I went to my local RWA meeting this weekend and had a great time! Even better, I hung out with Laura Wright and got her to sign a copy of her latest release ETERNAL CAPTIVE to give away here!

There’s the signed book, a bookmark and a keyring container with mints that says “Bite Me.” So just leave a comment on this blog through Tuesday and I’ll randomly pick a winner from the comments and announce it on Thursday.

Getting out so see everyone was fun. Then my middle son and Bailey dog came over. Broken Leg Boy, Middle Son and Wizard and all watched the Supercross. Bailey and I curled up in bed and watched a movie–it was awesome! Peace and quiet, and Bailey never tries to change the channel.

Shhh, don’t tell Wizard, but Bailey might have been sleeping on his pillow

I didn’t get much time to write, but since BLB is doing better, I should be able to work this week.

How was your weekend?

Happy Friday. We’re not having a Hunk Fail today.

I finished the first draft of Ram’s novella yesterday! It needs a solid revision,  but I’m so freaking happy to have gotten the draft done. It’s been tough trying to write this while taking care of Broken Leg Boy and dealing all the various stuff that goes along with that, insurance problems, appointments, visitors, just so many endless little things.

So to celebrate I’ve decided to reveal the blurb I’ll be using for FORBIDDEN MAGIC.  I’ve held off because, well, things may not go exactly as readers who read the end of SINFUL MAGIC expect. I worry about not meeting reader expectations, but what can I do? It’s Ram’s story, not mine

Here it is: The blurb for FORBIDDEN MAGIC

Wing Slayer Hunter, Ram Virtos, must find his soul mirror witch and convince her to mate with him before his Thunderbird tattoo kills him. But while that witch might be able to save Ram’s life, it is the mysterious Ginny Stone who inflames his passion.

Ginny has been deeply fascinated by Ram for months, but dared not act on it or she’d be torn from her mortal life on earth and thrust into her dreaded destiny as a half-breed angel. But when her beloved brother’s soul is at stake, she must do the one thing she both fears and desires…

Take Ram to her bed.

And there you have it.

Have a great weekend!

Broken Leg Boy saw the surgeon at this week. The really good news is that the bone is healing.  The risk was the bone collapsing and that didn’t happen. We’re very pleased.

The bad news we already knew. This is a very bad fracture of the tibia bone up into the knee joint. The surgeon said it’s going to take about nine months for the leg to return to “normal.”  So now he starts with touching the foot to the ground and working up for there. He’ll also go to physical therapy. And then we’ll see what happens.

Now just for fun, this is the conversation I have had with BLB today this week:

“Hey, BLB, I need to know what you want for your birthday?”

“Can I have a puppy?”

I’m looking at him wondering when my adult son turned into a little boy. “You can’t have a puppy, you live with Bailey.”

“The puppy can live here with you.”

“Wait,” I”m totally suspicious now. “Who will pay for the puppy food, the shots, all the expenses?”

BLB looks me right in the eye. “You.”

I’m catching on now. “Who takes care of this puppy? Cleans up after it? Takes it to the vet?”

Still looking at me without flinching. “You.”

“But it’s your puppy?”

“Yes,” BLB says with total confidence.

“How does that work? I do all the hard stuff. What do you do?”

Grinning, he announces, “I’ll play with the puppy while I”m living here.”

Me, “Really?”

BLB nods, sure he can convince me.

“Okay. Let me see you get down on the floor right now. Prove to me you can play with the puppy. I”l hold your crutches for you.”

The grin on his face died. “You’re mean.”

Me laughing. “No puppy for you.”

Ha! Once a mom, always a mom!

Enough teasing already…

But first I must give credit. The cover artist is Patricia Schmitt.  She goes by Pickyme on FaceBook,  I encourage you all to click on the link and  go browse, look under photos and see her work. It’s amazing!

And now, THE COVER!

I’m thrilled with this cover, and gave my final approval yesterday. What do you all think?

So…Wizard picked KFC for Superbowl Sunday. We had chicken, mashed potatoes, cole slaw and biscuits. It was nice for me–no cooking. Wizard took care of everything including going to pick it up.

Although I made cookies, which is fun for me. Wizard tasted one and his whole face lit up. “Witch is this one of your diet cookies?”

I laughed. “No. This is a real cookie. Chocolate chunk cookies with an addition of shaved milk chocolate.”

“It tastes real. So good. I keep telling you to start a business with your cookies.”

That made me smile. I’m not that good, nor do I have the time or energy, but it’s nice to be appreciated!

Now I have an exciting tease for you–I got a first look at a cover for FORBIDDEN MAGIC…all I can say is I LOVE IT!! I love it more than all the covers I’ve had in my entire career. As soon as I get the final copy, I’ll show you all the cover. I am so thrilled!

I just hope the novella is as good as the cover! My hope is to get this e-novella up in April.

Okay that was my weekend, so how was yours?

First my Ram update. This is a snippet of direct quote from one of my critique partners on the first sex scene in the e-novella  FORBIDDEN MAGIC:

That was WAY too hot for me to be reading at 11:30 am…

Okay then. Perhaps I’m doing this right

So I’m reading books for the RWA RITA contest. I’m not supposed to talk about these books so I’m not going to name the author or title.  I just started my second book by an author who tends to be hit or miss for me. Some of her books I enjoy,  some I  barely finish, or only finish because I’m stuck somewhere like in a doctor’s waiting room.

But this book has really caught my attention.

Which brings me around to just how weirdly subjective taste can be.  The premise of this book–marriage of convenience–I usually find doesn’t work for me in a single title romance. Category is fine because the shorter formats of categories need a cliche to throw the hero and heroine together fast enough and jump start the romance. I usually find that trope tedious in a longer book, yet this time, I’m hooked.

And that’s got my thinking that I need to go back and start looking for more of the authors I consider hit-and-miss. I think I’m missing some real gems simply because I have less reading time in the last few years and have gotten pickier. But I’m missing out.

How about you guys? Do you have hit and miss authors on your to-buy lists?