And Go...

I managed to do everything I needed to do today except write (both on my CE series and my blog post... hence why you're getting this). Stupid real life, with your stupid needing food so I can eat, and your need to put gas in the car. *grumble grumble*

Six Sentence Sunday - 27 March

Time for my second installment of the Six Sentence Sunday. Fitting that it should come from my second release -- Serenity by D. Renee Bagby:

She said, “Chigaru only just informed me you are one of the best at this game, Your Majesty. I will prepare myself to lose with grace.”

“You are quite fast,” Melchior said.

“Not as fast as my brother Prince Alric. Should he visit, I think you two should play…if that will not inconvenience you.”

“I would make time for the match.”

1st Newsletter Contest Winner (March)

I've started a monthly contest on my newsletter. You have to be subscribed in order to play (hint hint).

The first winner has been chosen:

March 2011 Newsletter

Contest Winner

Joan O'Toole (NJ)

She has won a box of books from my personal collection. I'm weeding out my duplicates and books that I just will never get around to reading so I want them to go to someone who will read them.

CONGRATS!

Join me next month on my newsletter for another box of books and another winner.

Congrats to the RITA/GH Finalists

Congratulations to all of the RITA/GH finalists!!

I didn't final but here are the titles that did final in my category...

2011 RITA Finalists for Paranormal Romance

• Enemy Within by Marcella Burnard (Berkley; Leis Pederson, editor)
• A Highlander's Homecoming by Melissa Mayhue (Pocket Books; Megan McKeever, editor)
• Immortal Sea by Virginia Kantra (berkley Trade; Cindy Hwang, editor)
• Marked by the Moon by Lori Handeland (St. Martin's Press; Jennifer Enderlin, editor)
• Rebel by Zoe Archer (Zebra Books; Megan Records, editor)
• Sins of the Heart by Eve Silver (HQN Books; Tara Parsons, editor)
• Unchained: the Dark Forgotten by Sharon Ashwood (NAL/Signet Eclipse; Laura Cifelli, editor)
• Water Bound by Christine Feehan (Jove; Cindy Hwang, editor)

For a full list of finalists for each category, visit the RWA RITA/GH 2011 site.

Thursday Author Blog Hop - Names

On time this time. :D

Thursday Author Blog Hop Question 24 March 2011:
Characters- Are the names of your characters in your novels important? What about the titles of your novels?


It depends on what name I'm writing under. When I'm writing as D. Renee Bagby, the heroine's name is important because that's the first thing the reader will see as it is the title of my books. Rather than struggle with clever titles, I decided to simply name the books after the heroine. I know a few other authors do that with heroes.

I chose this route because I'd heard a while back that some readers were totally turned off from a book simply because of the hero/ine's name. I figured, why not put the name out front so they know what it is without even touching the book.

As well, it helps me to instantly remember plots and storylines when people ask me about specific books. So it's as much a cheat as anything else.

When writing as Zenobia Renquist, I try to have the name of the heroine in the title somehow. Again, that's my little mnemonic cheat. It also means my title won't be reminiscent of some other author's book. It doesn't always work out that I can put the heroine's name in the title, but I do try.

For naming my characters (under either name), I usually try to go with name meanings. I have several baby naming websites saved for that purpose. I can look up names based on ethnicity and name meanings to fit a character's personality. Or sometimes what I name that character creates their personality. It all depends.

Dead Blog Day

No clue what to write about. No inclination to post a review. Not much motivation to do anything really.

I dub this dead blog day.

I'm blaming the weather.

Random Previews: March 2011

It's that time again. :D Let's see what's new in previews land.


- The Bang Bang Club (22 April 2011)
Based on true events means someone at some point was interviewed and possibly asked for an opinion or two on the script. Looks moving and heart-wrenching and thought-provoking and a bunch of other stuff that means I won't be seeing it in theaters.


- The Collector (Coming Soon)
Looks like an introspective of an overly promiscuous girl. I'm guessing something happens to make her take a long hard look at her life and then make some changes. Pass.


- Wrecked (01 April 2011)
I love Adrien Brody. Ever since King Kong and Predators, this man has been on my must-watch list. While I may not see this in theaters, I am planning to see it. This is amnesia taken to a whole new level. It's even more intense only because it's mostly a one-man show type of movie. Plenty of time to get into the mind of the character even if that character doesn't know their own mind.


- Henry's Crime (08 April 2011)
Keanu Reeves doing what he does best -- playing a somewhat emotionless, deadpan guy who is going with the flow. :P I still love the guy. He's fun. This looks like a hilarious movie. Shades of Double Jeopardy since it has the same premise, but not as dark. Not a theater movie though.


- Smurfs (03 August 2011)
First -- I am not watching this is 3D. Second - Neil Patrick Harris as part of the cast means I WILL watch it. I loved Smurfs as a kid. I was totally skeptical when I heard they were making a movie out of it. I don't know what this current kick is with the movie people of turning old cartoons into live action, but I'm not enjoying what they've done so far. Hopefully Smurfs will be better... even if they are obviously not three apples high.


- When Harry Tries to Marry (22 April 2011)
It's Bollywood!! That means there are dance numbers. This looks incredibly cute. It's a romantic comedy. Guy is determined to have the perfect arranged marriage so his future will be peaceful and happy... until he falls in love with someone that isn't his fiancee. I might actually have to see this in theaters.


- The Princess of Montpensier (15 April 2011)
Funny how a similar plot looks totally different when you toss it back in time and add subtitles to it. This is a French film about a woman in the medieval era chosen to marry a prince even though she is already in love with a duke. She is torn between duty to her family and a duty to her heart. I'm not seeing this one, but it looks very pretty.


- Sunflower and the Secret Fan (15 July 2011)
From the director who brought us Joy Luck Club. Based on the bestselling novel. Sworn sisters for ten thousand years. These two women have had a friendship that has lasted lifetimes. I guarantee this movie will make you cry, and I haven't even seen it. I do know I'll be waiting for DVD so I can watch in the privacy of my own home.


- Puss in Boots (04 November 2011)
The teaser tells you nothing about the movie whatsoever. I do know this: It's Antonio Banderas as Puss. That's all I need to know to get me in the theaters. :D

Thursday Author Blog Hop - Sanity

Yes, yes. I know it's not Thursday. I am, yet again, behind on finding out about stuff. But I still want to participate. :D

Thursday Author Blog Hop Question 17 March 2011:
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?


I have yet to meet a sane writer, so that's a silly question. As E.L. Doctorow said, "Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." I wholeheartedly believe that sentiment.

That's not to say writers don't have their own form of sanity that is widely accepted amongst our peers. Most everyone else (the mundanes) think we're crazy no matter what.

So, keeping the writers' version of sanity requires a few things:

*** Ability to step away from your work and look at it objectively.

Do you really need that chapter where the hero and heroine go out for ice cream? Those five paragraphs describing the living room could probably be pared down to one.

Being able to look at your work with the eyes of an outsider will make life that much easier when it comes to editing.

*** Speaking of editing -- knowing your editor is not out to get you

Okay, I have met some people who do have editors that are out to get them. Not all editors are like that. They want your book to succeed as much as you do. When they suggest a word change or sentence restructure or a chapter drop, they are doing it for the betterment of your book.

I've known many authors who drive themselves up a wall and back again over a single word in a 60K+ novel. Is it really worth that amount of stress? Use the word the editor suggested or go to an online thesaurus and choose a whole new word that means the same.

*** Never explain your books

Your book should explain itself. If a reader didn't get it, then they didn't get it. You as the author cannot be around to explain the same hang up to every single reader around the world.

I had a reviewer call the time travel section of my book a giant flashback. I banged my head against my desk, cursed until I was cross-eyed and then moved on with life. It's not worth the stress. While that one reviewer didn't get it, my other readers did.

Look at Star Trek (no seriously, go watch it. JJ Abrams did a fantastic job). Three different characters stated in three different ways that the movie had officially introduced an alternate reality timeline where the futures that would have been are no longer valid. They couldn't have said it any plainer. People still didn't get it. It happens. You move on.

*** One author already said it but it bears repeating -- Develop a sense of humor

Learn to laugh at the absurdity around you. It blows off steam and helps you feel better. If it doesn't, then do what I do and go kill off a character of two... or three. Nothing like a dead body to make the stress go away. The more horrific the kill, the better you feel. :P

Six Sentence Sunday - 20 March

I didn't find out about this in time to be part of the official list, but I still want to do it. So...

Welcome to my first installment of the Six Sentence Sunday.

Here's six sentences from my debut novel -- Adrienne by D. Renee Bagby:

“The room directly below the royal chambers, Majesty, Queen Adrienne. There is an access staircase in King Malik’s chambers—er, your chambers—so the women can come and go without having to trek all over the palace.”

“Ah.” Adrienne nodded and sat back. “The door to the staircase wouldn’t happen to be hidden behind a tapestry of dancing women, would it, Keeper?”

“That would be the very one, Queen Adrienne,” the Keeper said.

Writing Update

Big writing binge today for the Caveat Emptor series:

- 7400 words on Book 6. I just started it today.

- 1994 words on Book 3, bringing the total to 6287 words.

Book 2 has 2534 words from a previous session so that doesn't count for today. I think I've come up with titles for all of the stories. One or two might change, but this seems like a good set. They all have a common theme.

I wanted to write more but my battery has officially run down. :P I need to recharge with some sleep. My bed time is a little ways off though.

In the meantime, I'll do some other stuff like reading or something.

Manga Review: Love Syndrome

Love Syndrome by Yura Miyazawa

Publisher: DMP June
Price: $12.95
Genre: Drama, Romance, Yaoi
Themes: College, best friends
Rating: Mature 18+
Volumes: 1 Volume
ISBN: 978-1-56970-046-4


Basic Premise
Serizawa's apartment is flooded. He asks his friend Shinoda to stay a few nights. Shinoda has no problem helping out a friend, assuming Serizawa can pay the fee -- one kiss a day.

Suzumu and Rinri are roommates. Suzumu spoils Rinri and babies him. Suzumu soon realizes his feelings are something more than brotherly affection for his clingy roommate.

Kazama has loved Ritsu since they met as children. The only thing keeping him from confessing to Ritsu is a ten year old promise to remain friends forever.

Chihiro and Yukito are stepbrothers who are separated when their parents divorce. They are reunited years later, Chihiro's feelings of love for his stepbrother hasn't waned in the least.

I've Got My Green!!!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

College Humor Presents The Nightmare Before St. Patrick's Day.

Friggin' HILARIOUS!!!

It's too bad I cannot embed it but feel free to click the above link and watch it on Youtube.

Misc Babble + Writing Update

So I totally missed the fact that I didn't post anything yesterday. For some reason I thought I had. I think it's my sleep schedule screwing with me since my "day" starts at night and runs into the following afternoon. :P

It also occurs to me that I haven't put up a manga review in a while as well. I have quite a few manga that I can review. Matter of fact, I wouldn't mind re-reading some of them just to refresh my memory so I can write the review. *eg*

In writing news, I am doing my final read through / self-edit of Pet's Pleasure. I've been logging my progress on my FB fan page. But for those who don't follow that (why aren't you? *sniffle*) or the twitter that it automatically updates to (*sniffle sniffle* you like me right?), then I'll post here.

I am currently working on Chapter 12 (which used to be Chapter 14 -- I condensed a few things). That puts me at page 112 out of 209.

I'm jumping back in it once I put up this post. Hopefully I can finish today and get it submitted.

After I finish the read through, I'll be posting my newsletter and then working on my taxes.

GASP!

Yeah, yeah. I have to do it. Procrastinating isn't going to make it go away. It also makes the deadline that much closer. It'll take a day to organize all of my receipts and paperwork, at least. It should only take two hours (possibly three) to input the info into my tax spreadsheet, which I'll do the following day. After that, I just have to set up an appointment with the H&R Block around the corner (literally... less than a mile from my house), and I'm done.

Then it's on to the Caveat Emptor series. My muse has been waiting patiently for me to do other things. She tosses me a few tidbits that I'm keeping track of mentally. Once I jump into that series fully, I'll write it all out.

Oh! Thanks to a conversation that came up on FB, I feel obligated to tell everyone that the muse I keep mentioning in my posts is a non-corporeal entity. I've given my imagination its own identity. For all intents and purposes Sekhmet (my kitty-girl sitting on the throne on the banner of my site) is the personification of my muse. My muse is NOT an actual person. I thought I should set that record straight, just in case.

Movie Review: Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood


Premise
Valerie is loves one man but is betrothed to another. That becomes the least of her worries when the age old pact with the big bad wolf threatens the safety of all within the village.

Movie Review: Beastly

Beastly


Premise
Kyle is Mr. Good Looks and Popularity until he pisses off the school witch. Now he's cursed. He's lost the looks he used to trade in on and is replaced with a body he can't even stand to look at. He has one year to find someone to love him despite his looks or he'll be trapped that way forever.

Movie Review: Battle Los Angeles

Battle: Los Angeles



Premise
Aliens have invaded Earth. Humans are fighting back with everything they've got and then some. To wipe out the alien threat, a missile strike that will decimate an entire city is ordered. One marine unit is sent in to extract any remaining civilians before the bombs start dropping.

My Heart Goes Out...

- One of the top five strongest earthquakes since the early 1900s.

- Strongest earthquake to hit Japan in about 140 years.

My heart goes out to Japan, a country whose culture, people, and creations I love dearly.

It's That Time Again...

I've got the spring cleaning bug. But it's not the same as the usual spring cleaning bug. While my house does need some major TLC, I'm more thinking of my website.

My account with Website Tonight is almost up. Back when I renewed it two years ago, I said I wouldn't renew it again simply because WT is too limiting. There are a ton of things I can't do since it won't allow me to upload php and javascript files.

Sooooo... I'm going to normal hosting and building the site from scratch. I'll probably use a WP template to keep things organized but that's my plan. As well, with normal hosting, I can finally use my Zen-Ren domain as more than a redirect. Thus Zen-Ren will have a site of her own. (Note: Yes, I refer to my alter ego in the third person.)

You might wonder why I don't simply use the free version of WP. Simple, theme options. When using a hosted version of WP, I can use whatever theme I want and augment it to fit my needs. The free version hosted on the WP server doesn't allow for that.

I want complete control of my site and the way it appears.

This is my after-taxes project. No, I haven't done my taxes yet. If you saw how many receipts I had to wade through, you'd be procrastinating too. I'll get to it. I just want to finish some stuff first. :P

After July, I should be unveiling my new site. :D

Congrats to Gayle Wilson Finalists

Even though I didn't final, I'm still sending congrats to those who did.

2011 Gayle Wilson

Award of Excellence

FINALISTS

Contemporary
BLISS by Opal Carew
SHUT UP AND KISS ME by Christie Craig
LOVE, UNEXPECTEDLY by Susan Fox
TRAUMA ALERT by Radclyffe
ABOUT A BABY by Ann Yost

Romantic Suspense
MELTDOWN by Gail Barrett
SLEEP NO MORE by Susan Crandall
ONE TOUGH MARINE by Paula Graves
BODY HEAT by Brenda Novak
COLD SIGHT by Leslie Parrish

Inspirational
COWBOY FOR KEEPS by Debra Clopton
A HOPE UNDAUNTED by Julie Lessman
THE PERFECT BLEND by Trish Perry
ALMOST FOREVER by Deborah Raney
MOUNTAIN PERIL by Sandra Robbins
SHADES OF MORNING by Marlo Schalesky

FF&P
DANE, THE LORDS OF SATYR by Elizabeth Amber
WICKED HIGHLANDER by Donna Grant
A HIGHLANDER'S DESTINY by Melissa Mayhue
A HIGHLANDER'S HOMECOMING by Melissa Mayhue
MOONLIGHT BLEU by Renee Rearden

Historical
MOST EAGERLY YOURS by Allison Chase
MONTANA DAWN by Caroline Fyffe
SEX AND THE SINGLE EARL by Vanessa Kelly
THE DANGEROUS VISCOUNT by Miranda Neville
DEFIANT by Jessica Trapp

Novella
"CHASING THE TRUTH" in WHAT HE DIDN'T SAY by Carol Stephenson
HEARTS CROSSING by Marianne Evans
"THE HEART'S HARBOR" in A DOOR COUNTY CHRISTMAS by Cynthia Ruchti
"SAVING BRIE" in TWICE THE TEMPTATION by Cara Summers
"TATTOOS AND MISTLETOE" in THE NAUGHTY LIST by Susan Fox

Young Adult
Canceled this year.

Learn more about the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence.

St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt

Several authors (including myself) have gotten together to do a scavenger hunt in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

For your chance to win, stop by Corinne Davies website for full details. Contest ends 17 March at 11:59 PM.

Lots of prizes available:

Mechele Armstrong - A green candle set
Drea Becraft - A surprise of Irish goodies
Savannah Chase - An electronic copy of her novel Pleasure After The Pain
Kris Cook - An electronic copy of Perfection
Corinne Davies - A one of a kind pendant made by Shameless Fashion
Stacey Espino - A $10 gift certificate to either Siren or Evernight Publishing
Erin M. Leaf - An electronic copy and autographed print copy of Appassionato
Aubrey Leatherwood - An electronic copy of her novel Model Lover
Chloe Lang - A $10 Strandbucks gift certificate
Missy Martine - An electronic version of any book on her site, along with a printed t-shirt, hat, cloth tote bag and some swag (pens, magnets, etc.)
Sophie Oak - Autographed copies of Two to Love and Three to Ride & $25.00 Strandbucks gift certificate
Heather Rainier - $25.00 gift card for Hips and Curves
Zenobia Renquist - 2 copies of Harley on the Rocks (**2 winners**)
Jenika Snow - Reader's choice, an electronic copy of any of her books
Regan Taylor - A shamrock necklace
Kiera West - A $10 Strandbucks gift certificate

Slight Delay

I didn't allow for certain things last week, like exhaustion after pulling a two night stint at my part time job (sporadic thing I do for some mad money) as well as spending the weekend in PA for the Alternative Living Expo signing, so it looks like I have to postpone my edit/tweak session of Pet's Pleasure for a few more days while I finish reading two books for the RITAs. I shouldn't have procrastinated as long as I did, but it's no big deal. Scores are due on the 9th, today is the 7th, and I can read a book a day.

I did do my edits for Chamomile Nights and turned in the cover art request, so I'm all good there. After I finish my edit/tweak session of Pet's Pleasure and get that submitted, I'll be jumping into the Caveat Emptor series. Once that is complete and turned in to my editor, I'll go back to Yolette and finish that. What will come after Yolette is all dependent on my muse and my mood.

The odds are in favor of Contractually Bound Love, since I know a lot of my readers are waiting for it. Then again, I've been working on a lot of Zen-Ren titles in the last few months. I should probably work on the sequel to Serenity (again, lots of readers waiting on it) and one other DRB book before I jump into another Zen-Ren title.

Eh, we'll see. So long as I'm finishing books, I'm not picky.

Follow-Up: Alternative Living Expo

I'm back home after the weekend spent in PA. Flash and I stayed at PJ Schynder's house with her lovely dogs Chelsea (shelty), Kaiser (german shepherd), and Mozart (wolf mix with odd eyes). Fun time for all though I'm sure poor Mozart was happy to have us out of the house. Poor baby was stressing himself out with so many females in the same room. I'm sure any guys reading this can sympathize. :P

The expo was underwhelming at best. I was expecting a different type of crowd. Hell, I was expecting a crowd. I don't know how Sunday turned out since we were only there on Saturday, but Saturday was pretty quiet.

Most of us were able to leave the booth and go wander for long periods of time without fear of missing anything. I went in search of a mermaid-style pin stripe skirt and came back with a red paneled waist cincher. After the guy put it on me, I had to have it.

That and some ear cuffs were the only things I bought. The ear cuffs are gorgeous. I love them. This is the first time I've worn anything resembling earrings in a loooooong time. I have holes but the middles are closed. Even if I open them back up, I can't leave anything in for long before I start itching and damn near ripping off my ear lobes to get rid of the earrings. Not a pretty sight. Clip-ons hurt after an hour.

The best part of the trip was simply hanging out with PJ and her dogs. They are all such interesting personalities. It's no wonder I want to make shifter characters out of them. And her cat is amazingly soft. I've never felt a cat that soft before.

Very fun weekend. We handed out lots of promo.

Book Signing Saturday

Stephanie Burke and I are heading to PA this afternoon to hang out with PJ Schnyder and her wonderful alpha dogs -- Kaiser and Mozart. Kaiser is such an inspiration. I can't wait to meet Mozart.

Saturday we three will be doing a book signing at the Alternative Living Expo from 10AM until 5PM along with authors Stella Price, Kayleigh Jamison, and Judi Fennell. If you're in the Oaks, PA (or near it) area, stop by Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and say hi.

I'll be signing copies of Eris and giving out promo. Hope to see you there.

Movie Review: Drive Angry

Drive Angry


Basic Premise
Milton is a man on a mission. His daughter has been brutally murdered and his granddaughter was kidnapped by devil worshipers intent on sacrificing her to usher in the coming of the new era of darkness. That era has to get past Milton first.

Love Ghibli

I love Studio Ghibli. Just watching this trailer makes me want to pull out the movie and watch it again (with subtitles, of course).



Spirited Away is one of my all time favorites. Number One is Nausicaa of the Valley Wind. This is second and third is Howl's Moving Castle. I recommend them all.

Need Votes!!

Harley on the Rocks needs votes!!

Stop by D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters and cast your vote for best cover, best first chapter, best first line, and best last line.

Or you can click here and vote: http://polldaddy.com/s/CFCBC5141734BAB1

There's a lot of great competition, but I would really love to win best cover simply because Bryan did an AMAZING job.