Cathy Perkins's Blog, page 152

It’s Wacky Wednesday time.

I was wracking my brain trying to come up with something wacky to talk about on this Wacky Wednesday. I was staring at the blank page, blinking along with my cursor, when I found myself staring at Bicycle Girl who resides on the edge of my keyboard when I write.

Are you familiar with Bicycle Girl? She’s a (very minor) character from the TV show The Walking Dead. She appeared in the first episode as a half-eaten zombie. Her lower half is missing and she pulls herself along with her arms, draggi...

What’s In Your Attic?

Any reader who’s browsed author websites and read the short bios usually contained there, knows that most writers started at a young age. Scribblings on loose leaf paper, stapled together for the family’s enjoyment. Diaries and journals for the more organized. Perhaps even chapter books typed and printed out with color covers for the highly motivated perfectionists.

For most of us, those tales ended up in boxes with old report cards, school photos, and refrigerator artwork our parents saved th...

The Biggest Thing Ever

Have you ever felt like the universe is very, very large and you’re just a tiny, insignificant dust speck floating on the third rock from the sun? Who hasn’t, right? Well, hold on to your dandelion because this news is going to make you feel like the microscopic Who that Horton heard.

Recently, astronomers discovered the largest known structure ever seen in the universe — a clump of active galactic cores that stretches 4 billion light-years from end to end. This enormous structure is something...

Blythe Gifford–Research On The Edges–Giveaway!

The tagline on my website reads “On the Borders of Historical Romance.” While it literally means (for now) the Borders of Scotland, in one way or the other, it sums up where I’ve set my historical romances from the beginning.

Close to the edge.

When I first started reading romances, they were set far and wide: 19th century Mexico, 18th century India, the American South, Russia…you name it. Over the years, the “bullseye” has shrunk to the point that virtually anything NOT set in Regency England...

Just “Call it Anything”

I know you’ve heard this. When you’re starting a new story and you’re wondering what to call it. Someone, a critique partner, writing buddy, editor, or your helpful DH says, “It doesn’t matter. Call it anything.”

Well, it matters to me. For some reason I can’t really get my head around my book until I have an appropriate title, something that helps me keep my eye on the theme, stay tuned into the characters or an overview of the series.

I love a good title. It’s one of our most important market...

Cathy Perkins hosts Caridad Pineiro

Every fall, I’ve returned like the turtles to the South Carolina shore for the SC Lowcountry RWA’s Masterclass. This year, I had the pleasure of meeting Caridad Piñeiro,® a multi-published and award-winning author. She’s written for Kensington, Harlequin/Silhouette Nocturne, Simon & Schuster, Pocket and Grand Central; is a New York Times & USA Today best-seller.

In the rest of her life, in addition to the day job as an attorney, she’s helped her daughter set up a surf and skate shop on the Jer...

Release Day Celebration! BACK TO YOU: BAD BOYS OF RED HOOK!

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?

I was working furiously at my desk when my husband decided to join me in my office. He sat down on the couch to read a magazine and proceeded to comment on every article. I was about to tell him to leave when my cat/officemate made an appearance. Raja, my three-legged Bengal talks a lot but at least he’s not annoying. Since we named him Raja, meaning King, he took the moniker to heart and has treated me and every other biped like lowly servants ever since. He sat outside...

Thankful for the Light

Orion Nebula
Credit : ESO /J. Emerson /VISTA

Now that the holidays have ended, and I ponder events of the past year, instead of traditional New Year’s promises I never intend to keep, I thought I’d stop and be thankful for the light. Appropriate for Muse Monday, but what does this have to do with a photo of the Orion Nebula? No, it is not a delayed fuse on the Mayan calendar. As mentioned in my previous post (December 21 at http://dtkrippene.com), we are not going anywhere, anytime soon.

If I pa...

Release Day Celebration for DEMON’S CURSE

So, have you ever planned a party and then forgotten to show up for it?

I have!

December 26th was pub day for DEMON’S CURSE; the first book in my brand new Imnada Brotherhood series…and I missed it.

Oh, I had a party planned with confetti and food, cabana boys and booze. There would be loud music and crowds of red-carpet A-listers. An ice sculpture in the shape of a swan. Roast pig with an apple in its mouth. More booze. More food–you get the idea. It was going to be a real humdinger of a blow-o...

Let There Be Peace on Earth

Hopefully you and yours had a wonderful holiday season. As 2012 draws to a close and the New Year looms ahead, it’s a good time to reflect. Unfortunately, a few trends come sharply into focus. Our nation, and our world for that matter, has seen much too much trauma and turmoil. It’s been difficult to turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper lately. The newscasts and headlines have been full of tragedy and sadness. It seems as if there is simply not enough peace in our world today.

Wikipedia defin...