The Dynamic Trio - Blog

I’m in a weird mood. Tired. But energized. I have a bit of a headache, but still am tempted to go run around in the (yet again) almost 100-degree weather. I have the urge to do a bunch of housework…but don’t want to do any. I’m just all mixed up! But not…LOL!

Oh, and Hatsept Heat is available for the Kindle! I’m so stoked! Also, the first two Vampire Council of Ethics books just appeared there. And they have this neat little ‘Free Sample’ thing where you can check out the book before you buy it. Now is that cool or what?

And now I’m hungry, but not sure what I want to eat, so I think this ‘What Food Are You’ quiz is perfect. I’m Sushi!

You Are Japanese Food

Strange yet delicious. Contrary to popular belief, you’re not always eaten raw.

Also, if you haven’t been to listen to the radio show I did with Mandy Roth and Michelle Pillow, be sure to check it out. And if course I mentioned my girls, SHELLEY and LAUREN! Why? Cause they RAWK!

40,313 / 90,000 (44.8%)

OUTSHINED

I’m very happy with my progress! I hope to keep chipping away at that wordcount so the book is done by the end of August. We shall see.

In booktalk land - I read Patricia Briggs’ Cry Wolf this last week and I absolutely adored it. I think Patricia Briggs is one of the best world builders writing today and so I wasn’t surprised at all to discover just how much I loved Cry Wolf.

Some romance, some action, some suspense - all combined into a really quick, engrossing read.

Another winner from Briggs that has me excited to see what’s next for Charles and Anna. The little tidbit at the end of CW for the next Mercy book looks very good too.

And Emma Holly’s All You Can Eat now available in mass market. This was a solid 3 1/2 - 4 star read for me. Amusing, sexy, hot sex scenes. I think Personal Assets remains my favorite contemporary along with Velvet Glove and I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of Jack’s “darker” sexual side but there’s something in All You Can Eat for just about all tastes!

OK, back to work for me!

I was on the radio last night with Mandy Roth and Michelle Pillow on the Raven Vampire Radio Show last night. It was a hoot! Gia Dawn (she writes cool books for Samhain) was on, too. Get the four of us together in the same room and we just take over the world!

I did spend some time talking about the release of Hatsept Heat (which came out on Tuesday. (To purchase, Visit Samhain Publishing ), but we spent more time cracking up and being bad than anything else. Geesh, no surprise there ;D

To listen to the show, click HERE –> BlogTalk Raven Radio.

Meanwhile, I’m at work sitting in a training class. I’ve been teaching all week and asked another staff member to come in and touch on a subject that she’s an expert at. So, I’m sitting here listening to her talk to my students while I write this blog. Class is over this afternoon - I have to give the students an exam first.

And when the day is over, I’m gonna count down to FRIDAY!!!!

I’ve been getting back to the next Vampire Council of Ethics story - it’s Alaina Bixler and Shale Krulm’s tale. But I just can’t think of a name for it. So, I’m just going to forget about it for now, and get on with the story. I’ve been jumping back and forth between working on the outline and actually writing. There’s this song by India.Arie called ‘Brown Skin’ that just makes me all hot and bothered. You can bet I’ll be listening to it as I write the steamy lovin’.

O, and in case you don’t remember, Shale Krulm almost got his butt kicked by Bix in Carinian’s Seeker when he spoke to Carin out of turn. But it’s years later and now…HE’S FREAKING HOT!!!

Talk later!

And don’t forget that HATSEPT HEAT came out on Tuesday! Woo!

TJ

…and it was so danged funny I thought I’d post it here today.

In HATSEPT HEAT, Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3 (coming this Tuesday, July 29th, by the way) our heroine happens to be a culinary whiz who keeps one of our favorite vampires in dessert heaven (and that’s both in and out of bed – woohoo!). Well, it got me to thinking about some of my own culinary experiences.

As most of you know, both my daughter and I are total geniuses in the kitchen. My speciality is…actually that’s hard ‘cause I’m pretty good at cooking just about anything. My daughter’s specialty is baking and Japanese food.

But I’m still at a total loss. I’m not the Dessert Diva or anything but this is beyond believable. SOMEONE ACTUALLY SCREWED UP BANANA PUDDING! How do you possibly mess up something so wonderfully delicious and simple as banana pudding?

Yes, people, it has happened to me. I went to a potluck and one of the dishes I looked forward to after the typical spaghetti, stringbean casserole and chili (you know, typical potluck food) was, you guessed it, the banana pudding.

Basically, you just take some vanilla pudding and layer it in a casserole dish with vanilla wafers, or savory ginger snaps if you’re so inclined. Top it off with some whipped cream and toss it in the fridge to chill. Tadaaa! Banana pudding at it’s finest.

So, I can’t figure out how this particular batch tasted like burned tires on a hot summer day layered over some freshly tarred blacktop. Gack! I won’t say who made it ‘cause if she reads this blog, she’ll kill me, especially since she thinks it tasted more like melted crayons with a bit of vanilla stirred in and she’ll be upset that I used my own analogy.

Then, there was the girl’s night out I held at my house one evening. A bowl of potato salad showed up…and it tasted like steamed cabbage without the steamed bit. Now, uh, since the only ingredients in potato salad is potatoes, spices and a bit of mayo, where the heck did the cabbage thing come from since there was no cabbage in it?

So, have you ever encountered a dish that you believed was impossible to get wrong? More nosily (I just can’t help it, I’ve gotta know ;D) have you personally done a dish that you knew how to really prepare well…only to have it come out like you’d made it in someone elses kitchen with a blindfold on?

I’ve gotta have feedback on this one! And feel free to provide recipes ;D

TJ

I’m just curious how many people have tried a dating site. I know I’ve talked to at least two or three personal friends who met their husbands through Match.com. I’d love to know what the experience was like for anyone who’s tried dating this way.

I checked into eHarmony but, uh, they rejected me. Can you believe they actually said that I’m too nice and so balanced that people tend to think I’m too good to be true, so they couldn’t possibly match a person like me. Now is that ri-damned-diculous or what? LOL!

I’m actually considering a service called “It’s Just Lunch” because frankly I haven’t dated in so long I don’t even know where to go to meet a quality person, let alone find a date. Gah, I had no idea how expensive it could be to get someone to match you up to have coffee with a person! And even though I’m not looking for a husband (dinner and a movie suits me just fine, thank you) do I really want to pay to be set up? On the other hand, if I want to meet someone that I don’t mind actually being in the same room with, perhaps paying is the way to go?

What do you think? By the way, here’s some facts from the It’s Just Lunch website. Some of ‘em are interesting. Take number 6 for example. It this is true, they sure don’t seem to be in Colorado!:

1) 11: The number of single friends the average 27 year old has.

2) 76% of Men: Prefer brunettes over blondes.

3) Wednesday: The best day for a first date according to 41% of singles.

4) One Hour: The time it takes for a woman to determine whether or not she wants to see a man again.

5) 15 Minutes: The time it takes for a man to determine whether or not he wants to see a woman again.

6) 110 Million: The number of single adults in the United States.

7) 43% of Singles: Have Googled someone on the internet before their date.

You haven’t seen an issue of TJ On A Tangent in quite a while, but it’s coming on July 15th with new articles, sneak peeks into the new novel I’ve just contracted with Ellora’s Cave, news on the new Vampire Council of Ethics books coming next month, a cool summer recipe and something very catty.

Get in on the fun by subscribing. And we will never, ever give out your e-mail addy so be assured you’ll get no spamming from this quarter (grrrr, I hate spammers!)

Happy Wednesday!

TJ

Today I’m a guest over at Tracey H. Kitts’ blog, and I’m talking about leopards and Middlemarch.

Literary agent, Nathan Bransford has a good post about plotting and how to decide if your story has a plot.

Author, Joanna Bourne has a useful post, with examples, about how to avoid some of the common writing mistakes. (scroll down past the excerpt)

Agent, Lucienne Diver has a post about dos and don’ts when writing a query letter. I shook my head while reading this one. I can’t believe people actually do some of these things.

Agent, Rachelle Gardner has a post about how long is your book. These days publishers and agents consider the length of a book because of cost considerations.

And finally, here’s a fun site with some time-waster games. It’s called Addicting Games, so be warned!

Yes, summer is truly here. It’s too damned hot to cook in the house, yet we need to eat. So what are my choices - hmmm, let’s see. Cold cereal? Umm, no. Fruit salad? That sounds good, no cooking required, however, I have a growing boy at home and fruit alone ain’t gonna do it for him.

So I guess it’s time to break out the grill!

For the vegetarians in the group (I eat nothing but grains and veggies all day, and have a single serving of meat with my dinner, so I have to be creative to keep it interesting), grilling can work for you in a major way. And if you’ve never tried indirect cooking, it’s something results in a tender cut of meat that falls apart in your mouth.

So whether you’re a veggie-gal or a rib-chicken-fish diva, here’s a couple of cool recipes for both of you:

Grilled Asparagus with Green Peppercorn Vinaigrette Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay, 2007

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons green peppercorns in brine, drained
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons canola oil

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl until combined. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified and stir in the peppercorns. Let the vinaigrette sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Vinaigrette can be made up to 8 hours in advance and refrigerated.
Heat the grill to high.

Toss asparagus with the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Place grilled asparagus on a platter and drizzle the vinaigrette over the top.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grilled Yellowfin Tuna with Sweet Corn Salad, Herb Roasted Tomatoes and Eggplant Caviar Recipe
courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2007
(Note, follow the link below for the Sweet Corn Salad, Herb Roasted Tomatoes and Eggplant Caviar)

6 (5-ounce) portions yellowfin tuna
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Season each piece of the tuna with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Heat a grill to high and grill the tuna to the desired temperature. Place 1/2 cup of the Sweet Corn Salad on each of 6 plates, and place tuna on top. Garnish each portion of tuna with 2 tablespoons of the eggplant caviar and a 4 slices of the Herb Roasted Tomatoes.

Serve immediately.

Click HERE for the other recipes. Enjoy!

TJ

If you’ve read my books, such as Jaguar’s Rule, Spirit of the Pryde, Primed to Pounce or Egyptian Voyage, you know I really have a thing for large cats. I don’t mean overweight Garfield types, but lions, tigers, jaguars and the like. I was thinking about my need to schedule my family’s next camping trip to enjoy the great outdoors, and a thought came to mind - what would it be like to run up on one of my favorite animals in the middle of the night? I mean, if he wasn’t after ME, of course ;D

Ever wonder what a jaguar sounds like? Well, I’ve got an answer for you. Choose from the several selections on the player below, close your eyes and imagine yourself in the jungles of Belize in the middle of the night…

Strangely enough, the sounds didn’t scare me or make me feel afraid. But after you listen to them, tell me whether they curled your toes! Especially, sound clip number three. Whew!

Love, TJ (a/k/a Big Cat Nutball Extraordinaire)

Okay, I am officially a World of Warcraft nutball. I am totally hooked on this blasted game. It’s all my sons fault - he was always asking me to play Halo and Call of Duty and stuff like that, but they held no appeal for me. Then he started harping on me about WarCraft. Of course, I did what most moms do - I looked at him and said, ‘Not interested’ and went back to my writing. Then one day he pulled a whammy on me - “But mom, it’s something we can do together” then blinked those big brown eyes at me. So huffing and sighing I let him install it on my laptop, grumbling about manipulative children and the like.

Then we started playing together, he was on one computer and I was on mine. AND IT WAS A BLAST! Since he’d been playing longer he helped me through getting started, showing me where things were and which monsters to avoid. The Christmas rolled around and the son who was wrapped up in WarCraft moved on to the games that cam ewith his brand new Xbox 360. But good ole’ mom that I am, I kept WarCrafting.

And by the time the kid came back to the game I was ten levels ahead of him! And now…I’M TWENTY LEVELS AHEAD. Given I don’t do much but work and write, I’ve found myself surrounded by tons of other thirty- and forty-somethings who gather online to play this game and have a good time. It’s like our own little community ;D

This is one of my characters on the Bladefist server. Notice the name? Obviously, she’s got to be a genius to have a name like that! My good friend and author, Heather Holland, dropped in to see Carinian just last night. So if you’re ever online, come by and say hello!