Musings from the Blonde Side

Issue 53, March 2008

Introduction…AKA the Blatant Self Promotion (BSP) of TL Schaefer & Keira Ramsay…

This month's interview and excerpt…

This month's OTHER contest…

G'bye...

 

 

In too-cool-for-school news, it's my birthday this month!!  And no, I'm not telling you how old I am J.  To celebrate, I'm running a newsletter-only contest.  Anyone who e-mails me at terrischaefer@... and puts Thirty-Nine and Counting??? in the subject line is automatically entered to win a wicked-awesome two-pound box of Sees Candy.  Seriously!!  I'll pick a winner at random on 31 March and announce it in the April newsletter.  And don't forget, I co-run a monthly contest with my critique buds and a special guest every month!  Deets on that are at the end of the newsletter.

 

Also, I'd love to send out bookmarks to anyone who wants them, so if you do, shoot me an e-mail (same addy as above) and I'll pop one in the mail to you!!

 

Okay, now onto the writing front! I'm jamming on Duck and Run, and am now up to 30,000 words!  I hit a stalling point last week, because I needed to sit down and do some plotting, AND figuring out exactly who the bad guy was.  Anyone who knows me (or regularly reads this newsletter) knows that I can't plot worth a damn, and this book is no exception.  Same thing with knowing who the baddie is.  In most of my TL Schaefer books, I have no clue who the villain is gonna be until about ¾ of the way through the book.  Then I have an "ah ha!!!" moment, and go back and layer in all the stuff I need to.  It's always a character I've already introduced, so it's not like I'm starting entirely from scratch, but I seem to need to get seriously into the story before I figure out who has the most to lose, and what to do with them.  Anyway, got that figured out on Saturday, as hubby was watching soccer (you wanna talk about motivation?  There it is!  That and golf bore me to tears.).  Sooooo, I seriously think I'm gonna finish the draft on this by the end of the month, especially if I stick to my new word count goal of 500 words a day Monday-Friday, and then kick ass on the weekend.  The week before last, I cranked out over 6K, so that made me very happy, and now that I'm past my blockage, I see no reason for it not to zoom.

 

In other news, Breath of Heaven is done and sitting in Acquisitions for Liquid Silver, so I hope to have some news on that by next month.

 

Other than that, I'm dying for spring to get here…last weekend it was 75 on Saturday, then snowed on Sunday.  What the hell is up with that???

 

Okay, enough of me… This month's winners are:  gtwm02 and Phinzzz

 

That's alllll folks!  Ate lago!!!

 

Terri/Keira

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This month I'm totally jazzed to bring you Anne Aguirre, for your reading pleasure.  I fell in love with Anne's style when I read one of her books at Liquid Silver and she's been on my auto-buy list ever since.  Grimspace is Anne's first mass-market release, and it's piling up the awesome reviews.  With no further ado….Anne!!

 

MftBS: What's the coolest thing that's happened to you as an author?

 

Beyond selling Grimspace, you mean? I'd have to say finding out that B&N asked to include the book in a special display.

 

MftBS: If you were trying to describe your work to a new reader, what would you say?

 

It's unputdownable. Take a dash of chemistry, add a dollop of sexual tension, throw in dire peril, high octane adventure, toss in some witty banter, a dab of humor, an unforeseen twist, and then enjoy the happily-ever-after.

 

 MftBS: Who are three of your favorite writers & why?

 

Sharon Shinn, Nora Roberts, and Patricia Briggs. They write awesome stories.  Moreover, they all were among the vanguard of the genre crossover thing I love so well. I hate having to choose science fiction or fantasy versus romance. Why can't I have it all? Well, I can, if I read books written by these ladies.

 

MftBS: What is your oddest habit while writing?

 

Well, I don't know if it counts as odd, but I write 3K a day until the project is finished. No excuses.

 

MftBS: Last but not least…what tidbit of BSP (Blatant Self Promotion) would you like to share with my devoted, die-hard fans?

 

Grimspace just came out. Buy it!

 

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And now, because Anne was nice enough to answer my nosy questions, here is a bit of Grimspace to tickle your fancy:

 

            "Everyone strap in, it's going to get a little rough."

             For once I do exactly what he says without finding him to argue about it. A few minutes later I'm glad I did because the ship's shaking and I can feel us wallowing back and forth as we enter the atmosphere. Loras murmurs that we're hitting thermal pockets, and I can't tell from his expression how bad that is. March is probably struggling to keep the nose up, increase drag, trying not to liquefy our hull.

            "He doesn't use autopilot much, does he?"

            Loras glances up from the console and seems to decide it's time he strapped in as well. "I don't know," he answers. "We haven't flown with him anymore than you have."

            "Right."

I feel like a shit for forgetting the poor bastard who died on Perlas Station. Before we can say anything more, we pitch sharply and only the harness keeps me from being flung against the far wall. As it is, I'm going to have an impressive web of bruises all over my throat and shoulders. I feel my stomach surge into my throat because this reminds me of—

No. Oh no. This is like dream therapy, all over again.

My fault...why did they think it might be my fault? I got us to Matins IV, didn't I? I didn't hurt Kai. I wouldn't have. But what…? I can't remember; there's a red haze around everything. It hurts, and I feel like—

We hit hard, and I feel the ship careening. Screaming metal, something tears loose. When there's a hangar or a port, you can expect a certain amount of help—a computer beaming ideal trajectory, cooperative deployment of thrusters. Here, it's just March and his best judgment. I'm holding a scream inside my head, and my throat seems swollen shut. I see nothing but the dark, spreading across my field of vision like a plague.

 

She's screaming. I hear screaming. I'm pinned. Both my arms feel like they've been torn off, but I can hear her screaming. I have to help her, Mary give me strength, help me move this. Hurts. I'll crawl. No. No. Too late—I can smell the—

 

There's no burning meat, Jax. You're safe. Everyone's all right.

 This is the first time I've heard him when we weren't jacked in. But suddenly my head's full of him, and I don't know where I am. But I can feel my arms, and I'm whole, just like he's promising. I become aware of someone crying—rough wracking sobs.

Oh Mary, it's me.

It's going to be a while before I can speak, and I don't even want to think of opening my eyes because the crew is probably watching me with the horrified fascination usually reserved for the interstellar freakshow. But I sense the negative even before I process his response. They're checking out the Folly. We took some damage coming in.

Considering my meltdown, that seems like quite the understatement. Now I can feel his hands on my back, stroking, soothing. Guess he was right; I'm nowhere near stable and probably a liability to the mission. Shit, I can't even handle a rough landing.

You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. That shocks me out of my self-pity. I wonder why he's saying that, and as if I'd asked the question, he goes on: I could hear you screaming all the way up in the cockpit. And the second I touched you…Jax, I saw it all.

Shit. I did that? Gave him the charnel house from Matins IV to bear along with everything else? Mother Mary, is there no limit to the pain I'll inflict?

He gives me a little shake, and I open my eyes. We're still in the hub, but he's got me on his lap by the console. There's nobody else around right now, as he said. I'm starting to realize that March's word is gold. He might be a lot of things but the man doesn't lie as far as I can tell.

"Was I screaming?"

I don't remember. My throat isn't sore, although the rest of me is.

"No," Doc says from the doorway. "At least not so the rest of us could hear." I register March's surprise, but Saul continues, regarding us with an inscrutable expression. "He came from the cockpit at a dead run, yanked you up out of your seat. What happened, Jax?"

"Psychotic break." I feel like I'm signing away my personal liberty by admitting as much, like maybe the Corp had a point in keeping me confined.

But Doc just nods, looking thoughtful. "Let's get you to medical."

It's only then I realize that I'm still sitting on March's lap, and his arms fall away from me with the slow, swimming reluctance of a mudsider learning to move in zero-G. And I say quietly in the confines of my own head:  thank you. Not expecting to be heard. To my surprise, as I fold to my feet to follow Saul, I receive a very soft response that maybe I am not meant to hear.

I will always come for you, Jax.        

 

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March into Spring Contest!!

 

March 2008 prizes!	March 2008 questions!
Autographed copy of Jasmine Haynes's The Fortune Hunter.	Jasmine Haynes/ Jennifer Skully/JB Skully  http://www.skullybuzz.com/ Question:  In the anthology Unlaced, what is the tentative title of Jasmine's story?
From Leigh Wyndfield, a signed copy of Secrets Volume 12!	Leigh Wyndfield  http://www.leighwyndfield.com/ Question:  In Secret Obsession, what keeps Wade and Clem apart?
From Dee Knight, a $15 Amazon gift certificate	Dee S. Knight  http://www.deesknight.com/ Question: In what state doe The Nature of Nature take place?
From TL Schaefer,  a trade paperback copy of The Brotherhood	TL Schaefer/ Keira Ramsay  http://www.tlschaefer.com/ Question:  In The Brotherhood Excerpt (halfway down the page, above my picture), what is Doug's nickname for Reverend Montcliff?
From Karyn Witmer, a copy of her first contemporary novel, A Simple Gift, and a box of bonbons to enjoy as you savor every page.	Karyn Witmer/Elizabeth Grayson  http://www.karynwitmer.com Question:  In the emotion-rich family story, A Simple Gift, what devastating secret did Avery Montgomery's husband Mike keep from her?  (Hint: find the answer in the "A Sneak Peek" section).

 

Here's how the contest works!

 

When:  It runs the first of the month through the 20^th of the month.  We'll choose one winner on the 21^st and make the notification.  The next contest will then begin on the 1^st.

 

How:  To enter, simply go through each of our sites, find the answers to our monthly questions, then send an email with your answers to skullycontest@...  The winner will be chosen at random from amongst the entries with the correct answers.  We will contact you, ask for your snail mail address and you'll get lots of presents!

 

Who:  Jasmine Haynes/ Jennifer Skully, Dee S. Knight, TL Schaefer/ Keira Ramsay, Leigh Wyndfield, and special guest author, Karyn Witmer/Elizabeth Grayson.

 

Newsletter:  We'd love to keep you updated on our new releases so we will be adding you to our newsletter lists unless you specifically tell us not to in your email entry.

 

Restrictions:  You MUST be 18 years or older to enter and US residents only.

 

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