is any good but we are not acquiring that genre right now.' My first thought was 'Oh.' My second thought was 'Oh, shit!'
I had finished a book for a genre that agents and editors were saying was dead. But I loved Valerie, Jack and Lucas. Truthfully, I loved Marion too. She cracked me up. And I didn't want to put it aside, start on another book and hope that the vampire 'trend' would come back around in ten years and some publisher might be willing to publish the book. Perhaps I could have gone small press or an e publisher but I didn't see the point.
I also toyed with making them not vampires. If you've read a dragon book you might ask yourself if it was originially a shifter/ vampire book that got changed. It probably was. Cause who really wants to bone a dragon? No one. But it was different enough two years ago that it might have been published.
After more revising and revising I published LID in August and I think it's turned out pretty damned well. Additionally, the industry is in a state of change. Like DVD's and music, book sales and the way books are consumed is changing faster than the industry would like. Everywhere I go, when I meet someone who is an 'insider' I always ask, 'where do you think the industry will be in five years?' and the answer I get is that one of the big six probably won't make it but they might survive on non-fiction (which is super profitable), and that with the collapse of book stores and lack of shelf space, publisher's time and money will go to big authors.
Mid list and new authors are screwed.
I have also heard murmurings that the industry is waiting to see what will happen with Amanda Hocking. If she sells well and makes the jump to traditional with a lot of sales, then I believe (and others who actually know something seem to agree with me) that most new authors will be forced to build up a following independently and prove that they can promote themselves.
If they make enough sales and get enough followers then the big six might make some effort to scoop them up. In my opinion, that's better for everyone. Right now authors don't get a lot of money and their book can drop into obscurity and there is nothing they can do-- the rights are gone.
Also, the industry doesn't want to give a lot of money to an author who can't perform. So if an author is making a lot of money independently, a traditional publisher will have to make it worth their while to give up that profit, which makes them more invested in a book and less likely to give it a low print run and have it disappear. Everyone becomes invested.
The other thing I've heard, which is kind of mind-boggling and kind of obvious at the same time, is that in 5 years 80% of books will be read on e readers and apps. Holy shiznit.
November 1, 2011
Love is Darkness is #1
Whoot! LID is #1 in contemporary fantasy. And you know what? It happened on Halloween. I feel like I should thank the Earth Mother or Satan or something. Going out of town tomorrow and I need to read to kill a mockingbird. (My daughter is very concerned as to why I would want to read a book on how to kill birds.) I want to read Blood Rights by Kristen Painter. Please let it be as good as it sounds. That can also be a prayer for the Earth Mother or Satan if it helps.
October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween!/ Love is Fear-- the Prologue/ Thank you!
The run up to Halloween has been busy. My three year old has decided monsters might be real and is petrified by everything she sees. My six year old has sorted her candy and given me a lecture about the perils of sugar-- much to the 3 year old's glee b/c as big sis talks she jacks all the candy and eats it.
I am off to Houston on Wednesday for a writing conference. Super excited. Although I feel too busy to go. Trying to get a cover for Love is Fear sorted out and finish the draft. Again. This is the fourth I think. But it's getting there. nothing has changed plot wise, it's just adding stuff and making it clearer. I'm a sloppy writer. I just have to go over and over and over it to make it readable.
The characters have surprised me a little bit. One is more evil than I expected and another less. We get a new player and his villanousness (it's a word now!) is uncertain. The prologue is pretty darn complete now. It's been beta read and I think I'm going to post it because people seem like they might care. (Me and my neighbor's dog to name a few).
This scene-- just to warn you so I don't get lynched for being a tease-- does NOT pick up where we left off. No Jack/Val and what did he see/how will he react answers. But this is the beginning of book two. The prologue for the first book was Lucas getting a taste of empathic blood and umm...enjoying that. (My writer's group mocks me for his enthusiastic response but I still think it's great!) But his rxn not only set up the course of the book and his motivation but was meant to show that I wanted to be a bit outrageous which is one of the things that makes UF so great in my humble opinion.
Well, the second book hopefully has the same sort of beginning. I think it's outrageous. It sets up our story and gives us an idea of the character's motivations. Plus-- it's an orgy!
I started this book directly after finishing LID last December but it stalled b/c I knew it had to start with an orgy, yet I didn't feel comfortable enough writing one. I guess I thought people would look at me and think, 'she writes orgies'. Well, I've reconciled. Apparently I write orgies. Lol. So here it is! I would love to know what you think and hope it makes you want to read more!
Thank you so much for coming to my blog, reading the book and loving my characters. The feedback has been inspiring and thrilled me to pieces. I'm writing as fast as I can b/c I know it was a wicked cliff-hanger and I would curse me too! So as a way to say thanks, here is the prologue from LIF.
PS-- I have tried to respond to everyone who has left a comment. If I have missed you I am so sorry! I don't think I missed anyone but I just wanted to make sure.
Love is Fear-- Prologue (Please be aware that this is not the final draft. It's pretty complete but might change slightly before December.)
August 18, 1587 Cerdewellyn, King of the Fey, startled at the baby's first angry cry. He looked around the primitive shelter in disgust. It was nothing like the opulence they had been forced to leave behind. Two tallow candles were sputtering in the room, dimly illuminating the spent woman who held her newborn child. Eleanor murmured something soothing to her child, then looked up as he approached. "A girl, just like you promised," she said tiredly, but with a smile. She doubted his word? Yes, because no one fears the Fey any longer. "Do you have a name for the child?" he asked, voice deep and flowing."Virginia. Virginia Dare is her name." His black eyebrows pulled together in a frown, giving him a satanic look in the guttural light. His inky hair fell forward into his eyes and he pushed it away absently. "What is the purpose of such a name? Why did you choose it?" "Because of the queen, of course." The English Queen. A mortal. More regal, more deserving of having an infant named in her honor than the Queen of the Fey. Of course. "Ah. I wondered if it was to proclaim her conception—a virgin birth." "No, Your Highness, I would never do such a thing," she said in a rush. He nodded, watching absently as the baby whimpered and struggled, rooting around her mother's chest. Cer was pleased, felt a moment of gladness that this, at least, was going as it should. "She is strong," he said and turned, finding the midwife watching him like he was a rabid dog wanting to steal meat from the fire. Her arms were crossed defensively and she made a sign at him, as though to ward away an evil spirit. As if a hand gesture could impact him in any way. Her clothing was covered in blood. Cer took a moment to study the deep crimson stains, eyeing it and her until she saw something in his expression that made her take a step back. And she should fear me."It's not his place to be here, seeing the babe before your husband, before your father," the midwife said, never taking her eyes off Cerdewellyn."Hush, Martha. His Highness has been nothing but goodness to us." Martha shook her head in disagreement and went back to Eleanor, pressing on the woman's stomach repeatedly until the afterbirth, a huge glistening organ, spilled from her onto the bed. Cer's voice cut through the night like a blade. "You are done here. Go, Martha." Martha looked at him, then back to Eleanor. Did she really believe Eleanor's wishes would trump his? "You are to leave now. This is mine. The child is mine. Do nothing more to interfere or you will regret it." "Are you threatening me?" The woman said, her bloody hand flying to her chest as she backpedalled towards the door. He saw her looking at him, the confusion and fear on her simple face making him just want to kill her and leave. But it would distress Eleanor, and after the service she had just done his people, he was feeling magnanimous. "No," he said quietly, and then waited until her beefy shoulders slumped in relief. "I threaten you, your children and your man. You leave here and speak nothing of this. Nothing of me, nor the dark birth I will take with me. One whisper, one rumor of this and all you love will perish." "You are the devil!" she cried and backed out the door, shutting it behind her quickly. He heard her footsteps on the dry ground as she ran to the nearby huts of the other Roanoke settlers.Gently he placed the afterbirth into a bucket, gave the mother and child a blessing, then went to the woods, ready to reclaim his world. He'd promised Eleanor Dare a daughter and a husband, promised her that her family would prosper. He'd made it happen. I still have the power to give someone a destiny. But the Fey never gave away anything for free. Cer had helped the woman conceive for his own purposes—moving the Fey realm, and its living portal, required a host on this perilous journey across the sea. Eleanor Dare had carried their magic to the New World just as she carried the babe in her belly. He'd given her a child and she'd consumed Fey magic and the essence of their land until she was near to bursting with it. Most of his people, too weak to be outside his realm were waiting for Cer to complete the rite and allow them back to the mortal world. And tonight, he'd do just that. They had fled Europe, leaving from County Norfolk for a wilderness so vast and unreachable that no one could harm them. Cer walked into the woods, feeling the night air closing in around him, as though it wanted to meet him, lift him up and return him back to his former glory. Waiting. How long had they been a civilization on the brink of extinction? How many had been slaughtered by that bloodthirsty vampire monster-- Lucas. When the time came, Cerdewellyn would kill him. It was a death he imagined every waking moment. Like a fantasy of a woman he desired but had never taken—he would close his eyes and imagine killing him. He didn't care if he looked Lucas in the eyes as he did it, didn't care if he stabbed Lucas in the back, didn't even care if someone else did it…so long as it was done. He and his people, all the Others that were left were here with him, forced to leave their home for good. He stepped into a clearing in the woods, where the trees and brush had been cut back by the settlers. The strongest of his people, those who had not needed to lock themselves away in the portal, fell to the ground, the wolves that were with them howling in recognition. He could feel the expectation. A fire raged in the middle of the circle, flames licking so high that they singed the nearest branches-- an inferno under a witch's control. Tonight they would be reborn, put the past behind them and start again. His witch, Nantanya, stepped forward and took the bucket that contained the bloody after birth all the magic of his people and went to the fire. Cer looked at the remnants of the Others-- a handful of Empaths, a few Witches, and all that was left of the wolves, waited for him to open the Gate, anchor them to this plane and then they would have a home. Many of them had loved ones who waited in Cer's dimension, never aging, nothing changing as they waited for a way to escape back to the mortal world.He made eye contact with each of them, feeling the weight of loss and ruin in their worn clothing and lean faces. The journey to the New World had been hard, and Roanoke was not as plentiful as they had hoped. But once the portal was opened, that would change. "With this birth, our fortunes change. Our new life begins. Bonded together by death, we are no longer enemies but kin. All of our kind forged together in a fire of despair." Cer paused, letting the men and women think about what they had left behind. How dire their situation had become. There had been only one choice. Leave. Because Lucas and his horde had destroyed them all. He noticed the quiet. A complete absence of sound, and then the slight crackle of leaves underfoot. He turned and saw his Queen approach. The witch led her by the hand. She was naked and walked forward slowly, flowers twined in her long, honey-colored hair. The trip had been hard on her especially, and as he watched her come forward, he noticed that she was thinner than usual, her stomach flat and her breasts smaller. He felt a moment of unease. A true goddess is unaffected by mortal coils.She walked up to him, looking up into midnight eyes and smiled at him. All his doubts disappeared. The witch chanted, sliced her palm with a sharp knife, as her blood dripped into the fire with a hiss. She lifted the afterbirth from the bucket and held it suspended over the fire. The witch had cast the spell allowing their dimension to be moved, but Cer and his queen were the ones who would break it, allowing the Fey to come and go between the two dimensions. Nantanya knelt down and cut into the bloody mass, slicing off two small pieces before casting them into the fire. They burned with a flourish, a cascade of rainbow colored flames sparking bright. Cer felt the magic rise from the fire like smoke, knew the moment it touched him -- thickened him, his cock pulsing in time to his heart and the witch's chant. A breeze rustled across his skin and his queen's hair flitted across him arm, twining around his hand. The fire crackled again and he was hard as obsidian. The urge to mate with his queen an overwhelming need. Magic and power flooded the night. He drew it into him, channeling it into pure desire, before throwing it into the land, aware of it touching each person in the clearing. Their sudden moans of carnal hunger, a primitive song in the night. The witch walked forward, a strip of meat dangling on the edge of her blade. He inhaled, the smell of blood and power potent and intoxicating. Without question, thought or hesitation he swallowed it whole, felt it burn through him. The magic needed an outlet. The magic was half him and half his queen. Only their joining would make the magic whole. Cerdewellyn watched as his queen opened her mouth, taking the flesh between her lips. She closed her eyes in bliss and raised her hand, covering her mouth as though she savored every drop. Women came to him from the crowd, helping him take off his clothing, stroking his body. They touched him everywhere, their passion growing as he fed his desire to them. A woman tugged the sleeve of his shirt away then touched his chest, her finger grazing his nipple. Another unfastened his pants, pulling the laces free, her hand touching his cock, sliding her fingers across the damp head. He was ready and full, potent and eager to mount his queen. With this offering, with their release, they would be free. His queen closed her eyes and made a choking noise, an expression of revulsion scraping across her features. Male hands caressed her flesh and stroked her hair. Readying her. With a cry she swallowed, tears running down her cheeks. He knew that pleasure: when his body was so overrun with verdant desire that he could barely function beyond the moment and his own urgency. Cer grabbed his queen around the waist, her back to his front, his fingers going around her body and plunging between her thighs. She was hot and wet. A queen built for desire. He pushed his fingers into her, opening her, making her wide for him. No gentleness, no hesitation. It was unnecessary because she was queen of the Fey, as ready and hot as he was. She was his equal—a mirror for his desire. She cried out at his blunt invasion, struggling closer. He settled her on the ground, raising her hips into the air as he impaled her from behind in one, swift move. Like a dagger plunged to the hilt. Like the last gasp of a dying man. That connection was everything. Cer thrust within her, slow then pounding, feeling the magic course through him. It was building, growing. Wrong. He felt it even as the orgasm gathered in his cock. He was buffeted by sex and violent urges as his followers mated around him. The men took the women hard, the wolves half-transformed, all control wiped away and fed to the magic. There were not enough women and several of the men were pleasuring each other, holding tight fists around their pricks, their motions quick and greedy. Bodies writhed while their groans rent the air. He heard the witch chanting, felt the fire grow, consuming the very air around them, urging them towards completion. His queen was below him, her body milking him, fingers sunk deep into the earth. Wrong. Through the fire of lust he knew this was not right, knew something was out of balance. With a hoarse yell he pulled out of her, flipping her onto her back and sinking his face between her thighs. He kissed her and licked her, ate at her with a passion driven by the elements. She clenched hard, exploding around him. Her taste burned him, scalded him, tasted…. Wrong. He ignored it, still driven to come, to break the spell that kept the Fey trapped in another dimension. He loomed over her, looking down at her perfect face-- and caught a flash of something. It was as though she wasn't there. As though she'd faded and was covered head to toe in an illusion of death. Her skin gray and mottled, her eyes wide in her sunken flesh. The leaves she wore, dead and rotting. He blinked and the image disappeared. His queen was whole and beautiful before him, body lush and spread, ripe as spring, hot as summer. She stared at him with an expression he'd never seen before. As if she didn't want him. He kissed her deep, plunging his tongue into her mouth as he slid inside of her. They were one. Orgasms erupted around him, each offering of seed and honey greedily taken by the magic. He felt the first spasm within him, his essence pouring into her as he ground himself deep, the climax wrenching, as though his seed had become heavy, liquid gold. She shifted away from him so that he slipped out of her, the final potent lashes of his seed falling to the earth. He heard the fire roar and die—Wrong. His queen was beside him, crying, and the whole night was as dark and still as the dead. Cerdwellyn stood, pulling her to her feet. Her breath made a strange hitch and then she struck him, hand open, so that his head cracked to the side. "Where is the portal, Cerdewellyn? We have come so far and there is nothing!" she hissed the words at him. Cer didn't bother to touch his face, tasted the blood at the corner of his lip. He strode away from her, towards the smoking coals and the witch who had served him for decades. Nantanya turned, the lines of her face etched even deeper with the night's failure. She started speaking as soon as he was near, "It should have worked. The spell was perfect. You did your part. But the queen—did you not see it? You hurt her Cerdewellyn. If she were still your equal that would have been impossible. She is no longer the true queen, my lord." "She has been my queen for time beyond measure," he said, words hollow with fear. "But that doesn't mean she still is. There was another before her and now there is another after her." He shook his head in dismay, pressed his lips together hard even as his gaze strayed to the fire and then out into the distance, through the trees and towards the ocean. Where the barest, faintest hint of light was—and the newborn female babe conceived with all the magic of the Fey. "And where is my queen then?" he asked harshly, even though he feared the answer. "You know, my king. Surely you feel it. Affection, a shared history is irrelevant, Survival is all that matters now." "She is but a babe. It will be years before she could perform the rite as a true queen is meant to. If I open the portal and we go in, we cannot come out for years, until she is full grown and we can try again to break the spell." He looked around at his people, cursed Lucas again for forcing them into this situation, "Tell the settlers. They come with us, to wait for Virginia Dare. If they want to live, then they must come below."
I am off to Houston on Wednesday for a writing conference. Super excited. Although I feel too busy to go. Trying to get a cover for Love is Fear sorted out and finish the draft. Again. This is the fourth I think. But it's getting there. nothing has changed plot wise, it's just adding stuff and making it clearer. I'm a sloppy writer. I just have to go over and over and over it to make it readable.
The characters have surprised me a little bit. One is more evil than I expected and another less. We get a new player and his villanousness (it's a word now!) is uncertain. The prologue is pretty darn complete now. It's been beta read and I think I'm going to post it because people seem like they might care. (Me and my neighbor's dog to name a few).
This scene-- just to warn you so I don't get lynched for being a tease-- does NOT pick up where we left off. No Jack/Val and what did he see/how will he react answers. But this is the beginning of book two. The prologue for the first book was Lucas getting a taste of empathic blood and umm...enjoying that. (My writer's group mocks me for his enthusiastic response but I still think it's great!) But his rxn not only set up the course of the book and his motivation but was meant to show that I wanted to be a bit outrageous which is one of the things that makes UF so great in my humble opinion.
Well, the second book hopefully has the same sort of beginning. I think it's outrageous. It sets up our story and gives us an idea of the character's motivations. Plus-- it's an orgy!
I started this book directly after finishing LID last December but it stalled b/c I knew it had to start with an orgy, yet I didn't feel comfortable enough writing one. I guess I thought people would look at me and think, 'she writes orgies'. Well, I've reconciled. Apparently I write orgies. Lol. So here it is! I would love to know what you think and hope it makes you want to read more!
Thank you so much for coming to my blog, reading the book and loving my characters. The feedback has been inspiring and thrilled me to pieces. I'm writing as fast as I can b/c I know it was a wicked cliff-hanger and I would curse me too! So as a way to say thanks, here is the prologue from LIF.
PS-- I have tried to respond to everyone who has left a comment. If I have missed you I am so sorry! I don't think I missed anyone but I just wanted to make sure.
Love is Fear-- Prologue (Please be aware that this is not the final draft. It's pretty complete but might change slightly before December.)
August 18, 1587 Cerdewellyn, King of the Fey, startled at the baby's first angry cry. He looked around the primitive shelter in disgust. It was nothing like the opulence they had been forced to leave behind. Two tallow candles were sputtering in the room, dimly illuminating the spent woman who held her newborn child. Eleanor murmured something soothing to her child, then looked up as he approached. "A girl, just like you promised," she said tiredly, but with a smile. She doubted his word? Yes, because no one fears the Fey any longer. "Do you have a name for the child?" he asked, voice deep and flowing."Virginia. Virginia Dare is her name." His black eyebrows pulled together in a frown, giving him a satanic look in the guttural light. His inky hair fell forward into his eyes and he pushed it away absently. "What is the purpose of such a name? Why did you choose it?" "Because of the queen, of course." The English Queen. A mortal. More regal, more deserving of having an infant named in her honor than the Queen of the Fey. Of course. "Ah. I wondered if it was to proclaim her conception—a virgin birth." "No, Your Highness, I would never do such a thing," she said in a rush. He nodded, watching absently as the baby whimpered and struggled, rooting around her mother's chest. Cer was pleased, felt a moment of gladness that this, at least, was going as it should. "She is strong," he said and turned, finding the midwife watching him like he was a rabid dog wanting to steal meat from the fire. Her arms were crossed defensively and she made a sign at him, as though to ward away an evil spirit. As if a hand gesture could impact him in any way. Her clothing was covered in blood. Cer took a moment to study the deep crimson stains, eyeing it and her until she saw something in his expression that made her take a step back. And she should fear me."It's not his place to be here, seeing the babe before your husband, before your father," the midwife said, never taking her eyes off Cerdewellyn."Hush, Martha. His Highness has been nothing but goodness to us." Martha shook her head in disagreement and went back to Eleanor, pressing on the woman's stomach repeatedly until the afterbirth, a huge glistening organ, spilled from her onto the bed. Cer's voice cut through the night like a blade. "You are done here. Go, Martha." Martha looked at him, then back to Eleanor. Did she really believe Eleanor's wishes would trump his? "You are to leave now. This is mine. The child is mine. Do nothing more to interfere or you will regret it." "Are you threatening me?" The woman said, her bloody hand flying to her chest as she backpedalled towards the door. He saw her looking at him, the confusion and fear on her simple face making him just want to kill her and leave. But it would distress Eleanor, and after the service she had just done his people, he was feeling magnanimous. "No," he said quietly, and then waited until her beefy shoulders slumped in relief. "I threaten you, your children and your man. You leave here and speak nothing of this. Nothing of me, nor the dark birth I will take with me. One whisper, one rumor of this and all you love will perish." "You are the devil!" she cried and backed out the door, shutting it behind her quickly. He heard her footsteps on the dry ground as she ran to the nearby huts of the other Roanoke settlers.Gently he placed the afterbirth into a bucket, gave the mother and child a blessing, then went to the woods, ready to reclaim his world. He'd promised Eleanor Dare a daughter and a husband, promised her that her family would prosper. He'd made it happen. I still have the power to give someone a destiny. But the Fey never gave away anything for free. Cer had helped the woman conceive for his own purposes—moving the Fey realm, and its living portal, required a host on this perilous journey across the sea. Eleanor Dare had carried their magic to the New World just as she carried the babe in her belly. He'd given her a child and she'd consumed Fey magic and the essence of their land until she was near to bursting with it. Most of his people, too weak to be outside his realm were waiting for Cer to complete the rite and allow them back to the mortal world. And tonight, he'd do just that. They had fled Europe, leaving from County Norfolk for a wilderness so vast and unreachable that no one could harm them. Cer walked into the woods, feeling the night air closing in around him, as though it wanted to meet him, lift him up and return him back to his former glory. Waiting. How long had they been a civilization on the brink of extinction? How many had been slaughtered by that bloodthirsty vampire monster-- Lucas. When the time came, Cerdewellyn would kill him. It was a death he imagined every waking moment. Like a fantasy of a woman he desired but had never taken—he would close his eyes and imagine killing him. He didn't care if he looked Lucas in the eyes as he did it, didn't care if he stabbed Lucas in the back, didn't even care if someone else did it…so long as it was done. He and his people, all the Others that were left were here with him, forced to leave their home for good. He stepped into a clearing in the woods, where the trees and brush had been cut back by the settlers. The strongest of his people, those who had not needed to lock themselves away in the portal, fell to the ground, the wolves that were with them howling in recognition. He could feel the expectation. A fire raged in the middle of the circle, flames licking so high that they singed the nearest branches-- an inferno under a witch's control. Tonight they would be reborn, put the past behind them and start again. His witch, Nantanya, stepped forward and took the bucket that contained the bloody after birth all the magic of his people and went to the fire. Cer looked at the remnants of the Others-- a handful of Empaths, a few Witches, and all that was left of the wolves, waited for him to open the Gate, anchor them to this plane and then they would have a home. Many of them had loved ones who waited in Cer's dimension, never aging, nothing changing as they waited for a way to escape back to the mortal world.He made eye contact with each of them, feeling the weight of loss and ruin in their worn clothing and lean faces. The journey to the New World had been hard, and Roanoke was not as plentiful as they had hoped. But once the portal was opened, that would change. "With this birth, our fortunes change. Our new life begins. Bonded together by death, we are no longer enemies but kin. All of our kind forged together in a fire of despair." Cer paused, letting the men and women think about what they had left behind. How dire their situation had become. There had been only one choice. Leave. Because Lucas and his horde had destroyed them all. He noticed the quiet. A complete absence of sound, and then the slight crackle of leaves underfoot. He turned and saw his Queen approach. The witch led her by the hand. She was naked and walked forward slowly, flowers twined in her long, honey-colored hair. The trip had been hard on her especially, and as he watched her come forward, he noticed that she was thinner than usual, her stomach flat and her breasts smaller. He felt a moment of unease. A true goddess is unaffected by mortal coils.She walked up to him, looking up into midnight eyes and smiled at him. All his doubts disappeared. The witch chanted, sliced her palm with a sharp knife, as her blood dripped into the fire with a hiss. She lifted the afterbirth from the bucket and held it suspended over the fire. The witch had cast the spell allowing their dimension to be moved, but Cer and his queen were the ones who would break it, allowing the Fey to come and go between the two dimensions. Nantanya knelt down and cut into the bloody mass, slicing off two small pieces before casting them into the fire. They burned with a flourish, a cascade of rainbow colored flames sparking bright. Cer felt the magic rise from the fire like smoke, knew the moment it touched him -- thickened him, his cock pulsing in time to his heart and the witch's chant. A breeze rustled across his skin and his queen's hair flitted across him arm, twining around his hand. The fire crackled again and he was hard as obsidian. The urge to mate with his queen an overwhelming need. Magic and power flooded the night. He drew it into him, channeling it into pure desire, before throwing it into the land, aware of it touching each person in the clearing. Their sudden moans of carnal hunger, a primitive song in the night. The witch walked forward, a strip of meat dangling on the edge of her blade. He inhaled, the smell of blood and power potent and intoxicating. Without question, thought or hesitation he swallowed it whole, felt it burn through him. The magic needed an outlet. The magic was half him and half his queen. Only their joining would make the magic whole. Cerdewellyn watched as his queen opened her mouth, taking the flesh between her lips. She closed her eyes in bliss and raised her hand, covering her mouth as though she savored every drop. Women came to him from the crowd, helping him take off his clothing, stroking his body. They touched him everywhere, their passion growing as he fed his desire to them. A woman tugged the sleeve of his shirt away then touched his chest, her finger grazing his nipple. Another unfastened his pants, pulling the laces free, her hand touching his cock, sliding her fingers across the damp head. He was ready and full, potent and eager to mount his queen. With this offering, with their release, they would be free. His queen closed her eyes and made a choking noise, an expression of revulsion scraping across her features. Male hands caressed her flesh and stroked her hair. Readying her. With a cry she swallowed, tears running down her cheeks. He knew that pleasure: when his body was so overrun with verdant desire that he could barely function beyond the moment and his own urgency. Cer grabbed his queen around the waist, her back to his front, his fingers going around her body and plunging between her thighs. She was hot and wet. A queen built for desire. He pushed his fingers into her, opening her, making her wide for him. No gentleness, no hesitation. It was unnecessary because she was queen of the Fey, as ready and hot as he was. She was his equal—a mirror for his desire. She cried out at his blunt invasion, struggling closer. He settled her on the ground, raising her hips into the air as he impaled her from behind in one, swift move. Like a dagger plunged to the hilt. Like the last gasp of a dying man. That connection was everything. Cer thrust within her, slow then pounding, feeling the magic course through him. It was building, growing. Wrong. He felt it even as the orgasm gathered in his cock. He was buffeted by sex and violent urges as his followers mated around him. The men took the women hard, the wolves half-transformed, all control wiped away and fed to the magic. There were not enough women and several of the men were pleasuring each other, holding tight fists around their pricks, their motions quick and greedy. Bodies writhed while their groans rent the air. He heard the witch chanting, felt the fire grow, consuming the very air around them, urging them towards completion. His queen was below him, her body milking him, fingers sunk deep into the earth. Wrong. Through the fire of lust he knew this was not right, knew something was out of balance. With a hoarse yell he pulled out of her, flipping her onto her back and sinking his face between her thighs. He kissed her and licked her, ate at her with a passion driven by the elements. She clenched hard, exploding around him. Her taste burned him, scalded him, tasted…. Wrong. He ignored it, still driven to come, to break the spell that kept the Fey trapped in another dimension. He loomed over her, looking down at her perfect face-- and caught a flash of something. It was as though she wasn't there. As though she'd faded and was covered head to toe in an illusion of death. Her skin gray and mottled, her eyes wide in her sunken flesh. The leaves she wore, dead and rotting. He blinked and the image disappeared. His queen was whole and beautiful before him, body lush and spread, ripe as spring, hot as summer. She stared at him with an expression he'd never seen before. As if she didn't want him. He kissed her deep, plunging his tongue into her mouth as he slid inside of her. They were one. Orgasms erupted around him, each offering of seed and honey greedily taken by the magic. He felt the first spasm within him, his essence pouring into her as he ground himself deep, the climax wrenching, as though his seed had become heavy, liquid gold. She shifted away from him so that he slipped out of her, the final potent lashes of his seed falling to the earth. He heard the fire roar and die—Wrong. His queen was beside him, crying, and the whole night was as dark and still as the dead. Cerdwellyn stood, pulling her to her feet. Her breath made a strange hitch and then she struck him, hand open, so that his head cracked to the side. "Where is the portal, Cerdewellyn? We have come so far and there is nothing!" she hissed the words at him. Cer didn't bother to touch his face, tasted the blood at the corner of his lip. He strode away from her, towards the smoking coals and the witch who had served him for decades. Nantanya turned, the lines of her face etched even deeper with the night's failure. She started speaking as soon as he was near, "It should have worked. The spell was perfect. You did your part. But the queen—did you not see it? You hurt her Cerdewellyn. If she were still your equal that would have been impossible. She is no longer the true queen, my lord." "She has been my queen for time beyond measure," he said, words hollow with fear. "But that doesn't mean she still is. There was another before her and now there is another after her." He shook his head in dismay, pressed his lips together hard even as his gaze strayed to the fire and then out into the distance, through the trees and towards the ocean. Where the barest, faintest hint of light was—and the newborn female babe conceived with all the magic of the Fey. "And where is my queen then?" he asked harshly, even though he feared the answer. "You know, my king. Surely you feel it. Affection, a shared history is irrelevant, Survival is all that matters now." "She is but a babe. It will be years before she could perform the rite as a true queen is meant to. If I open the portal and we go in, we cannot come out for years, until she is full grown and we can try again to break the spell." He looked around at his people, cursed Lucas again for forcing them into this situation, "Tell the settlers. They come with us, to wait for Virginia Dare. If they want to live, then they must come below."
October 22, 2011
Good news, bad news
So. The good news is that the book has flown off the e-shelves this week. The bad new is that it turns out my formatting has been slightly messed up all week. It's not horrible and it's going to be fixed but it blows.
More good news? The end of LIF is so close. And thank god because I am desperate to write the third. My plan is to get LIF out to my writer's group for a beta read and in that turn around time I'm going to hammer out a first draft for the third book.
I always write a terrible first draft and then rewrite the whole thing. Then I expand and expand and somewhere in there I realize that I have written a few scenes several times and that each one has sentences or paragraphs that are so much better then one or two different drafts. It gets printed out, I write all over the stupid things and that's when it gets slow. Like edit 8 pages in a day slow.
The big scene that happened with for LIF is a sex scene. You'll know it when you get to it because the cursed thing goes on forever. Does that count as a spoiler? I don't think so. Let's face it, if somebody hadn't had sex in this book there would be flack. A gal in my writing group said she'd take off half a star because there was no actual penetration in LID. My response? (It's eloquent, btw) She got hers, so who fucking cares?
More good news? The end of LIF is so close. And thank god because I am desperate to write the third. My plan is to get LIF out to my writer's group for a beta read and in that turn around time I'm going to hammer out a first draft for the third book.
I always write a terrible first draft and then rewrite the whole thing. Then I expand and expand and somewhere in there I realize that I have written a few scenes several times and that each one has sentences or paragraphs that are so much better then one or two different drafts. It gets printed out, I write all over the stupid things and that's when it gets slow. Like edit 8 pages in a day slow.
The big scene that happened with for LIF is a sex scene. You'll know it when you get to it because the cursed thing goes on forever. Does that count as a spoiler? I don't think so. Let's face it, if somebody hadn't had sex in this book there would be flack. A gal in my writing group said she'd take off half a star because there was no actual penetration in LID. My response? (It's eloquent, btw) She got hers, so who fucking cares?
October 20, 2011
The new Florence and the Machine album will come out in a...
The new Florence and the Machine album will come out in a week. Woot! Can't wait. I wrote Love is Darkness to that album. Lucas and Valerie in Cafe Rouge was written while listening to My Boy Builds Coffins. That's the obvious one that comes to mind, anyway.
The title of the third book is Love is Mortal. As far as I know that will finish the series. Obviously, I have to write it first and see what happens but the end is pretty final. The only way it could expand is if the things that need to happen can be wrapped up in one book or two.
As a big Urban Fantasy/Paranormal fan myself I know what I like about the genre. It's an escape, the sex scenes are the hottest around in the romance genre, usually rivaling straight erotica, and the tension is usually off the charts. But often I find that a lot of books use tension or even the blanket 'it's destiny/they just know they're meant to be together' instead of giving us characters who actually belong together or whom we believe will be together in the long run.
I think that's part of the success of Outlander. Everyone believes Jamie and Claire are living their lives and are happy together. As a big believer in HEA's (Happily Ever After's) I think the books that get remembered and loved are the ones that prove to us a deeper connection beyond lust. And yes, I want that for my own writing.
April 2011 I will be attending Romantic Times in Chicago. Are you going? If so, let me know. I would love to chat with fellow readers and anyone who wants to say hi.
And finally, extra big woot, Love is Darkness is #1 in gothic romance, #2 in contemporary fantasy kindle, #3 contemporary fantasy books and is #72 in overall top 100. To which I say-- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!
The title of the third book is Love is Mortal. As far as I know that will finish the series. Obviously, I have to write it first and see what happens but the end is pretty final. The only way it could expand is if the things that need to happen can be wrapped up in one book or two.
As a big Urban Fantasy/Paranormal fan myself I know what I like about the genre. It's an escape, the sex scenes are the hottest around in the romance genre, usually rivaling straight erotica, and the tension is usually off the charts. But often I find that a lot of books use tension or even the blanket 'it's destiny/they just know they're meant to be together' instead of giving us characters who actually belong together or whom we believe will be together in the long run.
I think that's part of the success of Outlander. Everyone believes Jamie and Claire are living their lives and are happy together. As a big believer in HEA's (Happily Ever After's) I think the books that get remembered and loved are the ones that prove to us a deeper connection beyond lust. And yes, I want that for my own writing.
April 2011 I will be attending Romantic Times in Chicago. Are you going? If so, let me know. I would love to chat with fellow readers and anyone who wants to say hi.
And finally, extra big woot, Love is Darkness is #1 in gothic romance, #2 in contemporary fantasy kindle, #3 contemporary fantasy books and is #72 in overall top 100. To which I say-- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!
October 19, 2011
It's Wednesday and I'm inside (set to the tune of friday i'm in love)
New song that I'm going to be writing to is Til Death by Wynter Gordon. Wynter is the best name for a heroine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B41bc2WVqh0&ob=av2e
My new character is giving me some issues. He's a cagey sort of fellow. Trying to edit the last 30 of Love is Fear and I'm really beginning to feel bogged down. Oi!
It's also cutting into my TV time. Nikita, Supernatural, VD, Secret Circle. So many shows and they're moldering away on my tivo. But I did see Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Good grief. The world has turned upside down, Kyle is super mean and I actually really like Brandi. Even if she is intimidatingly tall and has a nose that is mesmerizing. I'm pretty sure it's awesome. I can't look away from it.
Kyle was always my favorite. Snarky, great hair...brunette. But now I'm not so sure. And that Dana is just odd. I never actually saw the brown on her nose, but it was there. Must have been good make up covering her up. And her 25k sunglasses made me want to shove her into the pool.
And if I ever meet Taylor I may have to force feed her whip cream. That's not code for something, it's literal. The fat content per ounce is insane.
Is anyone watching Housewives?
My new character is giving me some issues. He's a cagey sort of fellow. Trying to edit the last 30 of Love is Fear and I'm really beginning to feel bogged down. Oi!
It's also cutting into my TV time. Nikita, Supernatural, VD, Secret Circle. So many shows and they're moldering away on my tivo. But I did see Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Good grief. The world has turned upside down, Kyle is super mean and I actually really like Brandi. Even if she is intimidatingly tall and has a nose that is mesmerizing. I'm pretty sure it's awesome. I can't look away from it.
Kyle was always my favorite. Snarky, great hair...brunette. But now I'm not so sure. And that Dana is just odd. I never actually saw the brown on her nose, but it was there. Must have been good make up covering her up. And her 25k sunglasses made me want to shove her into the pool.
And if I ever meet Taylor I may have to force feed her whip cream. That's not code for something, it's literal. The fat content per ounce is insane.
Is anyone watching Housewives?
October 18, 2011
help!
I need help! Please! I have a short story-- Bewitching the Werewolf-- which I have been trying to make free and Amazon is refusing to price match Smashwords. It's a really short and should not be .99c. Could you PLEASE follow the link, and at the bottom of product details click 'lower price' and paste in the following smashwords link. It's free over there. I would really appreciate it!
Amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/Bewitching-the-Werewolf-ebook/dp/B005QEA87A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1318944231&sr=8-3
Smashwords link
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/91665
Amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/Bewitching-the-Werewolf-ebook/dp/B005QEA87A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1318944231&sr=8-3
Smashwords link
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/91665
October 14, 2011
Guest Blog?
This might seem like a stupid thing to put here, but I apparently need to get into guest blogging and so I thought I would ask if anyone would like to guest blog here or have me guest blog on another site.
I say it's stupid because there are twelve followers on my site and that's a bit of a small pool for me to post such a request on my own site, but you know what, I'd like to think that soon that will change and that all of us bloggers (cause I'm aware just how many of you sweet, sweet followers are new bloggers too) will be growing in readership soon.
So if you want to show up here, know anyone who wants to show up here, or who would have me on their blog, please shoot me an email. Obviously, I'll give away copies of LID and Werewolf, my kids, my house, anything I have of value to help promote us both ;)
I say it's stupid because there are twelve followers on my site and that's a bit of a small pool for me to post such a request on my own site, but you know what, I'd like to think that soon that will change and that all of us bloggers (cause I'm aware just how many of you sweet, sweet followers are new bloggers too) will be growing in readership soon.
So if you want to show up here, know anyone who wants to show up here, or who would have me on their blog, please shoot me an email. Obviously, I'll give away copies of LID and Werewolf, my kids, my house, anything I have of value to help promote us both ;)
Update
Things are quite hectic and exciting for me and I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and write about what's going on so y'all know and so that I remember later :)
Yesterday I got the paperback of Love is Darkness. It needs a few tweaks before it becomes available but it was AMAZING to hold it and look at it. I confess I put it on my shelf between my Harris and Hamilton's just to see how it fit. Sniffle.
I also got a very nice email from Angeline Kace saying congratulations because my book has been ROCKING up the amazon charts (her word and caps!). Our books usually come up together when I check on LID so I know hers is doing incredibly well too.
LID sold almost 100 copies yesterday (the record) and is #7 on 2 categories and #8 on one. It's next to a Kresley and a few Sookie's. Which is mind-boggling. My Werewolf short story is ranked in the top 20 for anthologies and while Amazon still has not lowered the price I have not heard people yet complain about the price-- I'm waiting for it and like to tell myself I'm prepared. But it will still be like a punch in the gut when it happens.
I also got two new reviews that were beyond complimentary and have been trying to soothe myself with them and ignore the 2 star someone gave me on good reads. Apparently there is a thing called a 'thick skin' and it's required to be a writer. No one will tell me where the hell I can get one, though.
What else? Going to a writing conference in Houston next month and am very excited.
Love is Fear is getting there. The first 2/3 of the book are ready for a beta read and if I'm lucky I'll be able to get the last 1/3 ready for a beta read by the end of next week.
Yesterday I got the paperback of Love is Darkness. It needs a few tweaks before it becomes available but it was AMAZING to hold it and look at it. I confess I put it on my shelf between my Harris and Hamilton's just to see how it fit. Sniffle.
I also got a very nice email from Angeline Kace saying congratulations because my book has been ROCKING up the amazon charts (her word and caps!). Our books usually come up together when I check on LID so I know hers is doing incredibly well too.
LID sold almost 100 copies yesterday (the record) and is #7 on 2 categories and #8 on one. It's next to a Kresley and a few Sookie's. Which is mind-boggling. My Werewolf short story is ranked in the top 20 for anthologies and while Amazon still has not lowered the price I have not heard people yet complain about the price-- I'm waiting for it and like to tell myself I'm prepared. But it will still be like a punch in the gut when it happens.
I also got two new reviews that were beyond complimentary and have been trying to soothe myself with them and ignore the 2 star someone gave me on good reads. Apparently there is a thing called a 'thick skin' and it's required to be a writer. No one will tell me where the hell I can get one, though.
What else? Going to a writing conference in Houston next month and am very excited.
Love is Fear is getting there. The first 2/3 of the book are ready for a beta read and if I'm lucky I'll be able to get the last 1/3 ready for a beta read by the end of next week.
October 8, 2011
I write romance and let's face it-- Romance is all about ...
I write romance and let's face it-- Romance is all about the men. Oh, and the women they fall in love with whom we only want to see so we can get a demonstration of just how incredible our hero really is. So I thought I should blog with PICS of a few of my favorite hotties. My husband doesn't believe in a top ten list, which is a shame. Although he'd be more likely to get hit on than I would, so I suppose it's for the best.
1. Nikolaj Coster- Waldau. If you know me, you are now groaning and saying 'oh not this guy again.' You probably won't remember him from a little show no one watched called New Amsterdam (it was terrible) but he is now hottin it up in Game of Thrones and this man has never made incest look so good. Here is my favorite pic as well as the clip where I fell in love with Jamie Lannister (good name, right?!?)
1. brace yourself
And the clip-- it's seriously hot and messed up. He's sleeping with his sister, evil and yet, when he said the line at the of this ep, I became a groupie. (This is the first ep, btw. so if you have not seen it, you're not getting spoiled by my drooling.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6dTjnlZZAU
What the hell, here is another Game clip. Sigh. You like Alexander Skaarsgard? This guy is danish. What's the diff? It's all dark, cold and nordic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IV5RO3O8Rs&feature=related
2. I have a shirt that says rogerer is betterer. And he is. I love Roger Federer. He's graceful and calm under pressure. He's also a family man and devoted. All around class act. If you like the Fed and have not seen his nike commercial where he's attacked, it's kind of funny. Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js8Dr9BKLHY
3. This one might lose me some credibility. I'm quite conflicted about mentioning it, actually. Coach from Survivor. I know, his weird cockiness was off-putting and he seemed like a total playa but this season he looks so...weathered and dare I say it-- wise. Coach is a bit battered, a bit less sure and I like it. One of my friends was like, 'duh, he's a total romance cover hero.' I was floored by the obvious geniusness (it's a word now!) of that statement.
That's all I got for now. But if you've got a hot guy, display! I love a good ogle. I'm more likely to have five good ogles a day then five fruit and veg.
1. Nikolaj Coster- Waldau. If you know me, you are now groaning and saying 'oh not this guy again.' You probably won't remember him from a little show no one watched called New Amsterdam (it was terrible) but he is now hottin it up in Game of Thrones and this man has never made incest look so good. Here is my favorite pic as well as the clip where I fell in love with Jamie Lannister (good name, right?!?)
1. brace yourself
And the clip-- it's seriously hot and messed up. He's sleeping with his sister, evil and yet, when he said the line at the of this ep, I became a groupie. (This is the first ep, btw. so if you have not seen it, you're not getting spoiled by my drooling.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6dTjnlZZAU
What the hell, here is another Game clip. Sigh. You like Alexander Skaarsgard? This guy is danish. What's the diff? It's all dark, cold and nordic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IV5RO3O8Rs&feature=related
2. I have a shirt that says rogerer is betterer. And he is. I love Roger Federer. He's graceful and calm under pressure. He's also a family man and devoted. All around class act. If you like the Fed and have not seen his nike commercial where he's attacked, it's kind of funny. Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js8Dr9BKLHY
3. This one might lose me some credibility. I'm quite conflicted about mentioning it, actually. Coach from Survivor. I know, his weird cockiness was off-putting and he seemed like a total playa but this season he looks so...weathered and dare I say it-- wise. Coach is a bit battered, a bit less sure and I like it. One of my friends was like, 'duh, he's a total romance cover hero.' I was floored by the obvious geniusness (it's a word now!) of that statement.
That's all I got for now. But if you've got a hot guy, display! I love a good ogle. I'm more likely to have five good ogles a day then five fruit and veg.
