Coreene Callahan's Blog, page 30

The Dragon Tips Continue…

 

Dragon Tip Tuesday, here again!

Tip #32 – When in the shadow of a dragon…move. You’re about to get stomped on.

 

 

Dragon Tip Tuesday…Tip no. 31!

 

This week on Dragon Tip Tuesday…

Tip #31 – When dealing with a bronze dragon, well…don’t even try it. Save your breath. Gage’s subset of Dragonkind are notoriously fractious, ridiculously difficult, and stubborn to the point of self-destruction. You’ll have better luck getting blood from a stone than changing his mind.

DRAGON TIP TUESDAY!

 

DRAGON TIP TUESDAY…can you believe we’ve reached thirty already?

Tip #30 – When faced with a fire dragon, offer him a spicy treat (perhaps a bag of Hot Tamales or Atomic Fireballs). Fingers crossed, it’ll appease him. Otherwise start praying…and get busy running.

Saturday playlist…

 

The playlist I listened to while writing today. A great one to play when hanging out the imaginary realm.

All I Want to Do – Sugarland

Safe and Sound – Captial Cities

Little Talks – Of Monsters and Men

Where You Wanna go – Mischa Daniels

If I Lose Myself – Alesso & OneRepublic

Rhythm Is a Dancer – Snap!

Titanium – David Guetta

Sugar – MC Joe & The Vanillas

The Night Out – Martin Solveig

Geronimo – Stereo Hearts

Stay – Miley Cyrus

It’s a fun playlist to walk–or run–to as well. Happy listening. Have a super Saturday everyone!

 

Mach 1 with a Dragon

 

So today I head off to Kansas City and the RT convention. Which naturally got me thinking about flying. So this week on Dragon Tip Tuesday, I though I’d give you a pointer about dragon flight…

Tip #28 – If invited for a mid-night flight, bring goggles. Going Mach 1 through cold air and cloud cover on a dragon’s back is bound to make your eyes water.

Dragon Tip Tuesday!

 

This week on Dragon Tip Tuesday….

 

Tip #27 – The rumors are true…Dragons do love sparkly things. So next time you hit the town, dust on a little body glitter. He won’t be able to resist the sparkle, and you’ll have his attention in no time.

 

 

Music…All the Inspiration a Muse Needs.

 

I never used to listen to music while I wrote. Silence suited me just fine as I sank into the imaginary worlds I put on the page. All that changed when my husband received a promotion and started working from home. Now his home base is literally 20 feet from my office door. I didn’t think it would make a difference to my muse.

 

Turns out I was WRONG. I couldn’t write for days after he moved in and my muse moved out.

 

It isn’t that he’s disruptive or noisy. Quite the opposite, acutally. But that made no difference. The vibe in the house changed with him in it during the day, and honestly? The small shift completely distrupted my flow. So…in a desperate attempt to regain the momentum on the book I was writing at the time, FURY OF DESIRE (Dragonfury series, book 4), I dragged our compact Bose sound system out of the kitchen, set it up in my office, and put the sucker to work.

 

Now I wonder why I didn’t do it sooner. And I have favourites too.  I listened to Imagine Dragons a lot while writing FURY OF DESIRE…Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away album too. Now though, I’ve graduated to creating playlists (depending on my mood and the story’s vibe) that I listen to while writing. Today, I thought I’d share the playlist I made and listened to yesterday while working on my latest project.

 

Coreene’s Writing Playlist:

Hall of Fame – The Script
Forever Now – Ne-Yo
Catch My Breath – Kelly Clarkson
Radioactive – Imagine Dragons
Slut Like You – P!nk
Mary Go Round – Serena Ryder
Two Black Callillacs – Carrie Underwood
Circle of the Sun – Serena Ryder
Outsiders – Needtobreathe

 

So there you have it. The list that supported my muse yesterday…probably today too. Why not give it a try and see if it works for you. I plan to put it on my musical rotation for my daily walks too. And why not? Music is, after all, good for soul.

To Contest or Not to Contest

Have you ever done something you weren't sure you should? Okay, hit the pause button. That's a bit of a dumb question, because...well, I imagine everyone has leapt into a situation then said, "Oh, crap. What did I just do?" But whatever. Let's just go with it for a minute and ignore the blantant duh factor. Why? I did something a while back that I wasn't convinced I should do.

"Go on," my friend said.

"Oh, I dunno," I replied, uncertain, a little queasy at the thought.

She huffed. "Stop being such a pansy, for heaven's sake, and take a chance!"

All right, granted...my friend doesn't mince words. Or have any patience for vacilators. Normally, I'm the same, but when it came to entering Fury of Fire (my debut novel) in a published authors contest, I have to say, my courage departed for places unknown.

Why? It's hard to say. Perhaps because there are so many talented authors out there writing fabulous stories. Maybe I contracted the bock-bock gene somewhere along the way. All I know is she suggested. I cringed. She shoved, and I folded like a dirty shirt, threw my hands in the air and said "All right!" just to shut her up.

Well as it turns out, she was right. I was...ahem...wrong. And boy, am I ever glad that I was, and that my friend bullied me into taking the leap of faith. She is clearly a much wiser person than I, because...

Fury of Fire (A Dragonfury Novel, book 1) is a double nominee in the NJRW 2012 Golden Leaf contest in the Best Paranormal and Best First Book categories. So completely fabulous! The winners will be announced at the Put Your Heart in a Book Conference on October 12th, and I couldn't be more excited to be counted among such wonderful finalists.

I guess that just goes to show when you take a chance and put yourself out there, good things happen. Clearly, I owe my friend a nice bottle of wine. Oh, and maybe a box of fancy truffles too (which, of course, I will help her eat. Fair's fair, after all).

New Video Interview

At the BEA in June, I had the privilege of sitting down with Morgan Doremus with RT Book Reviews to talk about my Dragonfury Novels. I also got to dish about FURY OF SEDUCTION, the third installemnt in the series due out on November 13th, 2012.

 Here's a sneak peek about what's coming next:

 


I had such a great time chatting with Morgan! And can't wait to share more Dragonfury Novels with you! FURY OF DESIRE (Dragonfury Novel #4) will be out sometime next spring (2013). When I have a cover and a solid release date, I will let you know!

 Thanks for stopping by to check out the interview!

Interview with a Dragon-Shifter

It’s nearly midnight when I reach the antique bookshop where I’m meeting Bastian, commander of the Nightfury dragons. There aren’t any lights on inside, and as I cup my hands to peer through the window an October breeze teases the underbelly of the tattered awning above my head. I glance up. Yup, I’m at the right place. The signage above the wide blue door reads, Periwinkles: a Treasure Trove for the Distinguished Mind. Which is funny because Bastian doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who hangs out at bookstores, never mind one called “Periwinkles”.
But a deal’s a deal, and I’m holding up my end by showing up tonight. On a dead-end street. In the middle of the night. Without back-up.
I know what you’re thinking, but I haven’t lost my mind. Far from it. I’ve been waiting for this meet and greet—been pestering Bastian about it—for a while. But as I knock on the door, I’m having second thoughts. Maybe agreeing to meet him in a less than public place isn’t the smartest move.
I raise my hand and knock anyway.
The door swings inward. Eerie, especially considering there is an empty spot on the other side where a person should be standing. As the old fashioned doorbell tinkles, I get a case of the chills, but cross the threshold. I’m a writer on the trail of a story. No way I’m backing down now.
The door clicks closed behind me, cutting off the soft glow of streetlights. I strain to see in the gloom, searching for the subject of my interview.  A second or two passes before I give up and call out, “Hello?”
“Back here.” The voice is low and deep, rumbling on the scent of musty paper as it drifts between tall bookcases packed to the gills with leather bound books.
Putting my feet in gear, I move past the checkout counter toward the back of the store. As I round the last shelf an overhead light flares, and I get a snapshot of an open area with leather club chairs. A second later, I see Bastian. The instant I do, I’m back to wondering what possessed me to come alone. Cuz, man, he’s enormous, and so flipping hot he oozes sex appeal. . .six and a half-feet of streamlined aggression and hardcore muscle. Dark hair cut military short, he’s handsome without being pretty. Lethal appeal tempered by grace, and 100 percent deadly when he chooses.
Decked out in leather, he’s slouched in one of the chairs, head resting comfortably on the backrest, army boots planted on the coffee table. His shimmering green eyes narrow on me. I get tonguetied. He raises a dark brow.
Bastian:         You wanted the meet and greet, kazmea. You gonna                          waste my time, or are you gonna talk?
C.C.:              Sure. (clearing my throat). Right. First things first, then.                         Thanks for meeting me.
Bastian:         (he shrugs) You’re a pain in the ass, female. Figured the                         best way to get you off my case was to agree to meet you.
C.C.:              (Some of my tension eases. He’s just paid me a huge                         compliment. Tenaciousness, after all, is a valued trait                         among Dragonkind warriors. His eyes spark with                         amusement. A good sign, an amused dragon-shifter                        is better than a pissed off one. I take a seat opposite                        him in a matching chair.) So, how’s it going?                        Everything all right?
Bastian:         I’m up to my eyeballs in crap. . .like always. Every night                          has FUBARed written all over it.
C.C.:                I heard about the trouble. How’s Myst doing?
Bastian:        Good. Adjusting. My mate is resilient. . .thank God.                         (silence descends as we both think about how badly Myst                          could’ve been hurt if Bastian hadn’t pulled her away                         from enemy claws in time.) The Razorbacks didn’t do                         any lasting harm. But another female’s missing. Not                         good news. Rikar’s on search and rescue, but so                          far. . .nada. Which means, I gotta go.
C.C.:              So soon? (I try not to sound disappointed, but fail                        miserably.) Just a few more questions?
Bastian:         A word to the wise, kazmea. We do this when and                         where I say. My way, not yours.
C.C.:                Another time, then?
Bastian:         (his lips twitch) Yeah. I’ll even give you the green light                         with the others.
C.C.:              Really? (I try to be cool about the offer, but honestly?                        I’m dying to meet the other Nightfury warriors too).                        When?
Bastian:        (laughs and gets to his feet) Up to them, and only if                         they want to.
C.C.:                Kill joy.
Bastian:          Pest.
It’s my turn to laugh. He grins and heads for the back of the store, toward the red glow of the exit sign. As he reaches the reinforced steel door, Bastian glances over his shoulder and tips his chin in my direction.
Bastian:          You’re all right, you know that?
C.C.:                 I try.
Bastian:         (shakes his head) Don’t worry about locking                          up, kazmea. Be safe getting home.
I nod, and then he’s gone, leaving me to wonder when I’ll see him next. Soon, I hope. I have so many questions. Chief among them? What the heck does kazmea mean?