Almost done with my werewolf book...

I'm so close to being done with the werewolf book that I can taste it, which is good because working from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day is getting old. :)  I'm working on the final paper edit and I got about 1/3 of the way through it yesterday.  And *that* means I am still very itchy about getting the book done on time.  It's due December 1.  Some might call my current condition stressed...my family calls it demented.  I'm not the most rational being at the moment.  I can't seem to help it...it's never just a matter of turning in a book on time, it's a matter of turning in a book *I'm proud of* on time.   Here's hoping...

 

Oh, and Cut Scene #7 is up on my website, in case you're interested.

 

Hugs,

Lucy 

Scene 5 is live...

Well, the 5th cut scene is live on my website and I'm also looking for some help naming my latest book.  I've chosen my favorite 15 reader suggestions and put them in a poll on my website.  Please take a minute and cast your vote. :)

 

It may be a few days before I blog again because tomorrow is Thanksgiving, one of my very favorite holidays.  We're hosting a big family dinner for my husband's side of the family, then Friday is the big shopping day and Saturday another huge dinner for my side of the family (about twice as many people) and by Sunday, I'll be totally exhausted.  Somewhere in there, I've also got the copyedits to do on a manuscript and to finish my current work in progress (the historical werewolf book).  It's going to be a very busy few days!

 

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and that even if you aren't celebrating Thanksgiving where you're from, you take a few minutes in the next day or so to just remember what you are grateful for.  My readers are definitely near the top of my list of blessings, along with my family and God's grace. :)

 

Hugs,

Lucy

I'm a not so secret "Secrets" fan...

“White Heat” featured in SECRETS, Volume 12 by Leigh Wyndfield
(Red Sage, July 2005)

 

Raine has spent the last few years avenging her murdered team, but the cost has been high. She’s hiding in an icehouse in the middle of nowhere from one of the scariest men in the universes. Walker escapes from a burning prison, staggering to safety. Imagine their surprise when they find out they have the same man to blame for their miseries. Passion, revenge and love are in their future.

Read an excerpt.

Cut Scene #4 is up...

I've just put up Cut Scene #4 on my website.

 

Hugs,

Lucy

A cool quiz...

Shiloh Walker introduced me to this quiz on the Vamps & Scamps blog and I think it's so neat, I want to share it with you all. :) Here are my results, how about you?

you are deepskyblue #00BFFF

Your dominant hues are cyan and blue. You like people and enjoy making friends. You're conservative and like to make sure things make sense before you step into them, especially in relationships. You are curious but respected for your opinions by people who you sometimes wouldn't even suspect. Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Scene 3 is Live...

Just wanted to let you know that I've uploaded the third Marcus-Ronnie scene to my website.

Another American Title II contestant...

First and foremost, I would like to thank Lucy for her kindness and generosity by allowing me a voice here in her blog. What a wonderful woman you are, Lucy, to share your readers with me!

Let me introduce myself, my name is Gerri Russell, and I'm an American Title II finalist for my book, THE WARRIOR TRAINER. I am thrilled to be one of the eleven finalists all competing for the ultimate prize of a publishing contract with Dorchester Publishing. And while all eleven of us would like to win, only one of us can. And your vote determines who that will be. To cast your vote in the first round of competition for the Best First Line, visit www.romantictimes.com between Nov. 14 and Nov. 27.

I am so pleased that Dorchester selected THE WARRIOR TRAINER as part of the competition. This book is very special to me. Not only was it the winner of the Romance Writers of America 2002 Golden Heart in the Short Historical category, it was written during the time that my mother struggled with her own battle over breast cancer. The heroine, Scotia, came to represent to me all the women out there in the world who struggle with issues everyday, and must find reserves they did not know they had in order to better their circumstances. The character of Scotia in my book is based on a true historical person. She was the first female trainer of warriors in Scotland and the reason the country is named what it is.

Another interesting facet of Scotia's life is that she brought with her to Scotland a stone of great importance, The Destiny Stone or as it became referred to in later days, The Stone of Scone. This stone is a historic national treasure to all of Great Britain and is featured prominently in the story. And that's what I like to do--to weave history with strong yet vulnerable characters and create stories that will (hopefully) linger in your heart as they do in mine.

During the American Title II contest I will be blogging on my website as Scotia. If you'd like to learn more about her, or read an excerpt of THE WARRIOR TRAINER, come check us out at www.gerrirussell.net.

Gerri Russell
American Title II Finalist for THE WARRIOR TRAINER

For those that may have missed...

Cut Scenes 1 & 2 with Marcus and/or Ronnie prior to their story in Goodness Had Nothing to do With It are up on my website and Cut Scene 4 will be up tomorrow.

 

Hugs,
Lucy

Re: The art as the artist...

I read a blog a while back by a reader who had discovered a really unpleasant side to one of her favorite authors via the author's blog. She'd found herself less enthusiastic about buying that author's books and felt a little guilty about it. Her husband thought she was wrong and gave her the spiel about the artist being separated from the art. I've gotten that spiel a few times myself, especially from my mother, who is a very talented painter.

In the indominitable words of Nero Wolf, "Phooey!" I don't buy it. If I know that an artist, be they a writer, painter, actor or musician is a person I cannot respect or like (and I'm honest enough to admit my reasons wouldn't be everyone's), I make no bones about not buying or appreciating that person's art. There's just too much good art out there by people I do admire and like...or don't know enough about to feel one way or the other about. :)

Great artists who are mean people should probably keep their mean side under wraps or stay out of the public eye, don't you think? It only makes sense to me, but if they are going to hang out there with some big ugly wart on their chin, then they need to just live with the fact that fans are going to notice. Especially this fan. :)

I have never been able (or wanted) to separate the artist from the art. In my early twenties, I refused to buy a painting by a woman who had left her husband and children (one of whom was my little sister's best friend) to run off with her teenage lover. Everyone touted the painting as phenom investment, including my artist mother. Me, I didn't want to invest in someone's career that could be that callous to her children. Did the painting go up in price? You bet. Do I regret not making the purchase? Um...no. Her art took off, but her children didn't thrive after her rejection nearly as well. I don't read books by authors who have been unkind to people I care about or who criticize my favorite genre romance either.

Life is too short to waste it on the mean people. So, I don't. How about you? Do you sit firmly in my mom's camp...the art is separate from the artist, or mine...if the artist isn't worth my time, neither is his or her art...or somewhere in between? I won't be offended if you disagree with me. I adore my mom to pieces and she does. :)

Hugs,
Lucy

American Title II Finalist

I'm excited for all the American Title II finalists, but a couple of them are writers I really believe in, so I asked them to do a guest blog for me to tell you a little about themselves.  Here is the first one:

 

Lucy, my dear friend and mentor,

Thank you for inviting me to be a guest on your blog !  This is truly one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me, having the opportunity to introduce myself to your readers all over the world, and sharing my good news! 

My name is Debra Parmley, and I'm an American Title II Finalist for my western historical romance, DESPERATE JOURNEY.  I'm thrilled to be one of eleven finalists competing for the prize.  This is the dream of a lifetime.  I hope you will share my journey by visiting www.debraparmley.com. 

Today is the official start of the contest put on by Dorchester Publishing and Romantic Times Bookclub magazine.  It's run along the lines of the TV show American Idol but in this contest the winner receives a first publishing contract!  The vote in the first round, for best first line, visit www.romantictimes.com Nov. 14 -27.  With your vote I can achieve my dream!!!!

Debra Parmley
American Title II Finalist for DESPERATE JOURNEY 

 

To chat or not to chat...

I was visiting my friend Jane Porter's website and clicked on her blog because I was curious what form it would take.  As many of you know, blogging is a new thing for me and while I love some blogs, I can't abide others.  Supposedly clever snarkiness leaves me cold.  But Jane's blog was highly entertaining and I wasn't surprised.  She's a deep person and that is reflected in how much of herself she reveals on the blog.  Also in the way she does it.  Jane is a complex woman with a beautiful heart.  That shows in her blog.

 

Reading it made me wish mine was more like that, but what if it was?  You might learn things about me...stuff like I think the feminist movement has a lot to answer for - both good and bad, that my favorite color is yellow because it makes me think of sunlight, but I wear more pink than Pinky Tuskadero from "Happy Days".  You might figure out that I love my kids, but I'm far from a perfect parent, that my best friends are my sisters, that my mom is demanding and wonderful and whole bunch of stuff in between, that my husband is sexier than The Rock and that I read more romance than nonfiction, even though I love both.  You might learn that I'm an activist at heart, too honest for my own good sometimes and blindingly intolerant of negativity.  I am fiercely loyal to my friends and will defend those that I love to the last breath.

 

I'm not sure if I'm ready for you to learn all that stuff about me, but on the other hand...if you read my books, you've got some inklings already.  So, I'm committed to sharing not just books I think you ought to give a try, but myself as well.

 

We'll see how it goes...

 

Hugs,

Lucy

Wanna hear a secret???

It's not a huge, make-0r-break secret 'cuz some people already know, but it's still a secret.  Which makes it interesting, no?  Sure, of course it does.  Right now, if I called out at the top of my voice, "Hey, want to hear a secret?" even my blasé teenagers would come running and ask me what it is.  That's the way secrets are.  They intrigue...they interest...they cause speculation and faster heartbeats and quick breathing...and talking in whispers.

 

So, here I am talking in a whisper...but guess what???  I have these scenes...45 pages worth to be exact...that I cut from Come Up and See Me Sometime.  All of these scenes are with Marcus and Veronica, the main characters in my December release Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It.  I cut the scenes for no other reason than my agent asked me to before I submitted the book.  They're good scenes...they give insight into Marcus and Ronnie (including how she got her nickname) from before the story begins in Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It.

 

So, what would you say if I told you that I wanted to share those scenes...all 8 of them...with readers on my website?   You'll have to wait for Monday to read the first one, but watch this space for further details.  Is that a cool secret?  What do you think, was it worth whispering???

 

Hugs,

Lucy

Sometimes, you're just in the mood for a sexy creature of the night...

While Jennifer St. Giles has written a book set in the post Civil War U.S. and Sylvia Day's book is a futuristic, both authors write a sexy, edgy story sure to please fans of paranormal romance.

 

HIS DARK DESIRES by Jennifer St. Giles
(Pocket Books, Nov. 2005)

 

You are in danger. Trust no one. The terrifying words from a mysterious letter echo in Juliet Bucheron's mind. Destitute ever since her husband disappeared in the Civil War, Juliet has turned her New Orleans ancestral home into a boarding house -- despite the rumors of ghosts, the whispers of scandal, and the stain of murder.

 

But even more unsettling is Juliet's new tenant, a handsome stranger named Stephen Trevelyan. Wealthy, educated, and seductively compelling, Stephen fills Juliet's heart with uncontrollable longing -- and her head with suspicion. Something, she senses, is lurking beneath the surface. And someone is stalking the hallways after midnight. As the danger draws nearer, Juliet wonders if she can really trust Stephen. But as he pulls her closer, she knows she cannot resist him...no matter what the price.

 

Read an excerpt.

 

MISLED by Sylvia Day
(Ellora’s Cave, Nov. 2005)

Special Task Force agent Derek Atkinson has a craving for luscious vamp Sable Taylor. But Sable’s a bounty hunter, which makes him direct competition in the capture of wanted criminals. Despite the obvious attraction between them, she won’t give him a chance and after two years, he’s tired of waiting for her to come around.
So he’s got a plan to give them both what they want… each other.

 

Sable’s on a dangerous mission. She’s not who Derek thinks she is, so anything personal just isn’t possible. But like most master vampires, Derek’s wily and used to having his way. When he traps her on his ship, she decides to indulge. Two straight days of mind-blowing sex should be enough, but it isn’t, not for either of them. Her heart is involved now, but Sable can’t let Derek get too close. If he finds out what she’s doing, he’ll never forgive her.  Derek, however, refuses to let go.  Now he’s getting shot at and asking questions she shouldn’t answer. Sable has to reveal the truth… Derek’s love has been misled…

 

Read an excerpt.

 

While you all know I don't write vampires (but I'm getting a kick out of my werewolves), I am wondering what your preferences are...care to share?

The rainy days of fall...

I love them.  I'm in my writer's cave up to fifteen hours a day right now and it just feels right to look out the window, or go pick up my children from school and to have slate gray skies overhead and wet streets under my car tires.  The wind is blowing the trees outside right now and colored leaves are falling to the ground while the lichen on the older branches is coming into view.  It's gorgeous and very inspiring.  The perfect time of year to write...or get lost in a good book.

 

I love the changing of the seasons, how about you?

 

Hugs,

Lucy