Terry Odell's Blog, page 291

Hero Worship?

What I'm reading: RITA entry #5Thanks to Grace for her cheerful post yesterday. There's still time to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing.The other day, I went to our local RWA chapter meeting. There were several 'early birds' and one of the members said she was bogged down in her writing because she wasn't "in love" with her hero, so we had a brainstorming session to see what her hero

Hooked on Happiness

Grace Elliot is a veterinarian by day, and author of historical romance by night. Grace loves the personal nature of Terry's blog and has decided to share with you the things that make her happiest. And she's giving away a book to a lucky commenter, so be sure to read through to the end.My family make me happy. I've been married 22 years this March and have two fabulous sons, who despite being

How Do You Read?

What I'm reading: RITA Contest entries, #4 of 8Only a day apart, the UPS man delivered the eight books I'm supposed to judge for the Romance Writers of America RITA contest, and the ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) of WHERE DANGER HIDES. I've got a lot of reading to do.I'm a first round judge. While it's required that I read the entire book, I can read these as a reader—an educated reader, but still

Friday Field Trip - Back to the Basement

OK, here's the 'almost done' basement remodel. Once we get some furniture down there, maybe I'll schedule another trip. Meanwhile -- Send Pictures! And a reminder - last day for the discount price of What's in a Name? is Saturday, Jan. 22.The new stairs.An overview of the main spaceEvery entryway needs a closetLaundry - a dull necessityTV room - once we get the tv down thereAlways need more

Types of Scenes

What I'm reading: Love is All Around, by Lori DevotiA reminder - the introductory price for What's in a Name? will expire Saturday. See the sidebar for links and the Smashwords coupon code.Yesterday I talked about making sure scenes had earned a place in a book, and promises to the reader. Since I told you I'd give some examples today, I'll make good on that promise. The following list shows the

Scenes and Promises

Thanks to Gretchen for sharing her recipe yesterday. Anyone try it yet?Basement update: We're waiting for the final inspection. The contractor hired someone to come clean, and it looks very nice, even if it's empty. The laundry room is set up (a mixed blessing), and we're looking forward to getting some furniture down there. We don't have much yet—a bed for the guestroom, and a futon which we

Research Can Be Tasty

Gretchen Craig means for her historical novels to be authentic right down to the kind of shoe laces the ladies used and what they cooked for supper. Her latest novel, CRIMSON SKY, is set in New Mexico among the pueblos where their supper was likely a stew of rabbit, corn, and beans. But in her novels set in New Orleans, her research includes desserts!We live a day's drive from New Orleans and

More on Piracy

There's been some good discussion on this morning's post (below). I thought I'd offer an answer to "can't we do something?"Senate Bill 3804 seeks to hold legally accountable all entities responsible for the dissemination and infringement of copyrighted materials on the Internet. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill by a vote of 19 - 0. The legislation will now be put in front of the

Avast, Mateys. Aarrggh

What I'm reading: The Bad Kitty Lounge, by Michael WileyFirst: If you didn't check out my guest post at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen yet, please do. There are excerpts and a recipe. What more could you ask for? I got a Google Alert for one of my short stories the other day. I followed the link, which led me to a website that offers free downloads of books, music, art and the like. Trouble is, that

What's Cooking?

No, you're not in the wrong place.I'm over at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen today, talking about the cooking that goes on in What's in a Name? I've included excerpts and a recipe, so please stop by.