Peeking out from under the rock

I am in the middle of some crazy deadlines for the next two weeks but I wanted to peek in and say hey. I am in the mode that I have to offer myself rewards to finish work. I have several Samhain books on that list, Vicki’s Long Strange Trip and Beth’s The Treasure is another. Truthfully, I have a long list of the prints lined up for reward since my ebook reader died a few months ago. I spend too much time in front of the computer already.
But one of the things I will be excited about is to start working on Lessons in Seduction, the next of my historicals for Samhain. Cecily has given up hope for marriage and decides to lose her virginity, not wanting to die without knowing what making love is all about. She comes up with a list of men for the task and number one on the list is Douglas, Colleen’s(The Accidental Countess) cousin. There’s also a bit of suspense with someone trying hide the secrets that Cecily is digging for. I look forward to visiting the group again and returning to my favorite genre, historical.
I hope all of you are having a fantastic fall, and I’ll be peeking in later this week, maybe with a giveaway or two:)

Cowboys . . . or Indians?

When you think of the western romance, do you prefer the cowboy or the Indian? How about the Indian cowboy? Mmm, yummy! lol

I love both types of books, but I’d have to say my fave is the cowboy. However, I don’t mind an Indian romance, either. And you know, looking around at the westerns in eBooks, I haven’t seen too many Indian romances. They’re all cowboys. Do you think this is a hole that needs to be filled? Maybe that’s why my book ON EAGLE’S WINGS is so popular, even though the Indian is a time traveler from the future.

Thoughts?

~~Becka

AWESOME!!!

THE B*E*A*S*T* WITHIN IS ON FICTIONWISE RIGHT NOW!!!

http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook40669.htm

Those of you waiting for the e-book no longer have to wait!! There it is, in all it’s glory! If you want to buy the PRINT book that has the first chapter preview of the second novel, B*E*A*S*T* OF BURDEN , you can find that here (the ebook does NOT have the special preview, only the PRINT):

http://champagnebooks.com/print/index.php

WOOHOO!!!

~~Becka

Flogging Molly

If you do not know who Flogging Molly is, then you best just stop reading this blog right now. Flogging Molly is one of the best bands out there, an Irish rock band that never fails to bring the house down.

DH and I went to the Roseland Theater here in Portland, Oregon to see them perform (our second time seeing them live), and once again, they rocked the Kasbah. We were up on the mezzanine, but the ENTIRE floor was the mosh pit. Dang, it was so loud, obnoxious, and so fricken’ cool, I just can’t even describe it.

If Flogging Molly ever comes to your town, GO TO SEE THEM. You might have to put up with the crappy opening bands, but let me tell you, there is NOTHING like a Flogging Molly concert. Nothing in the world. And the audience participation at their concerts cannot be beat. I’m sorry, it just can’t. When *everyone* knows the words to the songs, you know you’ve made it as a band.

Now go and buy one of their albums. You’ll love them. And if you don’t love them, well then, there’s just something wrong with you. LOL

~~Becka

SPACEBALLS: THE CARTOON

Anyone who knows me knows I love all things Mel Brooks. I’m a sucker for the obvious lame gag. I have such a quirky personality that I don’t find it stupid, I crack up, and I only laugh harder the more times I watch Mel’s movies.

Well, believe it or not, Mel is coming out with, you guessed it, SPACEBALLS: THE CARTOON! LOL I’m not joking folks, follow the link!

Spaceballs, along with History of the World Part I are my two favorite Brooks movies. I can practically quote them both by heart. I really hope the cartoon can live up to the Brooks name. I’ll give it a whirl. Ain’t nothing wrong with comedy cartoons. It might actually be the perfect vehicle for Brooks’s slapstick comedy.

As long as it’s true to the movie with the same kind of gags/stunts, I’m sure I’ll love it.

“How many assholes we got on this ship?!”

~~Becka

I Just HAD to Blog This…

I know I’m on a self-imposed hiatus, but I just HAD to blog this…

So DH comes home early today from work (he’d worked ALL weekend long for a big move project as his company was moving to a different floor, basically, a big nightmare with all the servers and desks and phones and crap… but anyway, we’re not talking about HIM). LOL

Anyhow, I have a turkey breast thawing for dinner tonight and DH looks at that and goes hmm…. tacos? (he frequently nixes my ideas for dinner, annoying tho it may be). I tell him the meat for tacos isn’t defrosted yet and he offers to help me cook. Yay! I won’t say no to that. But then getting the ingredients out, he looks at me and says, “How about Taco Time?”

For those who don’t know, it’s a fast food “Mexican” joint here in the Northwest. “Score!” I think to myself. I don’t have to cook!

Of course, it’s ME who has to go GET the food, so I get into my car (which is finally paid off YAY!) and drive the what, 5 blocks? to the Taco Time (it’s really close) and of course, I have a big order… 4 kids meals and a bunch of tacos and burritos (DH is really hungry).

I’m waiting there while they get my order ready, and there’s a bunch of guys who must have been a church group because there was really no reason for them to be together–AT ALL. Two white guys, one a tall middle-aged gentleman who was talking in Spanish to the people behind the counter with an atrocious American accent, and one younger white guy, along with two black guys, one a bigger guy and one a skinny guy in his early twenties.

Anyhow, so I’m standing there and the older guy who was speaking Spanish (but not to me) says “Excuse me” in my ear, and I, of course, think I’m in his way for something, so I move, and he’s like, “No no, I just want to tell you something.”

“What’s that?” I say politely.

“You know that big guy I’m with? The guy who just went to the bathroom? He thinks you’re cute. He thinks your good-looking. His name is Aaron. Just so you know.”

Shocked doesn’t even begin to explain the emotion I was overcome with in that moment. My first thought was Dear God, someone thinks I’m good-looking?? My second thought was WTF? Am I back in high school?!?

So I’m staring at the guy, my jaw hit the floor, and the guys who were waiting for their food behind me were looking at me, as if to see what I would do. Hell, *I* don’t even know what I’m going to do at this point… The guy starts to walk away and I say, “Tell him thank you for the compliment, but I’m married. But I’m extreeeemly flattered.”

The guy was like, “Oh, okay, I’m sorry,” all repentent-like… And of course, the big guy comes out of the bathroom looking at me like expecting me to do something (clearly he’d talked to the other guy about approaching me before he went to the bathroom), but I ignored him for the most part, not wanting to cause any more of a scene than had already happened. The guys behind me were probably thinking “Good Gawd, he thinks SHE’S hot?? Get the man a pair of glasses!!!”

Lemme tell ya. Stained shirt. I hadn’t showered today (eww, I know), hair back in a ponytail, no make-up (of course, I never *wear* make-up, so….) But I was Frump Queen 9,000 today.

Regardless of the fact that it put a smile on my face, I realized it made me uncomfortable as well. Not because I didn’t find the poor guy attractive (well, there was that), but because I’ve never had that happen to me before. NO ONE, besides my husband, has ever approached me about being good-looking. I didn’t know what the heck to do! Does that mean more men find me attractive and just don’t say anything? Perhaps it’s the ring or the kids that turn them off. LOL

This time I didn’t have the kids with me, and I was driving the Maxima, not the big family van.

Today, I was a hottie. (in some weird Twilight Zone-ish kinda way).

Tomorrow, it’s back to being Invisi-Mom.

Thank you, Aaron, wherever you may be, for giving this frumpy-housewife-mother-of-four-romance-author a thrill today.

~~Becka

Sailing

Today was a perfect day for sailing. The wind blew steadily across the lake. We took two sunfish out to a small lake in central Texas. Juniper trees grew in abundance separated by an occasional pine tree or oak tree. The water was down due to lack of rainfall in the area which gave us more “beach” area than usual. After rigging both boats, my son and husband went out first. No sooner than they left, a man approached my daughter and I. He wanted cigarettes. I told him we didn’t smoke. Then he wanted beer. I tried to be very confident in answering him and he finally left, but the incident left me a bit shaken. When the boys came back, I told them what had happened and from that point on, one of the boys always stayed behind.

I went out on the boat with my husband and enjoyed a rather stiff wind. Puffers made it necessary for me to lean pretty far out to balance the boat. We had to wait for calmer wind to make our first tack. He swung the tiller away from him, I ducked and shifted positions, and the boom came across the pit. There’s not a lot of room for two people on a sunfish, but we managed.

While the kids and my husband sailed, I took the opportunity to write. I had the antique laptop (spiral notebook) with me and a wealth of atmosphere. I didn’t actually write much, but I did jot down notes for a possible new plot. I love quiet days. I’m most productive on quiet days.

Thanks for Chatting with Us

I want to thank everyone who joined us yesterday at the Fallen Angel Review Chatters loop. I had a great time posting excerpts and spending time with you all. Cathie won the mini VW Bus!

It’s Sunday, time to watch my beloved Cardinals and 49′er’s loose their games, sit back and finish editing Warring Hearts: Fragments of Light before I leave on vacation, and enjoy my grandkids for their last days of swimming in our pool. Fall is my favorite time of year, even in the desert, and this morning when I went outside to pick up the newspaper, I felt the brisk air on my face. This is a treat from those hot mornings in August.

My current writing project is finishing Peter’s Witch with my co-author, Margaret Wilson (Samhain and Awe-Struck author). We’re almost there, so close to the end! We missed our deadline of finishing by the summer but sometimes that can’t be helped. She’s in the middle of writing a wonderful murder mystery, and I’m inbetween books, so I have no excuse, except trying to polish my completed stories!

Peter’s Witch is a contemporary paranormal romance set in Salem, MA. We wrote it as a short story some time ago, then decided we loved the characters so much that we’d go ahead and make it into a novel. We hope to follow it with Rowen’s Witch – depending how our first book is received. I’ve written several short stories with Margie, and we complement each other well. She has a fantastic sense of plot and comedy that I love, and I’m always surprised when I receive her section of story – making me stretch my limitations as a writer.

As far as my historicals – well, I need to write the third book of my WWII trilogy – Warring Hearts, and then, I’m off to Malta to view the goddess sites! I hoping to come up with a story worthy of the feminine I went to Powell’s Books in Portland and had field day purchasing several history books about the 1920’s. I’d love to dive into the Roaring Twenties and the flappers and bootleggers…

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Join Us for a Chat!

Join us at Fallen Angel Review Chatters – Saturday, September 16th for an all day chat starting at 10:00 AM EST.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FallenAngelReviewChatters

I will be giving away a mini VW Bus, similar to the one Kenneth drives in Long Strange Trip! All you need to do – join in on the fun and watch for my post on how to win! So come and have a great time with authors – Vicki Gaia, Leslie Dicken, Meg Allison, Beth Williamson, Rebecca Goings, Melissa Schroeder, Ingela Hyatt, Anne Whitfield! Whew!

Late to the Party

Hello, EVERYONE! Sorry it has taken me awhile to pop back in after the historical trailer I posted.
For those of you who have been fortunate not to have met me, I’m Melissa Schroeder. I write just about every genre, but dark. My absolute favorite to read, though, is historical. My first historical romance I believe was Mistress by Amanda Quick. I was hooked.
It took me a few years before I decided to try my luck at them and I did it after my husband suggested it. The Accidental Countess was my first effort. It is a previously published book, but has been rewritten, and along with the sequels, Lessons in Seduction and The Spy Who Loved Me, were signed by Samhain this summer. The first of them is scheduled for release starting in Spring of 07.
I love just about all historicals. Westerns, Medievals, Regencies, Colonial(don’t think there are enough good books in that time period), Victorians, and I’m really excited that Samhain, along with a few other publishers are opening the genre up for the early 20th century.
It is so wonderful to be included in this talented group of authors.
Have a great weekend!