Starbound Lovers

I could stop there, but I suppose there are other films coming out in the SFR genre worth mentioning. 

Another title is Star Trek Into Darkness. It has Zachary Quinto (who's best role was on 24 being annoyed by the beloved Chloe).



Star Trek Into Darkness also has Benedict Cumbersnatch and will be worth watching just to see an actor with that name. Plus 'love will be tested', so there's that.




Another SFR film coming in 2013 is Oblivion, starring a post-Katie Tom Cruise.




The pitch promises 'romance, adventure, and uninmaginable danger'.

These are just a few SFR films heading our way like an apocalypse comet in the new year. For a longer list, visit Movieweb.com.

Congratulations on surviving 2012 - the Year of the Mayan and Zombie Apocalypses.

The other morning I woke up from the most vivid dream. Usually I tell myself I'll remember this dream or this dream would make a great story, but of course, with few exceptions within minutes of waking the dream has faded or I realize that what made perfect sense in the dream world is totally incomprehensible in real life.

I dream in color. There's sight, sound, sensation and sometimes even smell, but I don't recall ever having a dream that included  taste - up until this one. I woke from this dream with the taste of apples, vanilla, cinnamon and whipped cream on my tongue.

My sweet preference is chocolate, the darker the better. I'm not a big fan of pancakes, waffles or pies, but in this dream I was eating a dessert that seemed to combine all three. The dessert wasn't beautiful to my eyes, just a layered concoction of apple pie filling, pie crust, waffles, crepes and whipping cream, but with each bite flavor burst on my tongue, rich and delicious. I never wanted to stop eating it. The tastes lingered on my tongue long after I woke.

As writers we're told to use the five senses in our writing - sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. This is great advice. Using the five senses helps the reader connect with the characters and the story. In romance this is especially important to help create deep point of view. While sight, sound, touch and smell is used in books, I rarely read taste. And sometimes when it's used in love scenes I find myself giggling. Her breasts tasted like honey. Can breasts taste like honey or nipples like cherries? I won't even go into what other parts of the body taste like.

 Here are a few paragraphs from THE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE where I've used the sense of smell to set the scene and draw the reader in.

I've decided this year and the following years to come to have fun for the holidays. It's a choice I am going to make. For many years I've put too much pressure on myself to make sure of having that perfect meal, perfect gift, perfect holiday outing. But with age comes wisdom, lol, and I've learned that life is never perfect. So I give myself permission to have a messy, unpredictable holiday season. No exceptions. Period.

I hope everyone has a beautiful, loving holiday season and if you feel like winning a prize or two, drop by my blog. I've joined over 200 blogs for the the Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop. I'm giving away a $10 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble, winners choice, while there are three grand prizes for the hop.

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $200 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more

Before I get into my post, I wanted you to see my new cover for my latest release.  As I write this on November 28, the book isn't out yet, but I hope it to be by the time this blog is posted.  Thanks for your consideration.

When it comes to Science-Fiction Romance fashion, why does it often seem metallic and a little gray and gloomy? 

Or weird and kooky?






Why can't Science-Fiction romance be softer? Prettier? And well, pinker?

My husband loves to decorate the inside of the house for Christmas.  He refuses to decorate the outside. We have a very simple outside a few garlands, a wreath and my Moravian Star. But inside the house, he is a decorating fiend. 

This year, he added a second 7-foot tree to the festivities.  We've always put the tree up in our dining room in front of a wall of windows at the front of the house.  But we don't spend a lot of time in that room so we never enjoy the tree.

While I was skeptical at first, I am enjoying having a tree in our living room now.  And those figurines in front of the fireplace are musical.  My kids spend a lot of time playing them, usually all at the same time. I run and hide from the noise, it's better for everyone's piece of mind.

I love ornaments, obviously since I have enough to decorate 2 trees, but I really love the flight and space decorations.  My Sky's the Limit Hallmark series planes made it onto both trees. However, my Journeys into Space series are still in boxes packed away. In particular I miss the Man on the Moon and the Rocket.  But they are light and sound ornaments and with the new pre-lit trees, my husband won't let me plug them in.  One of these years, I'm going to buy a string of lights just for my space ornaments and have them in my office.  

What's your favorite Christmas Decorations?  Are you an inside or outside decorator?

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Since they're upon us, I hope no one is stressing over their writing and holiday shopping. Visiting family can sure pull you away from a manuscript faster than a house fire. And congratulations to everyone who did NaNoWriMo this year, whether you finished or not. Any progress is good progress.

I've been busy accidentally deleting almost finished manuscripts and rewriting them. Eep. It was supposed to have been the fourth book in my Legends & Lovers series, due out next fall. It also felt like a colossal failure. I fought for every word in that novel and hated most of them. I'm not sure if it was a subliminal deletion or a genuine accident. The recovery of my flash drive didn't work.

But it means that I had to start over. When I told most of my friends about the loss, they all looked on in horror. "Wow, how are you not freaking out?" they asked.

I'm not sure. I was just so mad at the characters for being lame and the plot of being so weak and far-fetched (yes, even for a fantasy novel), it was almost a relief to have lost it. I'd been considering changing the hero's occupation and parts of the plot. Now, with a blank document, there was my chance.

I started over at the beginning of November, even though I said I wasn't participating in NaNo. I try to write 2,000 words at a time when I sit down to do it, but I didn't want the pressure of trying to do that every day. Sometime working at my own pace is better. I did take comfort in the NaNo guest authors. They reassure me and remind me that I'm not the only writer who struggles. That's always good to know.

I've currently only managed about 30,000 words. But the fresh start and the second chance are like a breath of fresh air. And I won't be as ashamed to show this one to my critique partners.

So, have you ever lost an manuscript and how did you handle it?