Thinking of Queenslanders

The south-east of the lovely Aussie state of Queensland is staring at the face of disaster tonight -- massive floods. For a country that considers itself only recently emerged from drought, this is just unbelievable. Flood levels in Brisbane and surrounding areas are expected to reach AND exceed the flood levels of 1974. We're talking over 5.45 meters of water in the Brisbane CBD, I understand. Thirty-two suburbs are expected to go under. The footage on the news and web is phenomenal. And frightening.

In '74, fourteen people lost their lives. The death toll of the current flood has just reached ten, with something like eighty people are unaccounted for. The tenth death was a four-year-old boy.

And still, the rain keeps coming.

We're thinking of you, SEQ.

Romancing the Novel - SA Roadshow

Here's something very exciting I found while I was doing my routine perusal of Eleni Konstantine's blog:

May 15th is the date for the RWA's SA Roadshow - Romancing the Novel Seminar. As Eleni says, if you're in South Australia and would like to see a great line-up of authors, check out the SARA (South Australian Romance Authors) website linked above.

Guest speakers include Anna Campbell and Yvonne Lindsay, plus an excellent array of local romance authors.

As I said, exciting! :)

REVIEW: "Aequitas I: Betrayal" by acMason, Lyrical Press 2009 and where the hell have I been?

You might ask of me. I've been limiting my computer time, or spending it more wisely (or not).
It's going oookay...

WORKING ON: Desire Deep Blue, paranormal short.
READING: The Devil Wears Prada, on audio, ever. so. slowly. Just finished AEQUITAS I: Betrayal, by ac Mason. See below for the REVIEW.
FEELING: Torched, man. I worked yesterday (I know, most of you work EVERY day! Well, I'm crap at that...)
LAST SONG: Don't know what it's called - The Letter, mebbe? Hoobastank and Amorosi.
WALK COUNT: Last week was great, this week is um..., 1 of 4. Um. EDIT: Caught up quick, now 4/4. Yay me...



I read ac Mason's, AEQUITAS I: Betrayal. I won this, and promised I'd review it. It is planned as part of a trilogy, and currently Mason is working on part 2 - Punishment.

Here's Mason on Mason:
Facts about me Born: Dec 15 Where: New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Canada About me: I can’t live without hats, boots and coats.
At the age of nine, a.c.Mason made up a zombie story at summer camp. It scared the other kids so much that the camp counselor called her parents asking them to ensure she never did such a dreadful thing again. From this, she learned the power of storytelling, and the seed of the author was planted.
A youth filled with dichotomies and moving from place to place produced a young French brown woman with a curiosity to explore through writing the seedy side of our nature and desires. Add to that her fascination with theology, horror, and erotica and her love for politics and history and her unique voice surfaced.
She wrote off and on since her early teens as a hobby and for friends. Her work has always converged with other worldly ideas and creatures; ghosts, vampires, witches, warlocks and mystics of all kinds. She enjoys delving into the realms of the unknown and blurring the caution lines.
a.c.Mason is fluent in French and English. She’s an avid traveler, including most of Canada, both of the United States seaboards, England and Europe. Her studies were in the computer field. She advocates the preservation of our natural and cultural riches for future generations.
Take a journey with her characters and come face to face with what lays beneath their illusions. Emerge…on the other side changed.

AEQUITAS 1: Betrayal is Mason's debut, it came out with Lyrical Press in June. Mason calls it a paranormal thriller.

Here's the blurb:

The Aequitas, part angel and demon, have kept the balance between the forces of good and evil -- until now. When Etienne Grant is kidnapped and transformed into an Aequitas, marriage to Auria is the only thing that will save his soul. Auria is a beautiful but efficient Aequitas, a General who wants nothing to do with love. A former lover has plans to prevent any hope of happiness with her new husband, and after murdering his own best friend and forcing Auria to join his rebellion, the balance between good and evil spirals out of control. Can Etienne's tenderness melt Auria's cold heart and heal the pain of their secret pasts? Their very survival depends on it.


Emmeline's TAKE:

I must admit to a bit of trepidation as a write this. I am conscious that I have promised Mason a look! Being aware though, that everyone has a right to their opinions and authors know this, and that I need to write what is right for me, I plow on...

I thought that Mason's world building was great (if you've read here before, I'm a fan of a good world), the premise and concept behind the Aequitas - the angel/demons - was interesting and challenging. I enjoyed the opening, not dissimilar to your every day urban Nocturne setting. Then the hero takes the heroine's hand and it's bye-bye to things you know.

The sexual tension between Etienne and Auria (pretty names...), was excellent, if drawn out beyond my preference. It was complex, tightly written and I found few, if any I recall, errors or typos (being an anal type, they whisk me out of the story and make me remember my washing...).

I originally asked Mason if I could have the book in .pdf file, in order to read it on my laptop, but found I just wasn't picking it up. So, I transferred it to a pdf reader on the phone, which handles big files, but is clunky to use. I definitely think that this has also coloured my reading experience. I actually got a little lost. It got too complex for my wee brain. I find this if I read some of the Sherrilyn Kenyon's or a Mercedes Lackey tome, so maybe it's really a good thing for Mason's book. Heh.

I enjoyed the first half of the book, but the change (not saying no more than that!) in Etienne threw me. I couldn't pick up the thread again. It is a good book, and worth a read if you come across it, particularly if you like them cross-threaded and multi-faceted.

Having given that slightly-warmer-than-luke-warm-review, here's one that I came across. As I say, different person, different values, different opinion. It might work stunningly for you:

http://yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/review-aequitas-1-betrayal-by-ac-mason.html

It's also worth a look at Mason's webbie, and her recent comments on RWA.

Until next time.

Oooh, and check my Ecstasy Unveiled countdown doodad. Noice.

Invasion of the Time-Suckers...

WORKING ON: Final revisions for Firestarter, a prospective Nocturne Bites submission, plus a new wip kicks off tonight, currently called Desire Dark Blue, but that'll probably change.
READING: The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger (Audio). Different from my usual, but okay. Am a bit hard up for audio.
FEELING: Introspective, and a bit hot - it's ten degrees over normal winter temp here!
LAST SONG LISTENED TO: Beyonce's Naughty Girl.
WALK COUNT: 2/5

As we sat at the table post-kids in bed, hubby was telling me how his workmate thinks its a cracker that I write "porn" [NOTE: I don't, not that there's anything wrong with that. It's not even erotica. It's sensual paranormal romance. Get it right, dearest.]. After smacking him upside the head for the porn comment (he was being deliberately general, and was in the market for a smack), I asked him if it was a cracker as in, "Your wife must be good at the sex thing" nudge, nudge, or if it was actually something like envy that his own wife is a pregnant ex-baker [EDIT: Not that there's anything wrong with that, either. On re-reading, that sounded dicey. She is a very lovely person *slap hand*]. Hubster had to think, and decided it may have been envy.

"So, did you tell him what I write? You're not embarassed by it?"

Yes, he had (Good. I didn't remember doing it). No, Hubby said. He thought it was good that I was doing something that makes me feel happy and productive. [NOTE: Hubby is one of those people with a will of iron. If his pants get tight, he will run up and down the driveway for days after the kids are in bed, until the weight is gone, or he breaks a hamstring. Whichever comes first. He still has clothes from his teens that he still wears. Ewww. Actually, that's foul.]

"So, you don't think I'm an idiot?"

No, he liked that I how my reading and writing went together, and all in all, he thought I was kinda cool. I should make more time for writing. You know, work hard towards publication.

Oh. Well. That's nice. Sorry about the smack in the head, sweetie.

Hang on, what do you mean, make more time? I'm on the computer, like seven hours a day!

Yes, he said. You are. But are you writing?

"Not all of the time, no. *cough* I'm networking"

Ah, he said. That's different. He then went on to dangle a sodding big carrot, telling me that if I spent more time on the actual writing, and less on facebook, twitter, blogs and communities, he might agree about that new laptop I've been on about (it's red, dudes. I know! Red!). This current one has a dicey screen...

Man, he fights dirrrrty. Isn't it sweet, though, that he knows me well enough to realise that I'm open to bribery? That's where 14.5 years gets you. [Less for murder, he says. Ha ha. Shut up, dear...]

So. Well..., um. On the off chance (I mean, let's be serious here, what are the chances?), that he has a point, I've decided to take a look at what I do... (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER...)

1. FACEBOOK - I have a personal facebook account, that was originally used for keeping in touch with friends, but now has quite a few authors from around the globe on it. Authors have personal sites as well as fan sites (I think a fan site works best for authors, btw), so I might be friends with or a fan of the one person twice (Michele Hauf is an example I can think of). I really just use it for contacting friends (oh, and there was that one time I did the quiz to find out what Hogwarts teacher I was. Er, and the one that said which 80's song I was. I didn't do the one that gives my boobs nicknames (I mean, really). I keep the Anna Hackett Fanpage, a) because I'm a fan and b) I believe in what goes around comes around and c) I want her to sell more books, because this will make her happy and a happy critique partner is a good one. It is easy, because I already have access to a load of writers on my personal page. VERDICT: I think FB is more useful than it is not. I keep in touch with people from school, university etc, that I would never keep in touch with otherwise. WILL I KEEP DOING IT? Yes. Maybe I could curb my quizzes, but they're not rampant...
2. BLOG READING - I keep in touch with quite a few blogs, and the list gets added to all the time. It's mainly just reading what people are up to, releases, guests spots, pictures. I enter competitions sometimes, although many that I have entered from the start are getting busy now. I think I have streamlined the blogs - I subscribed to them through googlereader, and I read them on the iPhone. From time to time I might unsubscribe from one or two. VERDICT: Definitely a time suck, but if I want people to read my blog, I think it's important that I read theirs. WILL I KEEP DOING IT? I will, because at any point in time, I can flick through, mark all as read and it's like they were never there. Having them on the phone rocks... But I just need highlights, not the full web surfing experience.
3. TWITTER - You know, I am in two minds about twitter. I have a few buddies that I correspond with, but when I log in, I might have one or two mentions and a direct message. But, you've got to work for those. Most are tweeps I am conversing with. To read through the unrelated stuff about coffee, shoes and dogs is time-consuming, but every now and then, you find a gem. I don't want to miss those gems! I have tweetdeck on the laptop. It buzzes when someone new tweets, and also pushes FB status updates through. It also have tweetdeck on the phone. VERDICT: Yers. Time Sucker. WILL I KEEP DOING IT? I will, but I need to go in once or twice a day, and not in everytime the damn thing buzzes (which I don't do, but the option is there). I need to go in, hit people up, then get the hell out. I like the idea of hashtags, and am tweeting my writing goals before I sit down to achieve them. This works well for me. I wonder if there's a weight loss one?
4. COMMUNITY - I am at the eHarlequin community. I used to be there a lot, but have toned it down. I visit the Nocturne Bites thread, and the subcare group. VERDICT: Not so much time suck as before. WILL I KEEP DOING IT? I will, because I think it's an important way to keep track if what's happening with the line I'm targeting. I don't chat, though. That scares me.
5. YAHOO GROUPS - I am a member at a number of yahoo groups, and although I like to go there and keep up to date, I can't help feeling that they're for readers more than writers. And rightly so. VERDICT: Yep. You guessed it. Sucker. WILL I KEEP DOING IT: Maybe not. I get the digest on email for most of them (I might be in 6 or 7, not all are very active).
6. MY BLOG - Would you believe that writing this thing takes up time? I only really do it once a week. And it's not the best out there, but I do believe in building a presence. And I like it. I like having a record of what I do, I like recording what books I read. I like saying to authors, "Hey, check it out, I read your stuff!" It's gotta be nice - they might go look. The only downer is - you don't know if anyone is reading it. They might comment, but if they don't, you've no idea who has just read your intimate thoughts. It's kinda depressing... VERDICT: Once, a week, it does suck. WILL I KEEP DOING IT? I will, because later on I might have something very cool to say (or sell!) and I want a platform to shout it from. Also, I think I could get better at it. More efficient. Stop fiddling with how it looks. Yep, Em, do that.
7. SHELFARI - or other library sites. God - Shelfari. I don't know. I used to keep hard lists and lists of books read, mainly to see which in the series I had or hadn't done. I hate it when I get all excited about a book I've brought home, only to discover I've already read it. I'm currently torn between keeping my Shelfari shelf up to date, or keeping a hard record on a phone app (which is hard to copy and share). Mmmm. I might feel happier if Shelfari had a better mobile page, or if they had a better FB box. VERDICT: Time waste, yes. Important to do? I think so. I like the record. WILL I KEEP DOING IT? Sigh. Yes. I suppose. I need to get a plan though...
8. WEB SURFING. I would have said I don't do much of this. But I do. Not all of it is necessary. I mainly look at author pages, but sometimes, I'm just looking at clutch purses (I have a thing). VERDICT *insert sucky noise* WILL I KEEP DOING IT? No. I will stop. From now on, no more surfing. HAHAHA! Had you there! But I will be aware of what I'm looking at...
9. iTUNES -I live in mortal fear that there is an iPhone app out there I REALLY need to be using, and haven't discovered yet. VERDICT: Sucks through a straw. WILL I KEEP DOING IT? No. The time I save with that perfect app was already wasted in the time I spent looking for it. STOP. IT. NOW.

My writing buddy, Anna Hackett is a writing machine. Our situations are different, I know. But it is discipline that gets her there, which I am slowly accumulating, but doesn't come to me naturally. But I also know she is very aware of the soul-sucking nature of some of these web things. It's not that she doesn't have a presence, it's just that she's off writing. Which is what we want to do. There is also not much point in building a profile - this wonderful platform - if you have nothing to say from it. I need to remember this.

See, now. There. That was cathartic. I will show this to the boy. This, the underside of my new leaf. You never know...

In other news, Rach (the other one of my writing buddies - she's working on Bites, but has had numerous articles published) and I are having a writeathon. We are to report to each other that we are doing the aforementioned amount (In my case, 1k on the new wip and finish the oldy this week), and report to each other Monday am. Starts today, ends October. Cool eh? I'm starting tonight!

Also, Michele Hauf has a new blog - Vampchix. Check the button, down there on the right. [EDIT: Actually, it is UP there on the right. Who'd have thought I would write for so long...]

Also, also. I am starting to walk again - five nights a week. The count is above - keep me honest, dudes! I am doing the lifestyle change again with the intention of losing weight and getting fitter. I'm not sure if I'm ready to share the details with the whole world just yet, though...

Right, gonna go chase up that errant sub that has been in NY for nearly four and a half months. Wish me luck!

PRK Eye Surgery - if you are a bit squeamish, or are just in it for the reviews, now would be be a good time to discover your toothbrush needs polish.

I had a MASSIVE post here - and the boy hit the delete key, when I had all selected. Then it autosaved a blank page. Crap. Now I'm too shitty to repost that which took me 90 minutes for me and my fuzzy eyes to write. Errrgh.

Lesson learned....

--LATER--

I've thought about it all day, and I've decided to give you the highlights in key words and phrases. Really, this could be an improvement. PRK Eye surgery has the capacity to be fairly revolting. So here goes:

- E forgot the drop-in-eye-for-the-week-beforehand eyedrops. Oopsie.
- Nice leather recliners in recovery room. Put these on personal shopping list. But not in white. What were they thinking? Don't they have children??
- More drugs in small bag. Five sleeping tablets. How much pain would I srsly need to endure?
- Everyone smiles in the surgery. Not much use, because they took glasses away and I haven't seen anything clearly since.
- Numbing eyedrops. Feels weird.
- Drugs, eyedrop form.
- Large machine I can't see because of lack of glasses. Could have been a wizard with a wand for all I knew.
- Doc says look at green light. I panic because green light has disappeared. I CAN'T SEE THE GREEN LIGHT!
- Eye speculum. Ewww. But comforting, because it makes blinking about as possible as walking on ceiling.
- Laser. Smells less like burning hair than I anticipated. More like burning human eyeball, I'd say.
- Green light has reappeared. Doc had his hand in front of it. Tool.
- Red laser light, green light, white light, repeated noise. Like a disco for your captive, immobile eyeball. Complete with drugs.
- Scraping off front of eyeball. Nicer than it sounds, due to drugs.
- Healing disc on eyeball. Repeat left eye.
- Back in gorgeous leather chairs. Will they notice if I pop one in my handbag?
- Ask where hubby is. Taking advantage of free biscuits, apparently. Will be in later.
- You paid how much? Biscuits looking less like freebie at this point...
- Take hubby to see doc post-op, in order to get drug regime into more heads. I just know I'll stuff it up.
- Blur.
- Fuzz.
- Weeping.
- Drugs.
- Hamilton's CERULEAN SINS on iPhone. Excellent. Will have to review when I can see keys better.
- Someone is pouring 98% salt saline into my eyes. No? Well, it feels like it.
- Can't keep eyes open, even though I want to.
- Sleep more than body likes.
- General discomfort.
- See doc next morning, all in order. Eyeball has not expoded or fallen out overnight. Cool.
- Hubby: He DID say it would get worse before it got better.
- Smack hubby.
- Hubby goes back to day job.
- Day 6 - still fuzzy, but healing lenses out now, so less prickly.
- Notice with improving vision that shower needs cleaning. Darn. Why'd I have to notice that first?
- Sleeping tablets still safe in little package. Yay, me!

See? You didn't need the full version anyhow.

I was hoping to go to SARA (South Australian Romance Authors) meeting tonight, but the double vision would make my driving even more suspect. And really, I just don't have the points to spare.

Hope everyone in DC is having a hoot!

Harlequin/Silhouette (Intrigue) Nocturne on Australian Shelves...

Got a bit excited. After I got bummed - because I have heard on the eHarlequin Forums that LUNA won't be available in Australia in print any more. I looked LUNA up at eHarlequin.com.au and got this. As all good Aussies would say - Spewin'.


The excitement bit started when it also came to light that Harlequin is, however, bringing Nocturne to us! Yay! So, that did lessen the gut-wrenching disappointment. And hey, Nocturnes are cheaper. Double yay! AND it's what I'm writing. Triple YAY! Okay, time to sit down...

This might not be a new thing. But there are only a few titles available at eHarlequin Australia.


So, I went and bought one. I saw 'Hauf '- and I bought it. Familiar Stranger. The first LUNA I ever bought was Seraphim (loved that one!), so Michele Hauf, in the immortal words of Harry Connick Jnr, "It had to be yoooouuuu!"


Now, I am seriously in love with the Nocturne covers that one gets on one's eBooks when one downloads them. Both the Nocturnes and the Nocturne Bites are very pretty. Check this one for Familiar Stranger:
BUT, because Nocturnes are being brought out under the Intrigue banner in OZ, you get this:

What do you think? Not so pretty, eh? Smacks loudly of Intrigue. Well, duh, it says so, right up there...

But, speaking of pretty - check the UK version:

Ain't that lubbly? Still says 'Intrigue' but it's not so hard-line. You'll notice, too that the Oz one has the Harlequin Mills & Boon logo on it. I wonder if this is useful or not. Maybe to a newbie Nocturne reader, someone picking one up for the first time, but not if you're used to the other covers. I wonder what the covers look like elsewhere? EDIT: These are called "Super Nocturnes" in the UK. Stumbled across that nugget at the Nocturne thread...

Hey, and sorry about the dwindling sizes. I could fix it, but, meh...

I miss my curliques.

Just sayin'.

Yesterday, I won an a.c.Mason eBook - Aequitas I - Betrayal. I love winning books! I promised Mason I'd review it soon. I think that's a very fair trade. The cover is eyecatching - it's from Lyrical Press.

Another first for me week - I got plugged at a blog! I know, very cool!

And what made it cooler was that it was Anna Hackett, whose first Bite is coming out very soon. I haven't read this one, but I've read other pieces of Anna's and she is very, very good. A great story teller. So check out her blog, and her webbie. Then when you're done at her blog, you can click the link to me, and come back here! Do it all day long! ;)

I baked all day yesterday. I like to bake, but I was on a deadline which makes it way less fun. We had Devonshire Tea at a Kindy meeting (it was my idea *slaps forehead*) so I made 40 scones, then I had the greater part of my eldest child's class and their respective parents over TO MY HOUSE for 40 more scones, 60 mini pizzas and those fabulous things: Honey Joys. I love to recipe swap, so let me know if you'd like me to post these...

If you ever see me up the street with a rolling pin, take it away from me and crack me over the head with it. E: Never, ever, EVER bake 80 scones in one day again....

Thanks for dropping in. Have a fan-fairy-tastic week...

Scone, anyone?

Nocturne Bites Pitch Contest Winners have been announced!

and I'm not among them...

I'm actually fine with it - it was a great experience, and a good opportunity to polish my skills.
And now, I have a little longer to play with my ms before I send it off to the NY slush pile...

Huuuge congrats to all of the winners, though. All seven of them (there were 60 entries).

And wow to Ann Leslie Tuttle for being so quick about chosing - must have been a mammoth task...

Didn't think I'd make it...

The last Bite I wrote took me over four months. It's in NY now...

The one I've just 'the end'ed took me a little over three weeks. Got a late start. Egad. Stressfest. But I had a lot of fun writing it.

I sent my pitch in yesterday.

Thanks to Anna for looking over the ms (love her work..), and good luck to everyone who is pitching.

Tired now. Can I go to sleep at two-thirty in the afternoon? Sure I can.

Oh wait, there are small children around who would love to fend for themselves, but probably shouldn't. There was a hair-cutting episode yesterday, that I could have stopped if I hadn't been busy pitching...

We await the finalists who will be announced on April 10th... In the meantime, revisions (and a corrective trip to the hairdresser....)

E x

I looked away and 72 hours had passed...

Two words: new iPhone.

OMG. I am in love. Again (fickle, really). I adore this phone.

But it is a demanding master. I has held me captive for three days. Purrrr...

It started when my Dad said I should get one, because he loves his.

Okay. Done.

Then I spend the better part of the next week playing with the phone, adding apps, wrecking sofware, losing information off my PC, re-installing stuff, re-entering piles and piles of data and crying in short bursts, interspersed with giggling and screen-kissing .

I am going mad. Put it down, E. Step away from the phone.

Then, I couldn't get it to write the posts for my blog, and I plummetted back to earth. That, and I saw that eHarl is running a Bites pitch. Get to work, girlie!

I haven't done much in the way of writing. Will start work on the pitch tomorrow. Maybe I will write a new one and send in my current one the usual way. *Thinking* Yep, that works.

Going to do stuff...

PS - Fatalities from Victorian bushfires over 200. 201 was a firey who got hit by a falling tree while he was connecting a hose to his strike team's truck. He'd come from Canberra. Will it never end?

((Dee)).

A Nation in Tears

Today is a terrible day. There are over fifty uncontrolled fires burning around the country (and many, many more which are 'controlled' - 'controlled' to me means not burning...), the worst of which are in our neighbour, Victoria.

They are using words like 'fireball', 'firestorm', 'raging inferno', 'killer radiant heat'.

The death toll is currently 108. They are still counting.

The news is full of husbands looking for families, mothers looking for daughters, people looking for neighbours. And so many people crying. The newsreaders are crying. The Prime Minister is crying.

I am so sad for these people - we had a fire over the road last week, we live on the outskirts of a small town. I experienced a brief whiff of smoke and I could see that if the fire jumped the road, it would burn up our long driveway. I was scared, hubby was at work in the city. I got the kids into the car and left our property - with nothing - and came back to find that they had stopped the fire from crossing the road.

The kids and I left, but many don't. They stay and try to fight it, to save their homes, their animals, their livelihoods. Sometimes, they never meant to stay, it just came too quickly. Or it catches them in their cars as they are trying to leave. When you are dealing with hell's inferno, fueled by high winds and temperatures in the 40's, you may not have a hope in hell.

Our hearts go out to everyone affected - we have fires in Victoria and New South Wales, and floods in Queensland (3 dead). A nation is weeping. Pray for them.

I've stopped watching the news because the kids freak when I cry. I'm listening to the radio news instead.

Want to know how it is? Here's an account from "The Australian".

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25026912-2702,00.html

They are talking about the possibility that one or more of the fires was deliberately lit. Speaking of hell....

Edit, 9pm: The count is now 126, and climbing. They say it might pop 200. God, I hope not.
Keri Arthur, on her blog, had this. If you have any spare cash around, please consider supporting the 750 families who are now homeless, or worse.

http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm

E