Just checking in with misc. stuff

STILL WRITING

Posted by dbreynolds on February 11, 2013

Still working hard, though I confess I took way too long tonight to watch the Grammy Awards on TV. Thankfully, I DVR’d the whole thing, so skipped through the commercials and certain other parts. The Grammy Awards Show is the only show which can make the Oscar Awards Show seem short! Many good performances, though. Especially loved “The Weight” (The Band, 1968) by a whole stageful of talent, including Sir Elton John, T Bone Burnett, the Zac Brown Band, Mavis Staples, Mumford & Sons and Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes. The filled-stage collaborations are always some of the best performances. Also great were Maroon 5/Alicia Keys, The Black Keys, Justin Timberlake (with Jay-Z), Fun. and Mumford & Sons. And Prince is sexy as ever, even if he is a tiny guy. I was also happy to see that no one performer or song dominated, because that way most of my favorite groups won something. That either means I have excellent taste … or common taste. I’m going with excellent.

I also caught Saturday’s SNL, although I actually watched it with the DH on Sunday. (How did I live before DVR?) Not a great show, but there was one segment that stood out, and that was Seth Meyer’s Weekend Update. Unfortunately, it stood out because the grammar Nazi in me was appalled! There was a segment called Date Survey, in which Seth reports, “A new survey finds the “number one thing single people judge the quality of their dates on is the quality of their teeth, followed by the quality of their grammar. Great news for WHOMEVER has both.” You would THINK that in a segment which lauds good grammar … THE EFFING GRAMMAR WOULD BE CORRECT! That sentence should properly read “… Great news for WHOEVER has both.” I wonder how many English teacher and geeky writers immediately tweeted, texted, emailed? For the record, I didn’t. I saved my grammar obsession for all of you.

If you want to watch the video yourself, you can find it HERE. The segment starts at 00:54 (after the commercial, of course.)

I’ve been thinking about Valentine’s Day, which is this week. Thinking about all my beautiful men and their much-loved women. Don’t you wish we could all stay young forever, too? ::sigh:: I need to read a good romance. I just finished reading Lisa Gardner’s newest thriller Touch and Go, and while it is simply brilliant, it is also about the disintegration of a family beginning with the cheating husband. (I’m not giving anything away–that fact is revealed in right up front.) So, what I need to read now is a good old-fashioned romance. Fortunately, I have a TBR pile that is deep and wide! LOL

Speaking of TBR piles, I did shorten mine by a miniscule bit this past week. Still adding to my 100 Books in a Year Challenge, which is HERE. Hopefully, I’ll post a couple of reviews on MY GOODREADS PAGE later this week, too.

And finally, you’ll notice some minor color changes to the Blog this week. The red and black was great, but the red was ultimately too difficult to read against the dark background, so I’ve changed it to blue. Blue still goes well with the whole moon theme … blue moon, right?

Okay, it’s back to writing for me. Hope your Valentine’s Day is spent with the one you love, and if not this week, then I hope you’re together very, very soon.

xoxo
DBR

Categories Facts, Videos and Amusing Links, Holiday Greetings, Just checking in with misc. stuff, Recommended Books, Uncategorized

BLEARY EYED WRITER IN THE HOUSE!

Posted by dbreynolds on February 4, 2013

Yep, emerging from my writer cave once again to communicate with the outside world! I stayed up all last night, literally didn’t sleep. And I discovered two things … (1) I can’t write a big fight/battle scene when I’m really tired, and (2) I’m not in college anymore. That second observation has to do with age and the ability to stay up all night and still function the next day. LOL

I did manage to perk up in time for the Super Bowl. I know it’s a distinctly American thing, and many people in other countries don’t understand the game, but I love football! I didn’t even have a favorite team in this game, and I loved it anyway. Although that power outage right in the middle of the game was one for the record books. That was just weird. The commercials were pretty good, although no real standouts this year. My all-time favorite is still probably the DARTH VADER KID COMMERCIAL

This year, I liked the screaming goat Doritos commercial, and the Bud Light lucky chair Stevie Wonder/Zoe Saldana one. And the Jeep/Soldiers Coming Home ad put tears in my eyes. But I guess the best one had to be the CLYDESDALE Budweiser ad By the way, you can see all of the ads and vote on your favorites HERE.

And that’s it for Superbowl XLVII.

And now for this week’s tech report … BN.com shipped me a new Nook to replace my frozen one, and my Kindle continues to limp along. However, my microwave decided to burn up (or something) on Friday. I never realized how dependent I am on that thing until I didn’t have it this weekend. I had to heat my salsa con queso on the stove!! Oh, the humanity! LOL

Back to my writing stuff … I’m taking a survey of my readers. I posted it on Facebook yesterday, but for the rest of you … what are your favorite paranormal romance/urban fantasy book covers? Just leave it in the comments below, and thanks!

Hmmm, I think that’s it. I still need to write that big fight/battle scene tonight, so I better get started.

Have a good week, and I’ll be back here next Sunday!

xoxo
DBR

Categories ADEN, Cover Art, Facts, Videos and Amusing Links, Just checking in with misc. stuff

I’M HERE, AND I’M WORKING …

Posted by dbreynolds on January 28, 2013

Okay, first of all, my e-reader devices seem to be in cahoots against me! First my Kindle starts getting temperamental, with the connection to my cover light going loose or something. In any event, if I don’t hold it just right, it doesn’t work. I thought it was the cover, but no, it’s the device. And then it froze up on me, but I rebooted, so okay. So far, so good. But then today, my Nook froze up, and none of the fixes would work. It’s still under warranty, so they’re sending me a new one, but that’s the second time this has happened to me with a Nook. Exact same thing! I’m beginning to think it’s me. But what really pissed me off is that I was in the middle of a really good book on my Nook. ::sigh:: So I downloaded Nook for iPad, and now I’m reading it there, which is not my first choice, but it’s okay. Fingers crossed.
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You can check out my updated 100 book challenge above, which continues to go well despite the rebellion of my e-readers!
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In other news, yes, I’m writing like mad. Aden has such an interesting back story! I’m having to do some research to keep him accurate, since this is an area and part of history I’m only vaguely familiar with. But that’s why I went to grad school, right? So I could properly research my vampire stories! I’m sure my professors would agree. This is also why I love the Internet. So much easier than card catalogs! (Yes, I’m old enough to remember card catalogs.)
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But Aden’s not the only one with an interesting personal history. Turns out his love interest (I know what she looks like, but I don’t have her name yet) has a far more intriguing back story than I first planned. It came to me in the shower yesterday — I get some of my best ideas in the shower. I think it’s either because I’m NOT actively thinking about it, or because it’s the ONLY thing I’m thinking about, since I’m alone (generally) and no one bugs me (generally.)
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Anyway, I’m loving their story so far, but it’s very early going. And you know what that means … Yes, I have to get back to writing! Deadlines!!
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And now, Buffy’s on in the background and Aden awaits, so I’m off. Happy week to all of you, and I’ll see you back here next Sunday.
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xoxo
DBR

Categories ADEN, Just checking in with misc. stuff

100 BOOKS IN A YEAR!

Posted by dbreynolds on January 7, 2013

No, I’m not going to WRITE 100 books this year (though I wish I could,) but I am going to read them. I’m pretty sure I read that many anyway, but I’ve never actually counted before. I’m doing this in conjunction with friends and fellow readers at Book Chick City – click on the image below for more info or if you’d like to join in.
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As I read my 100, I’ll list them (in reverse order) on a new page up above, which I’ve cleverly titled “100 Books in a Year.” The new page has replaced my usual “What I’m Reading Now” page, since they’re the same thing. I’ll still be posting reviews of the books I recommend on MY GOODREADS PAGE, and there will also be a link to the reviews at the Book Chick City site.
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So far I’m on Book 3 and it’s January 7, so not bad. Of course, there are still 51 weeks and 97 books to go.
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I’ve been writing steadily this week, finishing up my new story, while fleshing out the details of ADEN so I can start writing that soon. I already know who he is, what motivates him and what he likes in bed (to use a polite euphemism.) And I know the woman who’s going to find her world turned upside down when she meets him. Lucas was a sweetie. Aden … isn’t.
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As I posted on Facebook, all of the winners from the RAJMUND/BETRAYED contest have checked in and their prizes will be on the way soon. I’m just waiting for a new shipment of bookmarks to arrive, so I can include those in the packages. They should arrive this week. I have the packages ready to go, so as soon as the bookmarks get here, the copies of BETRAYED will head out.
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Also on Facebook, I posted my new love/lust for Timothy Olyphant and JUSTIFIED. I’ve been rather obsessively (how else do I do things, after all) watching the first three seasons and am now jonesing for more. I swear they’ve got me thinking in a hillbilly accent. Tim Olyphant is just sexier than hell in that show. ::sigh::

Okay, I’m going to take my Justified lust and turn it into some werewolf sex. Yay! That means I’m getting back to my writing for tonight. Hope you all had a lovely holiday season and are ready for 2013, because it’s here and there’s nothing any of us can do about it!
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See you right here next week!
DBR

Categories Contests, Just checking in with misc. stuff, Recommended Books, Uncategorized, Writing

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

Posted by dbreynolds on November 26, 2012

It’s the last week of November, which for over 200,000 writers around the world means … no more sleep until you hit 50K. Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating just a little. But the pressure is definitely on. I edged up to 40K last night. I’ll cross it later tonight, which is why this post will be a fly-by version. The days are counting down …
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And speaking of sleepless nights, I posted this to my Facebook page this week, but it’s just too perfect not to share. I’d like to claim this is only me during NaNoWriMo, but that would be lying. I am NOT a morning person. Friends and family know if they schedule something before noon, I probably won’t be there … not on time anyway. By the way, credit where credit is due, I got this picture from WANTED FOR FUN on Facebook
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In other news, I finally saw the movie Paranormal Activity this week, although it was by accident. I never saw it in the theater, because I assumed it was going to be another Blair Witch Project. The jerky camera in that one made me sick to my stomach, and frankly I didn’t find it all that scary. But one day this week my DH was watching something on the big screen when I wanted to exercise, so I pulled up Netflix on my i-Pad instead. Usually it goes automatically to whatever I was watching last time, so I expected another episode of The Guardian (Simon Baker’s old series.) I hit play and I’m watching this video playback, and I’m waiting for it to become the Guardian’s new case, but it just keeps playing … and I finally realize something’s not right. But by then I’m totally sucked in and that movie was effing scary!! Plus SPOILER ALERT I can’t believe they ended it that way, and I’m really worried about Hunter!!! LOL
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I also happened to watch an old episode of Castle (exercising again) and Sasha Roiz (Captain Renard from Grimm) was playing this sleazy daytime soap actor who’s a total druggie! He’s such a hunk on Grimm, so, er, grim and masculine. Cracked me up.
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Books – I finished Larissa Ione’s ROGUE RIDER, the fourth (and final, sort of) book in her Lords of Deliverance series. And I’m currently reading DANGEROUS WATERS, a romantic suspense by a new-to-me author, Toni Anderson. Excellent so far. I’ll review that one when I’m finished. Looking forward this week to SHADOW’S CLAIM, the first book of Kresley Cole’s new Immortals After Dark spin-off, The Dacians. I love her writing and I love IAD!
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And that’s about it for me this week. I’m back to bumping the NaNoWriMo edge. But I’ll be back next week with a brand new contest aimed at readers only. In order to enter successfully, you’ll have to answer a question that only someone who’s read the books will know, and there will be cool prizes just in time for the holidays!
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So, here’s hoping the turkey in your fridge is finally GONE! Have a good week, and I’ll see you back here in December! (yep, next Sunday is December 2 – better get shopping!)
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DBR

Categories Contests, Just checking in with misc. stuff, Recommended Books, Uncategorized, Writing

I GET LETTERS!

Posted by dbreynolds on September 24, 2012

Wonderful letters, emails, messages on Facebook and Twitter from my fantastic readers, telling me how much they love my Vampires. And I get questions, too, which I always try to answer. And sometimes, the answer requires a visual. This week, Mary M. wrote asking me what Raphael looked like, since she didn’t think the RAPHAEL cover looked like, well, Raphael. So, I decided to post the picture that inspired my description of Raphael, the one I see in my head every time I’m writing about my big, bad guy. Take away the sun, and this is Raphael.

Other squeee-worthy news … I heard from my publisher early last week, warning me to expect the edits/revisions on LUCAS this week. That’s one more step down the road to LUCAS’s debut. Squeeee!
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On a more personal fave note, Amazon sent out a blast this week that one of my very favorite authors, Vince Flynn, has a brand new Mitch Rapp coming out! THE LAST MAN will release on November 13th. Of course, I’ve already pre-ordered mine! Squeeeee!
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The CHILLER channel has a Buffy marathon going on, and, as usual I’ve got it up with no sound while I work. It’s the episodes with Reilly and the Initiative—not as interesting as Angel, but what the heck. Anyway, Reilly’s #2 guy is played by Baily Chase, who also plays BRANCH CONNALLY on LONGMIRE! And may I say he’s aged really, really well.
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No going out to the movies this week, though I did watch UNDERWORLD:AWAKENING on Netflix. And now, of course, I’m jonesing for UNDERWORLD 5, which apparently isn’t scheduled until 2014. Great. I’ll forget the whole story by then. I’m also busy doing stuff on my to-do list. I’m making progress, but it’s like every time I check something off, something else gets added. It’s eeeevil is what it is.
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And now I have to get back to work, because if I’m going to be spending some quality time with my sweet LUCAS later this week, I need to get as much written on my new story as possible.
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So, sweet dreams of Raphael, and I’ll see you back here next week!

xoxo
DBR

Categories Just checking in with misc. stuff, LUCAS, RAPHAEL, Uncategorized

THE YEAR’S HALF OVER!!!

Posted by dbreynolds on July 2, 2012

So, there I was writing happily away and … poof! … half the year’s gone. I’ve got one more deadline—self-imposed this time—and then I’m grabbing my DH and going on a spa vacation!!
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Other than researching and writing a new story idea, I haven’t done much this past week. No progress on the to-do list, at least none worth reporting. I have read a few books. I’ll get to those later this week. No movies. I’m much more excited about Batman Rises than a remake of Spiderman. I like Emma Stone, but Andrew Garfield doesn’t do much for me. Although the SNL skit with Emma Stone and Andy Samberg dropping in upside down was pretty funny. Especially when he finds out Garfield is British. Spiderman is British!! LOL
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Oh, boo. I’ve got Buffy on (sound down) and it’s the ep where Spike’s holding Willow and Xander prisoner, and Oz and Cordelia arrive to save them and find Willow and Xander kissing. Booooo. I don’t care about Cordelia, but, oh no, OZ!! Bummer. Still trying to figure out why I’m supposed to care about ANYONE on this season’s TRUE BLOOD. Who are these people?? And what’s Sookie’s cousin Hadley doing in freaky fairyland? Granted freaky fairyland is better than everyone-in-their-pajamas fairyland, but isn’t Hadley a vampire? Last time we saw her, she was hanging around the Queen of Louisiana. And now she’s a refugee in freaky fairyland? And what is that place anyway? And what’s with Sookie TELLING Alcide he’s madly in love with her, and Alcide just goes along with it? Yesterday he was all pissed off because she killed Debbie, and now he’s sucking faces with her? WTF? Personally, I’m with Lafayette and Tara on this one. Death follows Sookie around, except it hits the person closest to her, not Sookie. And speaking of Tara, why the hell couldn’t Pam leave well enough alone? Crispy Tara had such a nice ring to it. And Lafayette is …what? Possessed or something? That guy can’t get a break.
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Good news this week on another front … two of my favorite groups released new albums! Linkin Park and Maroon 5. Could they be more different? But I have diverse tastes in music, so I’m happy … and, of course, playing the new music over and over and over and over … you get the picture.
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Okay. Going to get some work done. I’m hoping to have something to report soon, but, at this point, any news is dependent on someone else, not me!
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Happy Canada Day (a day late) to my northern friends. And Happy 4th of July to all of us in the U.S.
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I’ll be back here next week. Hope you will, too.
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xoxo
DBR

Categories Just checking in with misc. stuff, Uncategorized

GREAT ON-LINE CHAT! (and other stuff too)

Posted by dbreynolds on June 25, 2012

We had a fantastic chat Saturday afternoon (at least, it was afternoon in my time zone!) Lots of fun was had by all, and everyone agrees that Lucas is hot! For anyone who wasn’t able to stop by, you can “read only” the chat transcripts HERE in CHOPIN’s CAFE at the GoodReads Paranormal Romance: New and Upcoming Books/Authors (PNR NaUBA) Group. The highlights, including a brief LUCAS snippet, are also readable at the D.B.Reynolds Fan Club. (Yes, I have a fan club – is that cool or what?)
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I want to thank JANE from the PNR NaUBA Group for setting up and moderating the chat! It got pretty busy in there, and Jane did a fantastic job of keeping everyone on track, including me. I also want to thank MISTIK who created and moderates my Fan Club, as well as being one of the PNR NaUBA mods.
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There was a giveaway during the chat, too. And the winner of that giveaway was Mischief Maker. Don’t get your hopes up, MM’s already claimed her prize, so you’ll just have to wait for the next giveaway. I have an interview coming up before too long, which will include a giveaway — I’ll provide more details when the date is set — and, of course, I’ll be doing a full round of promo for the (very first!) Cyn/Raphael e-novella and then LUCAS. So, lots of giveaway chances before the end of the year.
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As promised, I sent LUCAS off to my publisher this week, and I miss him terribly. ::sigh:: Guess I’ll have to write some new stories in order to visit with all my favorite vampires. I’m working on some new ideas right now, also letting scenes for the next Vampires in America book bubble to the surface.
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And while things are bubbling, I’m doing other stuff like finally seeing the movie PROMETHEUS last week. I was really looking forward to this movie, but, well … the first 2/3rds were good—lots of action, lots of tension, lots of promise, despite the rather flimsy motivation given in the film for undertaking this journey in the first place. Unfortunately, the movie didn’t end after 2/3rds. The last 1/3 was full of scenes that seemed to be included only for their shock value, most of which were more silly than shocking. And they didn’t make sense, either. A lot of what happened in this movie didn’t make sense, from the “scientists” ignoring basic contamination protocols, to the inevitable military type disobeying orders and letting the alien on board. Ugh. ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** In the final analysis, though, the movie rested too heavily on the Elizabeth Shaw character (Noomi Rapace), and unfortunately, Shaw is no Ellen Ripley. I never identified with Shaw and was disappointed when she turned out to be the heroine(?) Well, okay, not much of a heroine, but at least the survivor. I’d recommend going back and re-watching Alien or Aliens instead.
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On the small screen, TRUE BLOOD continues to bore its way through the summer. Maybe it’s because they’ve now departed almost completely from the books. Maybe if I hadn’t read the books, I’d find it more interesting. But this season so far is a big yawn. I really hate what they’ve done with Pam. I liked her the first couple of seasons, but I really dislike this new storyline with her hating/jealous of Sookie, and Eric being pissed at her for (I guess) endangering Sookie’s life … groan. The one bright spot this week ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** was when Tara climbed into the tanning bed and turned the switch. Dare I hope she’ll fry sufficiently to crumble into dust? No, I’m pretty sure Pam will ruin everything and rescue her. Unfortunately. Strangely, Sookie felt compelled to tell Alcide that she killed Debbie Pelt. Why???? And, if the trailer is accurate, Alcide is now going to feel equally compelled to tell Debbie’s parents. Sure, no problem. I’m sure they’ll understand. And what’s with Alcide being all stressed out about Tara being a vamp? Since when did he care what happened to Tara? Weird. I still don’t care about Terry/Arlene, still don’t care about Jason and his variety of sexual partners. Really don’t care about The Authority. I am looking forward to the return of Russell Edgington, though! He was always good for a laugh.
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Speaking of TRUE BLOOD, however, I was watching the final episode of WAKING THE DEAD’s 5th season (a BBC cold case crime drama,) and who should appear but a much younger, skinnier, unmuscled Stephen Moyer (aka Bill Compton.) In his pre-vampire days, of course, since he’s running about killing women in daylight.
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Also caught up on the new season of FALLING SKIES (TNT) and LONGMIRE, which is a new series on A&E that combines western with cop show. It’s very low key, kind of like the Joe Pickett novels by C. J. Box, which I really love. I’ve only watched a couple of shows, but I like it so far.
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Catching up on my reading, too. Finished Thea Harrison’s first two Elder Races books and enjoyed them. I’ll post a review later this week. I think I’ll take a break before continuing with the series, though. The new stories will seem fresher.
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And that’s it for me this week. I’m going to get back to writing now, working on my new stories, critiquing some things for fellow writers.
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But I’ll see you back here next weekend (4th of July weekend here in the U.S.)
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DBR

Categories Contests, Guest Blogging, Just checking in with misc. stuff, LUCAS, Snippets, Uncategorized

Oooooh. I HAVE SEEN LUCAS AND HE’S BEAUTIFUL!!

Posted by dbreynolds on June 11, 2012

Yes, dear readers, my publisher is already working on the LUCAS cover! This is a combination of good luck and early deadlines. ImaJinn wants to include LUCAS in an ad to run later this year and the deadline is 2 July. That means I get my cover well ahead of the usual schedule. That also means I’ve been working with the artist to find an image for Lucas, and we’ve picked one. And he’s just perfect! This is the closest any of my vamps’ covers have come to the mental picture I had as I wrote the story. As soon as the cover is finalized, I’ll post it here, so all of you can see how beautiful Lucas is, too!
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On the writing front, the novella is complete and off to my publisher. I’m back working on LUCAS, incorporating the comments from my two wonderful and talented critique partners. And, by the way, I now have all of their comments back and they both love Lucas! Yay! This means LUCAS will deliver on time, and then … Huh. I’m not sure what I’ll do next. I’ve got a couple of new projects I want to work on before I start the next Vampires in America book. And there’s always that ever growing “to-do” list of mine.
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I saw Snow White and the Huntsman this week. No real spoilers coming here, but if you’re really spoiler-averse, you should stop reading. The movie was pretty good, lots of action and excellent special effects. I could have done without some of the walking through fairyland parts, which were a bit dull, but they didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the film. The ending was odd, with Kristen Stewart smiling (as least as much as she ever does) awkwardly at her subjects and them smiling back at her, ad infinitum. Went on waaaaay too long, but was finally rescued by the (rather subdued) arrival of Chris Hemsworth. You can never have too much Chris Hemsworth, though that ending makes me suspect there’s a sequel in the works. Especially since this one has been such a HUGE hit.
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And, of course, TRUE BLOOD’s new season premiered this week. Lots of naked Eric, some nice sly humor. I don’t like the Jason storyline. Generally I hate the way they’ve made the TV Jason be such a moron. The book Jason isn’t like that. And, can I say, I am SO glad LaFayette shaved his head. He looks ever so much more handsome this way. SPOILAGE: Tara as a badass/freaky vampire chick? Weird. Definite departure from the books. Eric and his sister … hilarious and sexy as hell. I mean they’re not really siblings, so it doesn’t matter. I loved when Eric yelled at her, and then told Bill they argue like siblings and fuck like lovers. But then, I generally love Eric, so … He’s much better when he’s not swooning over Sookie.
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Books … finished Nalini Singh’s latest Psy-Changeling, and now on to John Gilstrap’s latest Jonathan Graves book. I do love Digger Graves!
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I’ve got Buffy on TV as I write this, with the sound down, so it won’t distract me. It’s pathetic, but I know everything that’s being said anyway! LOL Anyway, it’s one of the eps with Bad Angel and Wheelchair Spike. Angel is hustling Drusilla right in front of Spike and she’s all sexing out on him, and it flashes to a close-up of Spike’s face … and he’s so hurt! That bitch!! LOL
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Hmm, okay. Still gotta get some of that LUCAS work done tonight, so I’ll say “bye” for now. See you back here next week.
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xoxo
DBR

Categories Cover Art, Just checking in with misc. stuff, LUCAS

TO DO LIST, HERE I COME …

Posted by dbreynolds on June 4, 2012

Hmm, yeah. That “to-do” list doesn’t look too terrified. I did manage to check off a couple of things, though. Bought some new tires for my SUV–big improvement (big price tag, too. ::sigh::) And, drum roll please, I cleaned out my purse! Well, it’s not really my purse. It’s more of a giant tote bag I carry out the door with me, and then usually leave in the car. You know, just in case aliens land, or the big earthquake hits, or someone needs a flashlight or a first aid kit, or any variety of medicines and/or metal tools (which are all stored in a separate zipper bag, for ease of packing to go on an airplane. I was SO upset to lose my very favorite and longtime purse-sized scissors to airport check-in several years back. I really think if they’re going to take things away, they should provide little Fed-Ex or Priority Mail self-sealing boxes, so passengers can send things to themselves! They could probably make money on the deal! Harumph.) Anyway, I’ve got this giant (very fashionable) tote bag with every possible thing in it that ends up sitting in my car/truck, while I take my much smaller purse/wallet with me into the store or whatever. But then when I come back, I end up dropping various bits of paperwork/receipts, spare change, used shopping lists, into the tote. Plus all the shopping coupons I keep in there just in case I end up at the right store … well, you get the picture. It gets heavier and heavier, messier and messier … until finally I reach the relevant line-item on my “to-do” list and I clear it all out. Phew!
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So that’s done. One down and an “oh-my” number of things to go. Makes me long for a book to write so I have an excuse to ignore the damn to-do list!
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But my darling LUCAS is now in the hands of others. I can only hope they’re treating him gently. He’s tough, but with a vulnerable heart inside that manly chest.
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And speaking of manly chests, I’ve been haunting the image libraries again, searching for the perfect Lucas. And I actually think I may have found him, too. Kind of surprised me. Now for Kathryn. A woman with a gun. A little bit harder to find.
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And my nights are being spent with Cyn and Raphael once again, working on their e-novella. That’s going fast and smoothly. (Yeah, I know, “fast” isn’t an adverb, but nothing else worked, it’s called poetic license! ) Cyn is tormenting Raphael, Raphael is remembering fondly his days of singlehood, and they’re as madly in love as ever!
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Big Screen … didn’t see any movies last week, but I’m going to see Snow White and the Huntsman this week. I’ve heard great things about it, about Charlize Theron and the visual effects mostly, although there’ve been no complaints about the hunky Chris Hemsworth, except maybe his uncertain Scottish accent. And friends tell me the movie’s worth seeing despite Kristen Stewart’s, um, acting?
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Small Screen … Game of Thrones Season Finale … meh. SPOILERS! I was confused by the swordfight between Jon Snow and Qhorin Halfhand. Really confused. And no matter how many times I played it, I couldn’t understand Halfhand’s last words. But I got the gist of it, so I guess it’s okay. Seems a long way to go, but okay. I am SO bummed that Jaqen H’gha (Arya’s super cool assassin friend) is gone. Don’t like his new face even half as well! And Sansa is an idiot. Why the hell didn’t she accept the Hound’s offer to get out of Dodge? Has she learned nothing? There is NO honor in Kings Landing as long as the Lannisters are in charge. And then there’s Brienne (the giant, blond female warrior) who kills THREE STARK MEN! To protect Jaime effing Lannister. That woman’s priorities are all screwed up. Does she really think she can waltz into Kings Landing and exchange Jaime for Arya and Sansa? Does it not occur to her that they’ll take Jaime and then hand her her head? But the best part by far of the whole finale was Danerys going to reclaim her dragons and seeing Drogo and their baby! OMG I had tears in my eyes; I admit it. And then when the warlocks thought to chain her (standing UP no less,) and her dragon babies said, “I don’t THINK so.” That was good. Lots of other (sometimes frustrating) stuff, but no edge of your seat cliffhanger. Enough that I went back and checked to be sure this was the finale. Huh.
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Smallest Screen … we’ve got books. Lots and lots of books. Some disappointing, some good. I’ll probably wait to update ’til next week, ’til I have more titles to post.
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Oh, and the Brenda Novak auction is over for the year. Can you say “I spent too much money?” I always bid assuming I’m going to lose, and then when I don’t … Yikes. But it’s all for a good cause, so I won’t complain … too loudly. LOL
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Okay, back to Cyn and Raphael. I have to finish these revisions and get this off to my publisher, so that all of YOU can read it this summer.

See you next week …

DBR

Categories Charitable Causes, Just checking in with misc. stuff, LUCAS

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