Jayne Castle's Blog, page 3

SWEETEST DAY!

Sweetest Day is celebrated each year on the third Saturday of October - Oct 16th this year. Many consider Sweetest Day to be a second Valentine's Day, but it's actually a day to celebrate all the people who make your life special - and for me, that means all of YOU!

So for this Sweetest Day I'm going to do a big giveaway!

Does your sweetie buy for you? Do you buy for your sweetie? Or both?

What's your favorite gift for Sweetest Day? Chocolates, flowers, dinner out - or something else? (I like all of the above, plus lots of pampering. I'm lucky enough that I usually get it. LOL)

What's your most memorable Sweetest Day - even if it didn't happen on the 3rd Saturday of October? ;-)


*I'll do a random drawing from all the posts!*

First name drawn gets a T-shirt, tote bag, and an autographed 5 book set of my "SBC Fighters," including Causing Havoc, Simon Says, Hard to Handle, My Man Michael, and Back in Black.

Second and third names drawn get T-shirts, tote bags, and autographed copies of my November title Bewitched, featuring reissues of In Too Deep and Married to the Boss.

Fourth and fifth names drawn will get autographed copies of my October title, Yule Be Mine, featuring reissues of my novellas He Sees You When You're Sleeping, White Knight Christmas, Do You Hear What I Hear, and The Christmas Present.

T-shirts are mens size XL.

Names will be posted on here Sunday night.
Each poster whose name is drawn will be responsible for contacting me with her mailing address.

Good luck everyone!
And HAPPY SWEETEST DAY to you!

Lori
aka
L.L. Foster
http://www.lorifoster.com/

Hey, Hey, I Wanna Be a Rockstar

'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's
Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny
With her bleach blond hair

Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

Rockstar,
by Nickelback

Of all the talents in the world, I always thought having a killer voice would be the coolest. It's certainly gotta be the most portable, hands-free skill in the world. You can sing absolutely anywhere, no supplies need [image error] ed. Okay, sure, a mic might be nice if the acoustics suck and you gotta reach the back of the house. Me, I only need to reach the back of the shower.

I have occasional daydreams of being a blues singer. Now, this is ironic on so many levels, I'm not even sure where to start. Well, okay, my voice might be a good place. Hey, it's not awful. It's just very, very limited. If a song comes on that's in my range (which is teeny-tiny) why, I sound downright decent. It's pretty heinous, however, when I try for those octaves out of my range, which is, oh, most of them. But even if I could sing like Gina Sicilla or Janiva Magness there would still be that pesky little problem of getting up in front of an audience and putting myself on display. Not so fond of that. I can do it if I have to, but I'd just as soon not.

But in my imagination, none of the above is an issue. No, ma'am, in my imagination I totally rock the house, bring tears of joy to your eyes, raise the freakin' audience to its feet, whistling and screaming for more.

[image error] Which is probably why my talents lean more in the direction that they do: I have a good imagination. And the fact that it's unfettered by reality—well, hey, that's pretty much what daydreaming is, yes? It pleases me to have aspirations that I know I will never in a million years realize, to try on personalities, if only in my mind, that are worlds removed from my own.

Are you going to hear me any time soon, making Jan James weep with envy as I sing My Man in a smoky little nightclub? Uh, no.

But in my mind? Oh, mama. There, I'm bringing down the house.

So, how 'bout you? What daydreams make you smile?

Jayne Welcomes Cathie Linz

I'm delighted to welcome CATHIE LINZ back to RWQ. Her wonderful new book, LUCK BE A LADY, is in stores now and if, like me, you are a fan of smart, witty, warm-hearted romance, Cathie is the author for you!

*************************************************************************

Thank you, Jayne, for inviting me to be your guest blogger to talk about my new book LUCK BE A LADY. My heroine Megan is a retro-loving librarian. A shocking announcement at her cousin's Vegas wedding sends Megan on a whirlwind trip across Nevada with brash cop Logan Doyle. It's the gamble – and perhaps love affair – of a lifetime.

Here's a brief excerpt from Chapter One:

***********************************************

Logan Doyle hadn't slept in thirty-six hours. He'd just worked a double-shift before hopping a plane to Vegas at his family's insistence. Did they care that he was sleep-deprived? No. He had a job to do and they expected him to do it.

Logan stared at the people gathered at the front of the room. Two women, two men and a minister. The brunette in a black dress was the first to react. She marched up to him while the others momentarily stood in stunned silence.

"I don't know who you are and I don't care. You are not ruining my cousin's wedding. She's been through enough shinola. Leave right now."

**********************************************************************************

When I started working on this blog I wondered what I should focus on. There were so many choices – Vegas? Nevada? Cops? Family? Taking chances? And then it hit me at 2 a.m. It's right there in the description of the book. Retro-loving librarian. One of the themes in this book is collecting.

Megan loves collecting vintage clothes from the fifties and early sixties (picture the dresses on "Mad Men"). I had a lot of fun checking out eBay for various items that I thought Megan might like. While I didn't bid on any I did get photos including this one of the maid of honor dress Megan wears to her cousin's black and white wedding.

Logan likes vintage cars. The car he and Megan take off in is a classic 1957 Chevy. I got photos of this car when a car show suddenly set up outside of a local Irish pub where I was having a late lunch with a friend. As soon as I saw this car, I heard Logan whispering in my head, "That's the car!" Okay, so maybe Logan sort of shouted it but there was a lot of awe in his voice. I talked to the car's owner about the work he put into renovating his automotive baby which is considered to be a classic among car fans.

In addition to vintage clothing, Megan's grandmother Ingrid gave her a love for serving tea and as a result of her own situation Megan collects "orphaned" teacups. These are cups that are sold alone because the rest of their set is missing. Some have their saucers, some don't.

So put together I have the 3 C's – clothes, cars, and cups. All are represented in LUCK BE A LADY. As for me, I collect some cups, no car, and a few clothes. I also got hooked collecting handmade teddy bears as you can see from this photo of a basket of bears. Note the orphaned teacup in the front.

So what about you? What do you collect?

For more info on my books please visit my website cathielinz.com or friend me on facebook at facebook.com/cathielinz or follow me on twitter.

Guilty Pleasures

Next week I'm going to have a fun "Sweetest Day" *giveaway* for all of you! I can't wait - cuz, like, you're all sooooo darn sweet! :-) But until then, please welcome my good friend and talented author Jules Bennet as she guest blogs with us here at Quills!

We all have guilty pleasures. Whether we keep them all to ourselves or put out there for the world to see, there's something in our lives that really make us smile. And for that moment we spend with our guilty pleasures, all is right with this crazy world.

So, what is my guilty pleasure? So glad you asked. Now, I do have many
pleasures: books, my children, spending time with my hubby, kickboxing. But a GUILTY pleasure for me is ice cream. I would eat ice cream in any form.

With nuts, without, with syrup, without, straight from the carton, sucking it through the bottom of a waffle cone, licking the droplets off my hand...you get the idea.

My friends often laugh because if we go out to eat, I order dessert first.
Hey, this is the only life I have and I'm going to be happy! Why order food when all I really want is the dessert? I cannot possibly stuff a meal AND a whole hot fudge cake into my stomach. Believe me, I've tried. So, I just shoot straight for the yummy treat:)

I call this fetish of mine a guilty pleasure because after I've licked every chocolatey drop and eaten all the itty-bitty sprinkles, my pants begin to strain and I do feel a tad guilty. Go figure. Once the dessert settles, I workout (refer back to the kickboxing pleasure).

I was on my cell the other evening and went through Dairy Queen. I was chatting with my sister and said, "Hang on, I'm ordering my dinner." I placed my order of a Peanut Buster Parfait and returned to the phone to hear my sister laughing. She said, "One of these days you'll grow up and eat real food."

Hmm...probably not;)

So, what's your guilty pleasure? Come on, you're amongst friends.
Share something with us and you'll have a chance to win my latest Silhouette Desire release, FROM BOARDROOM TO WEDDING BED? which is Book 1 in my Miami/South Beach series and is officially released October 12!

I'll pop back in to read your comments between my scoops of Rocky Road and Cookie Dough ice cream:)

JULES BENNETT

The Gift of Love
Anthology - June 2010

From Boardroom to Wedding Bed?
Silhouette Desire - October 2010

http://www.julesbennett.com/

Social networking

I'm back from Ireland and home on my hilltop in Vermont, missing my Irish rainbows but thoroughly enjoying the fall foliage, writing and figuring out this ever-changing world of "social networking." So, what do you think of social networking? Are you on Facebook and Twitter? Do you read a lot of different blogs? Do you do RSS feeds?
Then there's Linkedin and who-knows-what-else out there.
Hm.
For me, social networking is stimulating and loads of fun -- not that I know all the ins and outs! Publishers and writing groups are offering how-to workshops on Twitter, Facebook, blogs. E.g., should an author do a public page or a private page on Facebook? What about social networking etiquette? I love the argument over shorthand: Does shorthand like 'r' and 'u' annoy you on Twitter but not on text messages?
The world changed when Facebook went from a "private" network for college students to...well, everyone. Kids suddenly had their grandmothers "friending" them. Now that's a game-changer!
When I first got on Twitter, a friend described it as getting beamed into Grand Central Station at rush-hour, with snippets of conversations rushing past you. Just dive in, he said, and see what happens.
I enjoy social networking, whether I'm on the road with my iPhone or at home. It's fun, and it's a great way to stay in touch with close family and friends and to meet new people. It's not a substitute for face time with people. Last night Joe and I met friends at our local Irish pub. We had a great time, laughing, listening to music, telling stories.
What social networks are you on? Any favorites? Any advice or pet peeves you'd like to share with us?
Before I scoot, I want to be sure to tell you about my website drawing for COLD DAWN (on sale in paperback October 26). Enter for a chance to receive a signed copy of COLD PURSUIT and COLD RIVER, the first two books in my Black Falls series, plus a Vermont goody basket.
Twitter, Facebook, blogs...I'm looking forward to your comments.
Enjoy the day, and happy reading!
Carla

Linda's Lifetime Achievement Award

Last Saturday I rode to Columbus with my very dear friend Linda Keller. Anyone who's been to the "Annual Reader and Author Get Together" knows Linda. She's in charge of our enormous bookfair (with over 100 authors) and she's an amazing woman.

Recently Linda retired from B&N as a Community Relations Manager, but not before racking up a lot of recognition. In 2006, COFW named her the "Bookseller of the Year, and in 2007, RWA did the same, giving her the "Steffie Walker Bookseller of the Year" Award.

Authors and readers alike value Linda's opinion on the book biz. She knows things inside and out, and she's always happy to help a new, or even an established author.

Linda and I have been friends for a very long time. She held my hand through my first agent appointment, and in many ways, she's holding my hand still. Sometimes it feels like I've known her forever because I have a hard time remembering when she wasn't in my life. Through thick and thin, deaths and births, rejections and book sales, Linda's been there.

Saturday, the RWA chapter in Columbus - Central Ohio Fiction Writers (COFW) - honored Linda with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

So this is a tribute to Linda, with photos of us through the years. :-)


Pre 1997, because that's before I sold - back when I still had big hair. Linda's eyes are closed, but she still looks lovely!


Probably around 2000, at a conference that I wouldn't have attended if Linda hadn't gone too, because she was always encouraging me.


I *think* that's 2007, at one of the many booksignings Linda hosted at the West Chester, Ohio B&N. Linda is known far and wide for her fabulous booksignings!


I'm guessing 2008, at the annual "Romancing the Holidays" book fair. The holidays wouldn't be the same without that signing, and we're lucky that, even though she's retired, Linda will still continue to work with BN to have the event!


2009, at yet another of Linda's many successful bookfairs.


This is from Saturday, and Linda is holding the beautiful gift given to her to commemorate the Lifetime Achievement Award. She and I were both teary-eyed. Linda is the very best of the best, and I'm a better person for knowing her.

Do you have any super-special friends in your life?

What about a bookseller that goes above and beyond?

Or even a favorite bookstore employee who alway enjoy visiting?

Big hugs to all the special friends out there!

Lori
aka
L. L. Foster
http://www.lorifoster.com/

Trying New Stuff...

I haven't told my spouse, but he's the subject of my blog, poor guy! Of course, after 39 years with me, he's got to expect the unexpected, right? In fact, it was exactly 39 years ago on October 2 that I ran into him at a party. We'd met a few weeks earlier when he was a customer in the store where I worked--he flirted, I flirted and he left. I told my coworker I was going to marry him. I'd always had a soft spot for cowboys, and though he didn't know it at the time, this cowboy's number was up. He took me home from that party and essentially never left. We were married a few months later, but that's not what this is about.
This blog is about trying new stuff. My spouse is one of those types who's good at just about everything he does--there's nothing that breaks he can't fix, and he's not afraid to try new things. When he retired, he took over the house work, he's teaching himself to play the guitar, he's been making really cool videos using a camera mounted on his radio control airplanes (or his motorcycle) and he's so darned busy I don't know how he ever managed to hold down a job, but of all the things I knew he wanted to do when he retired, being an actor was NOT one of them.
I mean...ya think you know a guy, but then you find out you really don't! He started out as an extra in the movie Bottle Shock and spent a week on the set, working in a number of scenes. I'm not sure how they managed, but just about every one of his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. If you look REAL close, you can find him in the outtakes on the DVD--he's in the bar scene. I think he raises his eyebrows. (Method acting?)
He signed with a local casting agent and a couple of weeks ago got called for the filming of a Discovery Channel show called "I ALMOST GOT AWAY WITH IT." He played a card dealer in Las Vegas, and hopefully his scene will make it to the actual program instead of getting cut! Then, a week later, his big break came. The same program, different episode (this one about a man and his wife taken hostage by right-wing militants in Texas) They put out a call for a number of roles, and sent photos to show what they were looking for. The actual hostage is in the red shirt, the headshot is of my husband. Type casting maybe?
They took two days to film the scenes he's in--it's his first speaking role and his very first time getting shot for TV--he said they made the fake blood out of Karo syrup and coloring, and he spent all of one day covered in the stuff. He also managed to get it all over everyone else. I can't wait to see the show. It's going to be so weird, watching my husband--AND his TV wife--on television! We're not sure when it's going to air--probably some time after the first of the year--but I'll be sure and let you know. We've watched a couple of the shows since and they're really kind of addictive--they interview the actual criminal and then the actors portray what happened--the crime and the person's method for not getting caught. Of course, they're always caught...the show IS called I ALMOST GOT AWAY WITH IT, after all!
Anyway, he's had a great time with this, though I do feel a bit sorry for our kids. As our daughter said one day, "Mom, why can't you and Dad be NORMAL parents?" Now that would be boring, don't you think?
So, is there something you'd like to do that no one knows about? Is there something you think you might want to try some day? For me, it was writing and being published, so I'm following my dream. What's yours?

Susan turns in her Mensa card

Have you ever done something that left you feeling less than brilliant? That was me setting up a simple one day cruise to Vancouver B.C. All right, less than brilliant might be gilding the lily. It was more like a ride on the Dimwit Express.

For a few years now I've received emails with Friend and Family deals from a relative who works for a major cruise line. In all honesty, the idea of cruises has never flipped my buzzer. But, hey, what do I know? Until this past weekend I'd never been on one, so I thought it might be fun to dip my toes into the pool, so to speak, with a sh[image error]ort jaunt. When a one day cruise from Vancouver to Seattle came available I signed us up, then went online to reserve tickets on Amtrak to get me and the soul mate up to B.C. to catch the ship. I love trains and I've taken the Cascade to Canada before. Part of it runs along the coast, which makes for a lovely ride. With a minimum of fuss we were set.

One downside of the Friends and Family contract is that the cruise line can bump you if they get a full price offer for your room. They're in biz to make a profit, so that makes sense. Good thing I'm such a reasonable woman (snicker, snort), because that's what happened to our reservation. Truly, though, it was no biggie. They offered to either refund our money or set us up for the following week with an upgrade to a veranda room. Without airline tickets involved, it was merely a change of date. The first reservation had been for Wednesday the 22nd and I glanced at the date, looked at my calendar and assumed they were switching it to the following Wednesday. I called Amtrak, canceled my first set of tickets and set up new ones.

You can see where this is going, right? That makes an ass of U and Me thing? Because the next day I get the confirmation from the cruise line and it's not for Wednesday the 29th—it's for Sunday the 26th. Arggh. Once again I called Amtrak and changed our travel arrangements. But what the hey—screw ups happen. And this time we really were set.

On Friday night, I went online to see if the Skytrain would get us from Vancouver's Pacific Central station to Canada Place, where the ships dock. I'd seen directions to the pier on my paperwork, so I pulled it up to locate them. Then as long as I had everything out, I checked it over one last time. And ho-ly sh--um, that is to say--cow! The cruise wasn't leaving from Vancouver, it was embarking from freaking SEATTLE.

[image error]

I could not believe I'd screwed up again. Had I even checked to see if the sailing itinerary had changed from the original one along with the date? Oh, no. And just to add to the fun, on the basis of me telling him we'd debark the boat somewhere between 7 & 9 am Monday morning, my husband had made Monday night airline My honey reservations for another job up in the Aleutians. Unfortunately the morning train from Vancouver left before we got off the boat, while the evening one would get us in too late. But there was a bus we could take that would get us in about an hour and a half before he had to leave for the airport. Not exactly the ambiance I'd been looking forward to, but workable.

So I called Amtrak again. I'm sure they thought I was an idiot. Hell, I thought I was an idiot. But it could have been worse. Can't you just se[image error]e me taking the train up there and then whipping out my paperwork to prove to the cruise people that the boat was supposed to be heading to Seattle with me aboard? It would have been a tad mortifying when they said, "Uh, ma'am? This says you leave from Seattle."

This is our stateroom, which was bigger than I expected. Very comfortable.

The good news is it all worked out and we had a great time. I don't think cruising will become my preferred mode of travel, but I'd definitely do it again. Heck, maybe I'll even spring for two days next time.

One thing's for sure. You can bet I'll pay more attention to the details.

So,back to my original question. Have you ever done anything that's left you feeling less than brilliant?
Snoopy Susie wants to know.

Jayne interviews Marc Von Borstel, Photographer

Recently, I set out to get some new author photos. This is usually a daunting process. It isn't easy finding a good photographer, just ask anyone who has tried to get a portrait or wedding photos done! But I got very, very lucky. With the help of my hairstylist, Alex at the Gary Manuel Salon here in Seattle, I found Marc Von Borstel who is also located in Seattle. I am absolutely thrilled with my new author photos. I got four photos. One of them is embedded in my banner at the top of...

Pondering the Meaning of Life

Today I have Janice Maynard, a dear friend and wonderful author visiting as a guest blogger. Janice and I met during a contest and we've been long-distance friends ever since. Janice is one of those people that once you meet her, you feel like you've known her for years.

Please give Janice a giant "Quill" welcome!

Pondering the Meaning of Life

Did the title grab your attention? If you were hoping for a great insight into deep questions, I'll have to apologize. My recent "philosophizing" has...