Samhellions!

Hi guys,

At 3:00pm today, I'm blogging over at the Samhain Publishing blog. Last night, I got to reminiscing about "the good old days" which is hilarious considering I'm just barely forty. Come over and let me know if you agree with me or not. I say...CELL PHONES BE DAMNED! Mwahaha!

TJ

Back into it & Reading

So, it's the last day of January today. Well, it is in Australia. :) And you know, when I look back I realise that I didn't achieve much of what I wanted to do this month. Sure, I got a bunch of edits done, I wrote one short story, took my daughter to swimming lessons every single day for two weeks, hung out with her, read some, and just kept the day-to-day stuff going. But my personal goals for the start of the year kinda slumped.

I think that's about to change. My daughter has gone back to school. Yesterday was the day, and I didn't waste any time getting started.

I'm writing the first draft of a novel. It's the reason why I'm here a little later than usual. I wanted to sneak in a session and then write this post while I wait for the lappy to charge up. It's a pain. :/ But at least it's a break from just sitting there for hours.

The story's feeling good. I'm just at the start, but am already making things hard for my hero and heroine. They pretty much meet right away, but it doesn't mean they're going to have a lovely time of it. This isn't a date. ;) Nope, we're in the depths of a very dark world and their adventure is going to be anything but comfy.

Good news is that I'm about 200 words from crossing the 5k mark. That's so cool. I'm very excited about this and can't wait to get more added.

As for reading, these are the two books I finished last week:

Both were awesome! I had a blast reading these two and can't wait for the next one in each series. Very cool. I'm having a great time with the books I'm picking up off the shelf so far in 2008. Last night I started this one. Vampires and Rachel Caine... what's there not to like? Lol.

Anyway, I hope February ends up being a terrific month for all of us!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Check out the Forbidden Hunt hosted by Anastasia Rabiyah & Brieanna Robertson:

A fabulous review and New Years Woes

I think I'll start with the good stuff. The review I received yesterday. In light of all the bad stuff that's been going on since that ball dropped in Times Square, I was elated to read this:


"Sexy, sensual and passionate as hell, PASSION UNBOUND: WICKED NIGHTS has all the attributes for a best seller in the making!"

A big thank you to Amanda at the Romance Junkies for the wonderful review of Wicked Nights. You can read the rest of Amanda's terrific five-ribbon review on Romance Junkies.

Yay!


Now let's talk about 2008. I've noticed the new year has been a bit rough on a lot of people, and it makes me wonder if some planets are out of alignment or...something. Can anyone give me an explanation? LOL. I'm hoping my computer meltdown last week was the last of it. Please, prayers, candles, good thoughts would be appreciated. And I'm sending them back, to all the people who have been hit hard with disasters since Jan. 1, 2008.

There is an end in sight. If nothing else, we can hold our collective breaths and keep our eyes focused on Jan 1, 2009 :)

Tawny
Wicked Hot Erotic Fiction

Can't Wait!

Hey all. I’m posting this late - I’m at work teaching a class all week to some customers who’ve flown into town. But tomorrow I’m scheduled for a MASSAGE! Woooo!

My problem area is my neck. Unfortunately, from working on the computer all day I tend to carry tension in my shoulders and neck. But this lady works wonders on my poor neck.

I’d love to know if you’ve ever had a massage and whether it was something useful to you. Also, has anyone tried reflexology or accupuncture? What did you think?

Back to class…

TJ

RIP & Non-productivity

So, how is everyone today? It's been a little quiet around here lately. Don't be shy, feel free to leave a comment. ;)

Like everyone else, I'm still shocked at the sudden death of Aussie actor, Heath Ledger. He was so young. And although not one of my fave actors, he was still very talented, and I enjoyed watching him. He definitely died too young. One of my favourite performances was his role in an Aussie movie called, Two Hands. He was awesome in that movie! Loved it. 10 Things I Hate About You was also another cool one that comes to mind.

Now that he's gone, I wish the news channels would let him rest in peace. They've told us what happened to him. Now they need to just let him be. Tributes are fine, but prying and waiting around his apartment block is creepy. I hope he rests in peace. It's a shame that he's leaving behind a little girl who may not remember him.

Okay, now that the sad stuff is out... let me take a deep breath.

This week I have nothing specific to talk about, so I'll probably just ramble on for a bit.

My daughter's school holidays draw to an end next week. It's been a little out-of-routine for me during the end of December and this month. So I feel edgy and frustrated. Not able to get enough writing does that to me. But it's okay, because as soon as she goes back to school, I intend to get started on a new novel. It's been bubbling inside my head for a while now, percolating so much the lid's just about ready to burst.

So, that's my positive thought. It's what makes the non-productive days not seem so bad. Besides, today I also intend to finish reading this awesome book.

What are you reading at the moment? Or, what are you writing? Go ahead, tell me. :D

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Check out the Forbidden Hunt hosted by Anastasia Rabiyah & Brieanna Robertson:

xPost - What Makes Us Tick?

This is a question I'm trying to answer for myself - what makes me tick? What drives me? And is beauty (or ambition) in the eyes of the beholder? I know you're probably wondering what the hell I'm talking about, but here's a couple of instances:

I had a person tell me, "You are the most arrogant, self-centered person I've ever met!" And he meant it. I didn't particularly care, but, there you go. I remember thinking I sacrifice my life everyday for my children as a single mom, work like a dog to get ahead so my children have it better than I did, while this single, no kids, no responsibilities, still-living-with-his-high-school-buddy's guy is telling me I'm arrogant. Bastard.

On the other hand, I've had people tell me, "Girl, I don't know how you pull it off everyday! You're doing and accomplishing so much!" And they're proud of me, which really means alot because I always feel that I should be doing something more. What that something is, I don't quite know.

So why do we do what we do? Honestly? Why do we work a full-time day job, then go home and write our brains out? Why do we submit to pubs and then pull our hair out while we wait to see if they like us? Why do we practically bed readers to buy our work? Sounds like self-abuse, doesn't it?

I do it because I love creating stories out of nothing but thin air and what's left of my brain. The thrill of creating a new world and people to play in it where things are so different...yet the same. Outside of loving to write, I also want my kids to see that if they want something (like, being published or owning a business) go after it hard until they get it. Nobody's gonna hand it to them, and nothing's going to happen if they sit around and whine about how hard it is.

Breaks? I had none, but still managed, with my arrogrant, self-centered self, to reach some goals. Nothing like teaching kids by example, eh?

So, that's what makes me tick. What about you?

TJ

Tagged & Reading '08

Over the weekend, I was tagged by L.A. Day. So I thought it would be cool to post it here.

The rules:

Link to the person who tagged you;
Leave a comment on their blog so that their readers can visit yours;
Post the rules on your blog;Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog;
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post;
Include links to their blogs;
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I love watching Japanese anime - both series and movies.
2. I listen to A Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds to Mars at least one time a day and never get tired of it. I think this band totally rocks and can't get enough.
3. Even though I enjoy reading a wide variety of genres, my fave is Urban Fantasy.
4. I enjoy looking things up in Wikipedia.
5. Walking is one of my fave things to do. If I don't go for an hour walk every single day, it feels like something's missing.
6. I need to write something new, revise something, research, or be thinking about something to do with writing every day, or I feel cranky and edgy.
7. I am a repeat-offender when it comes to books and music. If I enjoy an album or a book, I will go out of my way to buy everything that writer/band/singer has released - including their backlist.

So, there you have it. Seven things you may not have known about me. I'm not going to tag anyone because I think everyone with a blog has probably already been tagged. Lol.

But I will mention that I'm (so far) keeping up with reading one book-a-week. These are the latest two titles:

All I can say is: Wow! These two books belong to a series (Mercy Thompson #3 and The Sisters of the Moon #3) and were both awesome! I swear, it's such a pleasure to read when a story is so well crafted that you can't wait to get back to it. Both authors are excellent and their books filled with fantastic characters and worlds. I can't wait for more. :D

Last night I picked up this book. Man, I can't wait to get stuck into this one. It sounds fantastic! And the cover's very pretty too.

So, what have you been reading so far this year?

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Check out the Forbidden Hunt hosted by Anastasia Rabiyah & Brieanna Robertson:

If you could be kidnapped by ANY man...

...who would it be?

My upcoming release, WICKED NIGHTS, the second book in my Passion Unbound series answers that question for one lucky freelance writer. (Changeling Press, Jan. 25, 2008)


The blurb:

If you could be kidnapped by any man, who would it be?

And thus it was from the beginning of time. Two knights. One bride. They whispered their story to The Chosen, a human endowed with the gift of Hearing... The Chosen wrote the story and released it into the human world.

The bait was set. The spell was cast. And then they waited...(An excerpt from the
Ierd Kimeno, the sacred text of the Twelfth Knight Brotherhood)


Freelance writer Cheryl Witte loves her romance novels as much as the next girl. Her favorite -- Dangerous Knights, the story of two dominant, sexy vampires, Cy and Maksim. To be possessed by two dark and dangerous Masters? One word, yum! But that’s just fantasy. It could never happen in real life... right? She wouldn’t want it to.

Then again, maybe it could...and maybe she would.

Cheryl is onto the story of the century, about a portal that allows real men--dangerous and barbaric ones --to travel into the human world and kidnap unsuspecting women. You bet she’s willing to take her chances for that kind of story. A paper cut and a few muttered words could make all her wishes come true, including a cover story in the NY Times. Not to mention bring the men of her fantasies, Cy and Maksim, to life.

She sets up some cameras, arms herself with a tranquilizer, and waits. And waits…until…one minute she’s sleeping, the next she’s dragged into a world of her imagination, to face her darkest desires... and most shocking secrets.

Cy and Maksim have their own challenges to face. But nothing can stop them from
introducing their fiery new bride to the rapture of complete submission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, for our heroine Cheryl, the kidnappers of her fantasies were two sexy, dark and mysterious vamps from a novel she'd just read. And in the first book, they were a pair of powerful feline shapeshifters from her fave book. I thought it would be a lot of fun writing stories about women who came face-to-face with their fantasy guys. And I was right!

Who would it be for you? Would he (or they) be a character in a book? Or maybe a movie? Or how about a singer in a fave band...or old crush from high school? Anyone want to share?

If you could be kidnapped by any man, who would it be?

Tawny
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wicked-Hot Erotic Fiction

xPost - Surprise!

I just received an e-mail that "GIFT WRAP OPTIONAL" is in an athology that will be available on the Ellora's Cave print book site next week. I'm waiting for a cover - as soon as I get it I'll put it up here and on my site at www.tjmichaels.com.

In the meantime, here's an excerpt:
Read more »

Obscure & Contracts

Well, how's the year so far? We're in full swing now, so what's been going on? I've been writing. Of course, not in the volumes that I would like. Though I did finish the first draft for one novella. Here in Oz, because it's summer, kids are on school holidays. My daughter doesn't go back to school until the end of the month. Yikes! It sure is hard to write with her home. It's Mum, mum, mum every two seconds. :/

Still, I've been trying to separate a little time for myself - both for writing and reading. Yep, I'm keeping up with the reading. The first book I finished for this year was Kitty and the Silver Bullet. It was awesome! I'm almost finished the second book for '08. It's this one.

I've got some great news. I got two new contracts with Forbidden Publications this week. Yay! One is for the second Myth Hunter story called, Moon Chase. And the other is a stand-alone tale called, Mystical. Both were a lot of fun to write, so I'm very excited about them finding a great home. I'll keep you posted. All the forms have been filled out and sent, so the wheels will start moving soon. :)

Okay, on January 11, my next Urban Fantasy novella will be released from Cobblestone Press:

Amber used to be a well-known Australian soap actress.

Kellan is a half-Dwarf warrior from another world.

The night Kellan crosses from his world and into her lavish apartment, her disillusioned and boring life becomes enriched with adventure, passion and an attraction Amber can’t deny.

What do you think of the cover? I absolutely LOVE it. Melissa Findley made it. She's such an awesome artist, I love her stuff. She also made the cover for Christmas Lights and is now working on my Guarded By Stone one. Can't wait to see the finished product. She's awesome.

Okay, until next week, I hope you all have fun!

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Check out the Forbidden Hunt hosted by Anastasia Rabiyah & Brieanna Robertson:

Tawny's New Year's Resolution

Today, I want to talk about something not at all related to writing or books. I hope that's okay.

This morning, while I was huffing and puffing on the treadmill I keep next to my desk, I caught one of those morning talk shows. As is common at this time of year, the hosts were talking about losing weight. Since my New Year's resolution was to lose the weight I gained the past few months, I paid attention.

They had a representative on from the National Body Challenge. Did you know they are offering everyone who registers (it's FREE) a free 8-week membership to Bally Total Fitness? Regular exercise is ESSENTIAL for weight loss. I encourage anyone who is looking to lose weight to register with the National Body Challenge and take advantage of that amazing opportunity!

What am I doing?

*Jogging on the treadmill 4 days a week, no matter what

*Keeping a food journal (I'm a binge eater) and counting calories. I lose weight at around 1300 cals/day

*Joining Peertrainer and logging in daily

So wish me luck! By putting my goals out there--here on this blog, on the Divas and on Peertrainer, I make myself accountable. It's the only way I can find the drive to keep going. It's hard work and can sometimes be very frustrating. But it's worth the effort. I know. Because last year, I lost a great deal of weight and there was no better feeling than trying on clothes that once would never have fit and discovering they were too big.

Good luck with your resolutions, if you make them!

Tawny
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wicked-Hot Erotic Fiction

xPost - Hats Off To Dumb Decisions! Wooo!

It's 2008 (geesh, already?) and I'm doing what everybody else does right about New Years - I'm looking back over my life with both great joy and plenty of regrets.

We all have things in life that we wish had gone differently. You know the old saying, "If I'd known then what I know now..." But I'm grateful for the dumb decisions I made in life. Why? Because I learned from the experiences. Every ridiculous choice and goofball decision helped make me into the woman I am today. And one of the most ubber-idiotic choices led to my greatest joy.

What the hell are you talking about, TJ?

MY KIDS! My children were the result of the stupidest decision I could have ever made. I married an immature nutjob at the age of twenty and set about on a career in the software industry. We carefully planned our kids, wanting to have them early so that when we hit forty they'd be older - gah, I can't imagine it any other way now - when I see women who are forty with three year olds? Lord Jesus! No offense to you, but I don't think I could deal with daycare at forty (which I'll be in five months! Woohoo!

Anyway, the experience of marrying a selfish bastard ('scuse me...sort of) so early in life made me into the current female who had taken care of herself and her children since they were ages two and four with no support from that nutjob and no support from family (they're nutjobs, too). Said children are fiercely independent, one in college, the other with a year and half of high school to go, and can now run around with the car and do errands for me while I'm at work - tee hee! My daughter graduated from high school TWO YEARS EARLY and my son will graduate A YEAR EARLY. They're brilliant, self-sufficient, and completely awesome!

With the support of my children, and no one else, I got published in 2006, founded a company in 2007, and we're on the way to fulfilling the next set of dreams. So, the next time this bird lands a relationship, that man will "get got" because he's wanted...and not because he's needed. Make sense?

So hats off to dumb decisions and fabulous kids! Happy New Year!

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com

2008 & A Reading Plan

Yep, 2008 is now officially here. Actually, it's already the third day here in Australia. How's it been treating you so far? We've had a great run of summer weather, so that makes me happy. There's nothing worse than being in summer and it just doesn't feel like it. Besides, sunny weather puts me in a great mood. And the start of a new year makes me feel hopeful and excited.

This year I've got certain goals I'd like to meet, but I'm not going to list them. There are way too many and I really don't want to jinx myself. But let's just say that there will be plenty of paranormal and otherworldly activity going on in my head and on my lappy's screen. ;) I've got so many new ideas I want to tackle, and several not-so-new ones which I want to revisit. I don't like leaving projects half-done.

One of the other things I'd really like to do this year is read at least one book every single week. That's usually my goal, but last year it didn't work out like that. Although I did end up getting about 52 books read during 2007. You can check out my list here, if you like.

I've got a bunch of excellent books on my TBR pile that I want to read this month. And I'm starting with this one. I'm 80 pages in and absolutely lovin' it. Kitty's so darn cool. Can't wait to get stuck into it again today. But I'm working on some edits, trying to finish a festive novella and have my daughter home, so I'll see how I go.

Another thing I'd like to do this year is read more eBooks. There are some awesome e-pubbed stories out there, and I want to be reading more of them. Oh, and I got the Brothers Grimm Complete Fairy Tale Collection on paperback the other day, so I'd like to read some of those too. Yep, I've got big plans for reading this year. And writing, of course!

Anyway, what have you got planned for this year as far as your reading goes? And how do you balance that with your writing, etc?

Yolanda
http://www.yolandasfetsos.com/

Check out the Forbidden Hunt hosted by Anastasia Rabiyah & Brieanna Robertson:

Available Tomorrow!

Carnal Hunger (Twilight's Possession Book 2)

by Tawny Taylor
Available Jan. 2, 2008 at www.ellorascave.com

Jasmyne Vaughn’s mother has--once again--vanished into the dark world of drug addiction, or so Jasmyne assumes. Until a call in the middle of the night sparks a frantic search in places so depraved Jasmyne couldn’t have imagined them in her worst nightmares. But before she can find her mother, and recover the package her mom has stolen, Jasmyne is kidnapped by two powerful strangers.

Sons of the Twilight Asher Pryce and Draven Falk have their own problems. Asher is desperate to reclaim what has been taken from him. And Draven has learned his conflicting loyalties are going to cost a number of people--Asher included--a dear price. And then there’s the desperate hunger that has driven them both to near death. Propelled by honor, duty and love, the three spend their nights searching for Jasmyne’s mother and the ancient Greek relic she’s stolen. And days spent sating their unrelenting carnal hunger.

Two men, one woman—and a driving sexual hunger that none can resist—in a race against time to save the innocent…or destroy themselves.
Read an excerpt: HERE