Author Party at Novelspotters

Hi all,

I am working hard to promote my book to online groups. On Tuesday, August 15th, I will be hosting an author party at Novelspotters from 2-6 pm EST. There will be contests and prizes. To join the fun, all you have to do is join the group. It's that easy. Hope to see you there.

Promoting online is the best way for me to promote because I don't have to leave my house. There are many Yahoo groups that cater to authors. I enjoy doing book signings every once in a while, but it costs money to travel. It is nice to meet readers face to face though so I will continue to do them. In fact, I will be doing more Celtic fairs in the future, which I really enjoy doing. Those men in kilts are an awesome sight to see!

It is a neverending journey to promote my books. I do my best to make it as fun as possible for myself and for readers.

Tasteful sex scenes

What does this mean? Tasteful sex scenes. Is there such a thing? My novella, WHITE ROSE OF AVALON, was originally supposed to be erotic, but now I need to tone down the sex scenes. I still want it to be sensual, but it can't be as explicit as it was because I changed publishers. This is tricky because what offends one person may not be that bad to another person. The first changes I made were to the terms referring to certain body parts. Some terms are more offensive than others. I don't mind toning downs some of the scenes, but I still want it to be hot because I have never read a sensual version of the Arthurian Romances and I thought it would be cool to write a sensual version. The story is still strong without the sex scenes, but they do add some spice. I don't want the final version to end up being too 'vanilla.'

How many more ways can you describe the female genitalia? My sister has been a huge help with this. I don't know what I would do without her input.

Anyway, this is much more difficult than I thought it would be. It will take me a few times to get this right. Are there guidelines on tasteful sex scenes? Anyone?

Celtic Festival in Flagstaff, AZ

I just got back from attending the Celtic Festival in Flagstaff, AZ. It was a wonderful experience. I did a book signing in the Hastings booth on Sunday and I made some contacts that could be helpful to me in the future.

Flagstaff is beautiful this time of year with temperatures in the 80's. It was much nicer than the 120 degree temperatures we left behind in Lake Havasu! Surrounded by mountains and tall pine trees, I felt at home there. I enjoyed watching the men in kilts wandering around the festival. I am trying to talk my husband into buying a kilt.

The trip to Flagstaff was an enlightening experience for me. I found out that my paternal grandmother's maiden name, Murray, is a Scottish clan descended from the ancient Picts. The Picts were one of the founding races of the British Isles and were believed to arrive in Scotland about the 5th century B.C. There are many legends surrounding the Picts and controversy about where they originated from before they arrived in Scotland. Some scholars believe they are descended from the Scythians or the Basques of Spain. In some myths, the Picts are believed to be the 'faery folk' of the Sidhe. I was very excited to learn that I have Pictish blood surging through my veins. Long before I was aware of this, I was intrigued by the Picts and the many mysteries surrounding them. Maybe this explains why I am enamored of mist-filled glens, fierce warriors and tales of the Fae, all of which appear in my books. This also explains my fetish with wooden chests and keepsake boxes. The Picts had wooden chests called kists that they kept their belongings and keepsakes in. These boxes were sacred to them. I must have at least twenty boxes and chests of varying sizes around my house.

I hope to attend more festivals like this one in the future.

Inspiration hits me!

The writing funk I was in the other day is over. I had given up on the story I was working on for that day and turned off my computer to give my brain a rest. Well, I thought of some ideas while brushing my teeth later that evening. Ideas come to me in the strangest places. Today, I thought of something while vegging out watching t.v.

I guess sometimes it is better to just put the story down for a while. Anyway, that works for me.

Here is a new word I learned: 'mouse potato,' a person who spends a lot of time at the computer. That's me!

I am off to the Celtic Festival in Flagstaff, AZ where I will be doing a book signing in the Hastings booth. Looking forward to cooler temps. It is supposed to be 122 where I live. Ouch!

Writing Funk

I am in a writing funk right now. I know it will pass so I won't let it freak me out. Do other writers have 'writing funks?'

Creative work cannot be forced. It flows when it wants to. That is something I have learned to deal with. Sometimes my funks have to do with certain times of the month. I am sure other female writers can relate to that. I just can't think today! Aggg!

So, instead I am bitching about it here. Maybe that will get the 'flow' started again.

I am working on two projects at once and that might have something to do with it. While I am researching one novel, I am writing another one that doesn't require a lot of research. Sometimes the research part fries my brain so to give it a rest, I work on another story. I know other writers are able to work on multiple stories at the same time. How do they do it? I think I am just tired today. It is better to put the story down and come back to it. Otherwise I just get frustrated.

Anyway, if anyone has any useful tips on how to get out of a writing funk, I am listening. Maybe a nap would help. I even tried music, which usually works. Not today.

Oh well. Happy writing! At least someone out there is having a happy time at it.

My third book

Hi all,

I am busy doing research for my third book, which is a prequel to OF WATER AND DRAGONS and RAVEN WOLF. This book is untitled at the moment, but will be filled with Greek and Celtic mythology and faery lore. The main setting for this novel will be Minoan/Mycenaean Crete. I have come across many writings by ancient Greek writers, but my favorite is Hesiod. I like him because he sympathized with the followers of the lost Goddess religion, which is a main focus of this story.

I am reading all the old classic Greek novels--the first one being the Iliad. I am exited to read this because I love ancient history, but most of my research has been on Celtic mythology and I hadn't had the chance to read any Greek classics yet. Most authors do not like to do research, but I love it. Learning about ancient cultures is intriguing to me and I don't mind putting the extra effort in to do the research.

One interesting bit of information I came across while reading THE CHALICE AND THE BLADE was that there were female Greek writers--only they aren't mentioned much at all in the history books. And most of the classical myths are written by men who suppress anything positive about the female deity, which makes me wonder if these classic myths are truthful. In my research, I found many discrepancies between the pre-Hellenic myths and the Olympian myths. This peeked my interest and gave me great ideas for my story. I will mix history, mythology and fantasy to create an exciting story, but of course I will use creative license to create the kind of characters I think will be interesting. I have already started to outline this story and I am very excited about it. I hope readers will like it as well.

Stay tuned!