The Dynamic Trio - Blog

So last night I’m upstairs working on edits and my husband is putting the wee monster to sleep when I hear the alarm on the front door go off and then nothing. I rush down and the door is standing wide open and he’s nowhere in sight. I step outside and he’s not out there. I don’t see wee monster and I call my dude’s name and nothing. It’s really, and I mean like 20 degrees really, cold and I hear a noise as he comes jogging back holding the crushed remains of two of the kids’ pumpkins.

Turns out some little dipshits who need an ass kicking strolled up to our porch and walked away with two pumpkins. But my husband heard them and put a sleeping M down and ran after him. They dropped the pumpkins and ran their little asses off. My husband was worried that he’d left the door open and broke off after three blocks and came home.

Seriously? Who steals a pumpkin from a 2 year old? It’s too late to carve another, even if the pumpkin patch wasn’t picked clean so we’re all sharing our pumpkins but there’s a bit of sadness over it.

Still, we’ve got two darth vaders and a ladybug fairy and a whole bunch of candy so we’ll have a good time anyway. It’s freezing though! I’ll have to bundle the boys up under their costumes because, “moooom! If I wear a coat, no one will see my costume.” Eye roll.

I finished up second round edits on Sword and Crown last night and some last bit comma and clarification stuff on Taking Chase so I’m back to Threat of Darkness tonight, yay!

Speaking of Threat of Darkness, I’ve put up a very sneaky peek of it, Wolf Unbound and Sword and Crown at my messageboard. If you’re not a member, why not?

Another early review of Tri Mates! Holly at Two Lips Reviews gives Tri Mates 4 1/2 lips and says in part: Tri Mates is another wonderful book in the Cascadia Wolves series by Lauren Dane. The intrigue gives these books a whole new dimension. There were so many twists and turns in the plot that I never knew what was coming next. Nick is such a charming playboy that you can’t help but love. Gabe is a much quieter Alpha male, yet he is intriguing in ways Nick is not. Tracy is just a kick butt woman who loves to let her men have control in bed, but only in bed. She is funny, loyal, loving and forgiving. They make a fascinating set and you’re left wanting more of their story. I literally can’t decide if the next in the series should continue their story or move on to the next couple. Of course, I’m waiting impatiently for Cade’s story who is Alpha of Cascadia pack…. Lauren Dane is on my auto buy list and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thanks, Holly!!

And one last bit - tomorrow on the Samhain Cafe loop we’re throwing a big first birthday bash. There’ll be all sorts of authors and excerpts and prizes so come on over to say hello!

My man and I love to watch movies and buy lots of DVDs for the nights when there isn’t much on TV (which is often, despite the large number of channels available!)

Here are three movies we’ve enjoyed recently:

KEEPING MUM
starring Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze.

Walter Goodfellow (Rowan Atkinson) is the vicar of Little Wallop. He’s become obsessed with his job and isn’t paying his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) much attention. Their two kids are having problems - the daughter is sex-crazed and the son is being bullied. Enter the American golf coach (Patrick Swayze) and Grace (Maggie Smith) the housekeeper.

This is a black comedy and starts off in the past. A beautiful young woman chops up her husband and his lover and puts them in a huge chest. When the chest leaks blood on the train she is caught and put in jail. Years later she gets out of jail and goes off to Little Wallop as a housekeeper. You see where this is leading, right?

I never thought I’d laugh at murder, but I watched this movie alternatively fascinated and horrified. My man lent it to his boss and another couple at his work and both couples loved the movie as much as us. Recommended!

KINKY BOOTS

An ailing shoe company that makes conservative men’s shoes saves itself from bankruptcy by entering a niche market and making shoes and boots for transvestites.

I didn’t know any of the actors in this movie but it’s a real feel good movie with an ending that makes you go “ah”. It’s also based on a true story. The man and I loved this movie and will happily watch it again very soon.

CARS

We also purchased the cartoon movie Cars. This one was for my man. He wanted to watch this so I humored him. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. As usual my man went to sleep before the movie ended (which is why we tend to buy DVDs instead of going to the movies!) but I watched it all the way through and laughed a lot.

Do you like movies? What was the last one you saw? Do you prefer comedy, drama, thrillers or something else? Do you have a personal favorite that you like to watch again and again?

And the winner of my Wild Child download is:

Jen

Congrats, Jen! Email me at shelley munro @ gmail.com and I’ll send you your prize.
Watch this space for further contests…

This is an EASY shrimp dish served over rice. I make mine with bacon, but if you’re a vegetarian that eats seafood, this’ll work for you. YUM!!

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
4 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped plum tomatoes
(or you can use canned tomatoes if you’re lazy like me)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Salt, cayenne and Old Bay Seasoning (just a dash or so to taste)
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (don’t use cooked shrimp)
2 tablespoons flour mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
6 cups cooked white rice
1/2 cup chopped green onions

In a large saute pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne. Stir in the peppers and celery. Saute for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables start to wilt. Stir in the tomatoes and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and cayenne.
Stir in the water and bay leaves. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the shrimp and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour mixture and simmer for 2 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken. Stir in the green onions. Check the seasoning (you may need a little bit more).

To assemble, mound the rice in the center of each plate or bowl. Spoon the Shrimp Creole over the rice. Garnish with green onions.

DONE!

Sweet Potato Pie coming next time… I think we’ll make Oded Fehr bake one while ‘entertaining’ once our new raunchy page is ready for the continuation of Red Tigress’ Rough Rider! Yeehaaw!

The winner of an ARC of Cascadia Wolves Tri Mates is… Estella!

Estella, email me and let me know your format preference and I’ll get it your way!

Congratulations and keep an eye out for another contest soon.

It’s true…

I seem to be missing out on this thing called Halloween. NJ Walters is blogging about pumpkins. Shelli Stevens is blogging about costumes. Over at the Romance Divas forum they’ve touched on trick and treating. And over on the Triskelion loops they’re playing with ghosties and goulies and the like (or they will be very soon!).

I’m a little envious! I need you to tell me what you do for halloween. What are your family traditions? I need to know so I can pretend to have my own halloween right here in New Zealand.

I’m so desperate to know I’m offering a bribe.
Anyone who comments on this post or on any of the posts before Monday will go into the draw to win a download of my contemporary story Wild Child.

And if like me, you don’t celebrate halloween tell me about your favorite celebration or a family tradition and you’re in the draw. I love to celebrate and will announce the winner in my next post, which is on Monday.

PS - Have you entered the Kiwi Triple Treat contest over on my website? If not, go and do it now since the last day for entries is 31 October!

Yes, it’s time to talk about…food! Can you tell it’s one of my favorite subjects. That’s why my backside is always at the gym (well, in between work, writing and homeschooling, that is).

It’s snowing like nobody’s business here - wet sloppy mess. But the beautiful (but frickin’ cold) white stuff, along with the gold and red leaves (that my son hates to rake up) brings to mind that Fall is in full swing. That means Thanksgiving is coming up pretty quick. I’m having a new page prepared where we can continue (in true raunchy style) our story of Red Tigress’ Rough Rider. Until it’s ready I’d like to share some of the yummy dishes we’ve enjoyed over the years during the holidays.

My favorite is Turducken. Now this is my ex’s specialty. Even after we ‘disbanded’ I’ve managed to get him to cook this dish and drop it off every holiday for the past couple of years! Yes, girlfriend, it’s THAT good!

So, what’s Turducken? It’s a chicken, stuffed inside of a duck, stuffed inside of a turkey. Each layer of meat has a different filling. The chicken has oyster stuffing in it. The duck has andouille sausage stuffing (not my favorite, but it works for this dish), and the turkey has traditional sage cornbread stuffing.

AND THERE’S NO BONES! All three birds are completely deboned, except for the turkey legs and wings. So when it’s all put together, it just looks like a huge turkey. But when you slice it, you see all the layers. And with no bones, it’s a snap to serve.

Next time, I’m going to tell you, step by step, how to make Shrimp Creole or Sweet Potato Pie. So, what are you having for your Thanksgiving or Harvest celebration?

I got a 4 1/2 Star Review for Enforcer from Romantic Times magazine! Gail says in part: “The first book in the Cascadia Wolves series starts out with a bang, and the action never lets up. An intricate world of werewolf tradition and pack hierarchy sets the scene for the well-developed characters. The very steamy sexual scenes, including a threesome, are well done and integral to the story.”

You can read an excerpt of Enforcer at my website through the link above!

The first review for the next Cascadia Wolves book, Tri Mates is in and it’s a Recommended Read from Joyfully Reviewed! I’m really thrilled with it.

Here’s what Melissa had to say: *WARNING* Do not sit down to read this book without a fan and cold drink. With Tri Mates, Lauren Dane delivers an erotically charged romance that is packed with action. Tracy, Nick and Gabe are perfect together and with the appearance of favorite characters from the other books in the Cascadia Wolves series, Tri Mates was a book that I was truly sad to flip the last page. Tri Mates proves that no matter if it is contemporary romance or paranormal romance, Ms. Dane is an author whose books should be on every romance lover’s auto-buy list!

Thank you so much Melissa and Joyfully Reviewed!

It’s that day again over at my messageboard. I’ve put up a few excerpts this morning.

It’s a pretty day, rain squalls early and now the sun is out and it’s windy. It’s release day at Samhain. There’s a little bit of all kinds over there today with some really excellent authors.

I’m going to be over at Novelspotters today at 1 pm pacific/4 eastern so come by and say hello. I’ll be posting an excerpt or two from Taking Chase, which releases in less than a month now!

AAR is having a poll right now for favorite mainstream sexy titles, erotic romance and ebooks. Apparently she’s not getting enough of the ebook answers so hey - go vote if you’re so inclined. There are a lot of really great ebooks out there to vote for.

Danielle Steel apparently has her own perfume coming out. Sigh. Smart Bitches has a post about it. Go read.

There are several interesting entries all over the blogsphere about author websites.

Here’s what I like - If I can find what I’m looking for! It’s simple but overlooked a lot. I like a website that isn’t cluttered but has a sense of the author’s voice. Jenny Crusie , Alison Kent , Sasha White does this even though she has the dreaded white text on black but her site is not blinding but readable, sexy and sassy much like she is.

Another thing these sites have in common? You can find things! I can find backlists, coming soon titles and other little bits of interest. I love that. They’re also updated regularly.

Don’t make me click around for fifteen minutes trying to find your available titles, please. Don’t make me wander around looking for contact info. Just spend the 8 dollars to get your own domain and another 15 to get a simple website rather than the free sites that have urls that are 48 characters long and don’t contain your name until after three backslashes. If I can’t find you easily, chances are I won’t bother. Make it easy for me to find you. Your website doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars to be effective and pop up ads in the middle of your page make me cranky (along with blog ads, but that’s another entry). There are some amazing web designers out there (Croco Designs is my personal favorite but there are others) who won’t charge an arm and a leg for a really pretty and well designed site.

I’m picky about websites. Don’t play music unless you’re a band or unless I can turn it on instead of having to turn it off. Don’t offer sparkles and other annoying cursor effects, it’s too hard to navigate (and I know of one big name author who does this with a fairy that spews sparkles for a cursor and it drives me nuts). Please if you’re going to have that blinding black with white text, make the text big enough to read in a font that’s easily read (see Sasha White’s website for a perfect example of how to do it right). Some intricate gothic font in 8 point text with a blinding white on a black background makes me squint and then makes me find another site to read.

The point is to help the reader find your books and buy them. If they’re unfamiliar with you, give them a sense of who you are. I know a lot of folks are busy and think they don’t need to bother with a website or even to update the darned thing at least once every month or so. But frankly, readers are savvy, they want to know what’s going on.

What are your favorite websites?

Taken from the movie TO HAVE AND TO HAVE NOT (1944) starring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart are the famous words:

You know how to whistle don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and…blow.

I learnt to whistle when I was about ten or so. After much practicing a noise came from between my pursed lips. Sometimes it was good. Sometimes it was great. And sometimes it was just plain embarrassing. I’m ashamed to admit that my whistling expertise hasn’t improved with age. A case in point - yesterday. The dog was doing her own little thing and not hurrying when I wanted her to hurry. I whistled and this rush of air sounded. It was pitiful! The dog kept right on exploring. I laughed, because if you don’t laugh at yourself….well, someone else will. *sigh* I complained to my husband about my lack of skill when it came to whistling. He, of course, can whistle up a storm. He just laughed at me. I think he appreciates me for things other than my whistling skills *grin*

Picture this: a building site. A female (that would be me). A hunky builder wearing shorts and his boots but not much else. Yep, a female (that would be me) naturally has an inclination to whistle. But the whistle? Well, it could be a great one, or I might need to slink around the corner and hide. Would you risk it? I’m telling you - whistling is a very important skill in a girl’s flirting repertoire.

So, do you know how to whistle? What happens when you put your lips together and blow?