Michele let me know that she tried to post, but a big butt-ugly (my words, not hers) antispam program wouldn’t let her. I haven’t a clue how to solve this problem. My webmistress won’t be back until May 15, so I can’t ask her. I’ll try to contact a human who knows what to do. I’m sure that all the problems I’m having are easily solved, but I’m just not into technology. Again I’ll put out the call, if anyone has Wordpress give a shout.

If anyone is just hanging tomorrow night (Monday), I’ll be chatting with other Leisure/Love Spell writers at writerspace.com (9:00pm ET). Drop in and say hi.

Take care,
Nina

What do you write when you’re tired but determined to keep up with your blog? Probably nonsense.

I’m really struggling with WICKED FANTASIES. The beginning isn’t working for me, and I don’t have a clear picture of where I’ll be going with the plot. Thank heavens I have critique partners to brainstorm with. I’m thinking of leaving Ganymede out of this book. I don’t want to bog readers down with too many characters. Well, we’ll see.

It’s rolling into summer down here near Galveston. I’d love to have a second home somewhere in the mountains. I’d move there during June, July, August, and probably September. I’d also want to spend one month during the winter there to get my snow fix. Guess it isn’t going to happen unless I write a blockbuster. Any ideas for a blockbuster out there?

I’ve been watching DOCTOR WHO every Friday on the SciFi channel. What a great show. My only problem is trying to understand what everyone’s saying with their English accents. I love time travels, and I keep thinking about writing another one.

That’s about it. You could call this my token entry. I really have to come with something more coherent than my ramblings. Maybe I’ll visit other blogs to get some ideas.

Take care,
Nina

I had to race Sparkle to the computer. She wanted to share a new way to enhance everyone’s sensuality. You didn’t want to hear about that, did you? Didn’t think so.

Hmm, now that I’m here I don’t know what to talk about. I’m setting my next Dorchester book, ONE BITE STAND, in Houston instead of the Woo Woo Inn. I think I need a change of scenery. Besides, Sparkle will love the big city. So many more potential victims.

I’m looking forward to next year. Both the Romantic Times and Romance Writers of America conferences will be in Texas. I’ve never gone to both in one year, but I can’t pass either one up when they’ll be so close. So anyone who’ll be going next year give me a shout.

My cat, Abby, is calming down as she matures (thank you, Lord). Next year I’m planning to tear up the carpet and put in wood laminate. She’ll be so sad. She does love to claw the carpet. Abby has the run of most of the condo, but I still won’t let her in my office. Those chewed phone lines remain fresh in my mind. If I ever get the room organized and find a way to protect the cords, I’ll let her in.

I don’t go to many movies, but I’m really looking forward to THE DA VINCI CODE. I can read about blood and gore, but I’m not much into watching it in living color. From what I remember of the book, I’ll be covering my eyes quite a bit.

Anyone been reading any good books they’d like to talk about? I’m open to a discussion. I’m looking forward to Janet Evanovich’s next Stephanie Plum book. It should be out in June. Isn’t that when she usually releases them? I notice that the next Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark Hunter book, DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, is coming out in hardback. Bummer. I won’t have the patience to wait until it comes out in paperback, but I don’t have much room to store hardbacks. It seems that so many of my favorites are being released in hardback now and they’re keepers. I need to have a whole wall of bookshelves built.

Okay, I’ve rambled on long enough tonight. Sparkle has given up and gone out for the night. Whew! Maybe I’ll come up with something really interesting to talk about in the next few nights

Take care,
Nina

I have to save my blog. A few more nights of Sparkle and Ganymede would bring down my whole site.

I just wanted to give a shout out to all the people who took the time (during American Idol, no less) to attend my chat tonight. I don’t type too fast, so I didn’t get in as much chatting as I would’ve liked, but I did have a great time.

I really apologize for dropping the ball with the blog. I’ll try to do better. My incentive? Every night that I don’t blog, Sparkle, Ganymede, or heaven knows who will do it for me (shudder).

I’ve been getting in some good reading. I’m really enjoying J. R. Ward’s and Allison Brennan’s series. I’m reading Katie MacAlister’s new book right now. I picked up DEFINITELY DEAD, by Charlaine Harris yesterday. Can’t wait to read it.

Guess I’ve rambled on long enough for my first night back. Does anyone use WordPress for their blogging? I know there’s a way I can access the sidebar on my blog page, but darned if I can figure it out. If I ever do, I can fix the calendar and update the other things there.

Take care,
The real Nina Bangs

This is Ganymede, and what the hell am I doing here? Yeah, yeah, it’s really me, Ganymede, the baddest of the bad. I was sitting in front of the tube watching some idiot try to spin the fact that the Houston Texans didn’t pick Reggie Bush or Vince Young in the draft as a good thing. And I was working my way through this big bowl of ice cream. I was in my zone, and life was good. Then Sparkle rushed into the room, stole the remote, and changed the station so she could watch American Idol. She has a thing for that Chris guy. I hate him. When I get done here, I think I’ll phone in a thousand votes for all his competition so they can vote his ass off tomorrow. What’s he have that I don’t have more of? Then she told me to do tonight’s blog because she was busy. What do I know about all this blogging crap? Sparkle said to just talk about anything and make sure I didn’t insult anyone. Where’s the fun in that?

I could tell you about me. No, there’s not enough space here for that. I’d have to tell you that I’m one of the oldest and most powerful cosmic troublemakers in the universe. I could give you a few chuckles by telling about the time I created this black hole and sucked in… Hey, that’s a thought. Maybe I’ll create a small inconspicuous black hole to suck Chris right up. See, that makes me feel better just thinking about it. Anyway, I show up in most of Nina’s books to mess with the lives of her characters. Then, just for kicks, I save everyone at the end. What? Sparkle said she’s the one that saves everyone. Who you gonna believe, a cosmic troublemaker who’s definitely going to rule the universe one day or a babe who thinks job satisfaction is hooking up people who hate each other? It’s a no brainer.

I think Sparkle said something about reminding everyone to come to Nina’s chat tomorrow night at Writerspace. It’s at 9:00pm ET. Be there. If no one shows up, she’ll get me to chat with her. And I hate chatting as much as I hate blogging.

Guess I’ve filled up enough space. Gotta get on the phone and send Chris home. Think I’d look sexy with my head shaved?

Sparkle better get Nina back to doing her own blog, because I’m not doing this again.

See ya,
Ganymede

Hi there, all you abandoned visitors. Sparkle Stardust here. Nina Bangs should be ashamed of herself for leaving all this totally awesome space empty. I mean, I could write for hours and never come up for air. Nina’s been laying these really weak excuses on me for why she’s not blogging–she’s busy writing WICKED FANTASIES, she has to clean out her closets, and she has other “stuff” to do. Yeah, like I believe that. What she means is that she’s a fraidy-cat. Not that a cat is a bad thing to be… Oops, drifting off topic. Anyway, the sad truth is that she has a new blog that’s a little more complicated than the last one, and she hasn’t a clue what to do with it. Now, that’s not me. I’ll just jump right in and start blogging while Nina’s trying to read all the instructions. Hey, who cares if I make a few mistakes? Not me. So I’ll show up each night and we can chat about things like sex, shoes, sex, nail colors, and did I mention sex? If that doesn’t bring her racing to her blog, I don’t know what will. Of course, she’s lost all her visitors, so I’ll have to win them back. Sigh. The things I have to do to keep Nina on track.

Later,
Sparkle

Thanks Michele, Megan, Ferfe LaBat, and Gabby for your great input on digital cameras and point of view.

After exhaustive research online, in magazines, and from the personal experiences of many many people, I went to my local Wolf Camera store and bought a totally different camera from any of the ones I’d been considering. Chalk one up for a great salesman. Is everyone ready? Drumroll please. I bought a Canon SD400. I was completely confused by the time I hit the store’s door. It seemed that no two reviewers could agree about which was the best camera in the three to four hundred dollar range. I like consensus before I spend my money, and some of the horror stories I read on photo bulletin boards gave me chills. I knew I had to eventually make a decision, so when the salesman brought out the SD400, I bought it. I’m glad that I did. It was less than three hundred dollars, but by the time I bought an SD card and all the other little extras, it took the cost up close to four hundred. The other cameras that a lot of reviewers seemed to like were the newest kids on the block (like the Canon A620), but after adding on the extra costs, they would’ve taken me into the five hundred dollar range. Somewhere I didn’t want to go right now. Yes, I get free lessons with this baby, and heaven knows I need them. The camera is like a computer, and I’m not too great with the technical stuff.

Hey, guys, remember the consensus thing? I didn’t get that with my point of view question either. Sheesh! I’m still undecided about whether to try first person. If I ever do, I’ll make sure that one of my series is still in third person. Anyway, all of my 2006 books will be in third person. The one truly memorable first person POV romance that I remember is Outlander. I fell in love with Jamie even though I never got into his head.

Megan, I took your advice and bought some catnip spray and a catnip plant (plant is growing in my computer room, a cat-free zone for the moment). When the plant is mature enough, I’ll put it out for Abby to go crazy over. I bought a bigger scratching post and sprayed it with the catnip spray. She really loves the new post. Then I sprayed a commercial product on the area of my couch that had become a war zone. The manufacturer guarantees that it will stop the scratching, and so far it seems to be working pretty well. No cords have been chewed lately either. Life is good! By the way, you know that as soon as I take a good picture of Abby, I’ll put it up on the site.

Oh, and have faith. My site updates will be done very soon, and I’ll have a January contest up. I’m trying to think of a really great contest to run for my back-to-back books in May and June. Last year it was a big money prize. What do you think? Do readers want the money or something more meaningful (Although money is pretty meaningful to me)? Suggestions welcome.

Not looking forward to speed reading your way through the same tired plot, the same predictable characters?

Welcome to a different kind of writing and a far weirder reality. Take the road no one else traveled and do lunch with the people who paved it.

It?s a romance?for the lunatic fringe.

Tara Cole is a computer geek who drops off the grid to live in the Florida Keys. After ten years taking hit after hit in the digital world, it?s hard to cut all the baggage loose. She carries some of that baggage in the form of a website she runs called Revenge-Gifts.com. One of the gifts she sells comes back to haunt her in the form of a Reversal of Fortune curse a voodoo priestess puts on Tara for revenge. Only, if you haven?t had sex in ten years and your life pretty much sucks already, how bad can a Reversal of Fortune curse really be?

For your Christmas Revenge Shopping visit http://www.revenge-gifts.com/Revenge%20Gifts/index.htm

Excerpt:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0765352257/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-1562852-4871063#reader-link

Cover:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0765352257/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-1562852-4871063#reader-link

ABOUT Cindy Cruciger
Cindy Cruciger was born on a full moon night in Okeechobee, Florida. A few days later, the doctor who delivered her disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle. Weird? Yes. But, she’s used to it. She graduated from USF and UCF with a degree in computer engineering and is an alumna of the Delta Eta chapter of Kappa Delta sorority. She got married, got a job, had a few kids and ended up in Puerto Rico for five years. There amongst the Chupacabra sightings, Santeria rituals, and all the usual island-life madness, on a full moon night at the height of the summer heat, no air-conditioning, fans blowing so hard the cats were skittering over the terrazzo floor trying to get some traction and failing, the scent of night blooming Jasmine so thick in the air that you could wring it out of the curtains — she started writing. Her first work of fiction won an RT Book Club contest and for three years she has been chronicling the strange world of an aspiring author, trying to get published. Her Path to Publishing column appears monthly in RT Book Club Magazine. She is a computer engineer for the Miami Herald and freelances for the Keynoter — a bi-weekly tabloid that chronicles everything and anything that happens in the hundred plus miles of the Florida Keys.

She currently lives in the village of Islamorada in the Florida Keys — until her neighbors read her book and kick her off the island.

REVIEWS
?Four and a half stars TOP PICK Flat-out fabulous, this novel is one-of-a-kind. Cruciger?s original, funny voice is cool and wise?? ?RTBOOK Club Magazine

?Cindy Cruciger?s debut novel is riotously funny and wickedly witty.? ? Romance Junkies
?I kept hiding behind the boxes to keep reading it - this book seriously hooks you so bad you?ll have a rictus curl in the side of your face.? ? Smart Bitches Trashy Books

Website: http://www.CindyCruciger.com

MY COMMENTS: The term “fresh voice” is tossed around a lot in the publishing industry, but Cindy lives up to the hype. She combines great storytelling with a caustic sense of humor that kept me turning the pages. And what a great concept! If you haven’t read this book, do it. Now. That’s an order.

Thanks, everyone, for your kind words about my books. I finally finished A TASTE OF DARKNESS, and now I’m working on my novella for the July anthology, SURF’S UP, with MaryJanice Davidson and Janelle Denison. It’s tentatively titled, “Hot Summer Bites.” And no, it’s not about two mosquitoes who fall in love.

Michele, I loved your catnip story. And thanks Megan and Gabby for your suggestions on how to keep Abby from clawing everything. Believe me, I’ll try them all. Do they have a commercial catnip spray? Please tell me she’ll mature and grow out of this phase.

Robin, I finally finished my week of jury duty. They chose me to sit on a jury that heard a very ugly case. I won’t talk about it, but I definitely never want to do that again. And as for calling some kick-butt heroines “abrasive,” that was the perfect word to describe them.

I don’t know if I mentioned this already (I’m too lazy to check), but I’m treating myself to a digital camera for Christmas. I bought a magazine that gave info on all the cameras out there, and now I’m more confused than ever. I need something that takes good pictures but isn’t too hard to operate. I want it to be small enough to carry around in my purse. I want to get it now so that I’ll know how to use it next year when I go to Ireland.

What do you guys think about writing in first person? Some of my favorite authors do it (Janet Evanovich, MaryJanice Davidson, Charlaine Harris, etc.). And now, two of the members of my critique group have sold vampire series written in first person (Kimberly Raye and Gerry Barlett). I’ve thought about trying it, but I don’t know if I want to take the chance when readers have gotten used to me writing in third person. Hmm, just a thought.

Hey, Michele, I always enjoy your posts. Abby is hardheaded. It doesn’t matter how many times I squirt her for clawing a certain piece of furniture, she always goes back to the same spot. I think it’s become a game for her.

I had jury duty today, and I have to go back tomorrow. I’ll have to hit the sack earlier than normal for me. So this will be a short rant.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m in favor of kick-butt heroines. But sometimes the heroine is so tough that I don’t like her anymore. I want my heroines to be smart and able to take care of themselves, but I don’t necessarily want them to leap tall buildings at a single bound while emasculating every male in sight. In a few books I’ve read, the heroine has been a complete witch to the hero, and he takes it while letting us know how much he loves her. Why? I couldn’t imagine any man wanting to be around this woman. Okay, rant finished. That said, I have to admit that I wish I could spot my own blunders more easily. It’s hard to distance yourself from your own work.