Monthly Archives: July 2013

Jul 29 2013

What’s On Your List?

???????????????????????????????Whee, another magazine quiz – it’s been awhile since I found one I wanted to answer! This one asks all kinds of “What’s on your…” questions so here we go:

What’s on your…:

Last credit card statement: Lots and lots of Amazon ebooks for my kindle, gas for the car and a new dress…

Grocery list: avocados, bananas, cat food (two kinds), chicken and this scrumptious yogurt I love with vanilla and chocolate swirls

???????????????????????????????Nightstand: the aforementioned kindle, cell phone, 3 old ACE SF paperback novels, the Bible, eye drops and a cat (at the moment)

Future Vacation Agenda: going to New Orleans for RT next year!

Perennial To Do List: umm lose weight? Clean my room? Dust? Wait, no, I never dust!

Go To Menu: pizza with black olives and mushrooms. Or Panda Express!

Go to Menu if I’m Cooking: turkey dinner with all the fixings. Or dessert. (I don’t bother to cook much anymore, can you tell?)

Must-See-TV: Project Runway

List of charities (most recent): ASPCA, Rainbow Acres, Operation Supply Drop, Goodwill opsupply drop

Qualities-in-a-Friend List: good listener, nonjudgmental, gives advice gently, sense of humor, likes hugs

???????????????????????????????Kitchen Counter: purple toaster, stacks of magazines to read, vintage sugar bowl, Titanic tea cup (reproduction), bananas, blue & white knickknacks and dishes, a cat (at the moment), my iPad

Workout regimen: Is there one? Mostly I walk. Mostly.

Quotes to Live By: In a hundred years it won’t matter.  Never boring. Never give up. Count to twelve (because I’m impatient and counting to ten isn’t long enough for me LOL)

Bucket List: See one of my books made into a movie. Go to Ireland and Australia (maybe not on the same trip, however; that would be some serious jet lag!).

List of Regrets: I try not to have regrets. I try to own my choices and not let moments pass me by.  I’m only going to live once!

Mind: Finishing the WIP I’m working on and getting it submitted, so I can clear the decks and do edits on Dancer of the Nile, so I can then finish Magic of the Nile so I can work on the sequel to Wreck of the Nebula Dream…a writer’s work is never done LOL but I LOVE it!

We’ll leave “what’s in your wallet” to Alec Baldwin and the credit card commercials (or maybe another blog another week!)

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Jul 28 2013

Weekend Writing Warriors Lady Tiya Appears

better wewriwaWarrior_ofthe_Nile_finalIronic that I said this week would be the first appearance of Lady Tiya in the eight sentence excerpts from WARRIOR OF THE NILE because Carina Press just sent me the final cover art this past week. And the cover is all about Khenet LOL. If you missed the official reveal, I’ve put the cover on this post too. (The book is out September 16th, but is available for preorder on Amazon.)

There’s all kinds of action between last week’s excerpt and the first time Khenet sees Tiya but briefly, he’s gone to the temple of Nephthys to watch the selection of the woman who is to accompany him down the Nile to certain death. Three cousins were identified as candidates but one was too young and is dismissed by the high priest. He’s preparing to cast the omens to pick between the remaining noblewomen.

I’m doing some creative punctuation and editing to fit our eight sentence constraint, although it kinda ends up as nine (but the last few are short…):

The woman who’d caught Khenet’s eye glanced at her trembling companion on the dais, took a deep breath and spoke up. “No need for omens. I, Tiya-ami-kitara, will gladly carry out the task for  the Great One Nephthys, whatever she desires.”

There were a few gasps in the chamber, but for the most part shocked silence met her offer. Standing off to the side with her father and stepmother, the man whose embrace she’d resisted earlier cursed, choking off the words as the nearest priests glared at him.

Now why is she volunteering? Khenet eyed the lady with interest. To escape the suitor? Out of the hippo’s mouth into the crocodile’s teeth, girl, if only you knew.

VS NOTE:  The cursing man is a very unwelcome suitor, which is made plain in the scene before the candidate selection begins.

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I  love and appreciate your comments and feedback every week! Go here  to find all the other Weekend Writing Warriors and read  an amazing variety of  terrific excerpts…

Next week I’ll probably keep going with Khenet and Tiya together, maybe show a bit with the goddess Nephthys.

And the blurb for WARRIOR OF THE NILE:

Egypt, 1500 BCE

Lady Tiya is bound to the service of the goddess Nephthys, who plans to sacrifice Tiya’s body to protect Egypt from an ancient terror. She embarks to meet her grim fate alone but for the hardened warrior Khenet, who is fated to die at her side. Tiya’s dreams of love and family now seem impossible, and Khenet, who is the last of his line, knows his culture will die with him. Struggling with the high cost of Nephthys’s demands, both resolve to remain loyal.

Neither expects the passion that flowers when Tiya’s quiet courage and ethereal beauty meet Khenet’s firm strength and resolve. On a boat down the Nile, their two lonely souls find in each other a reason to live. But time is short and trust elusive.

Without the willing sacrifice of Tiya and Khenet, a great evil will return to Egypt. How could the gods demand their deaths when they’ve only just begun to live?

Jul 24 2013

Cover Reveal WARRIOR OF THE NILE

So excited to have my beautiful cover from Carina Press for my September 16th Release – WARRIOR OF THE NILE – which is a paranormal romance set in Ancient Egypt.

Warrior_ofthe_Nile_final

Here’s the blurb:

Egypt, 1500 BC

Lady Tiya is bound to the service of the goddess Nephthys, who plans to sacrifice Tiya’s body to protect Egypt from an ancient terror. She embarks to meet her grim fate alone but for the hardened warrior Khenet, who is fated to die at her side. Tiya’s dreams of love and family now seem impossible, and Khenet, who is the last of his line, knows his culture will die with him. Struggling with the high cost of Nephthys’s demands, both resolve to remain loyal.

Neither expects the passion that flowers when Tiya’s quiet courage and ethereal beauty meet Khenet’s firm strength and resolve. On a boat down the Nile, their two lonely souls find in each other a reason to live. But time is short and trust elusive.

Without the willing sacrifice of Tiya and Khenet, a great evil will return to Egypt. How could the gods demand their deaths when they’ve only just begun to live?

Book two of The Gods of Egypt

Available on Amazon now for preorder! 

Jul 21 2013

Cover Reveal ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE

I’m VERY excited to reveal the cover for my new Science Fiction Romance novel, ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE, which is scheduled to be released in late August. The cover was created by Fiona Jayde, who did the cover for WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM  last year.  The new book is “A Sectors Novel,” which means it’s set in the same universe as the Nebula Dream, but is a stand alone book, with no connection to WRECK. (Although the heroine here is another strong woman who works for Loxton Galactic Shipping LOL.) THe blurb can be found on this page and of course I’ll be sharing more details as the release date gets closer.Escape-from-Zulaire2HighRes

Jul 21 2013

Weekend Writing Warriors Khenet’s Three Conditions

better wewriwaAs promised, this week I’m continuing on with excerpts from my soon-to-be-released WARRIOR OF THE NILE. (I saw a preliminary cover yesterday – gorgeous, can’t wait to share!). Khenet has told Pharaoh he’ll volunteer to take this deadly mission to the Viper Nome (nome=province) under three conditions. Khenet is Pharaoh’s adopted brother and during the novel we discover the circumstances of his adoption but a key plot point is that his small tribe of people had their own, non-Egyptian religion, which is part of why Pharaoh hopes Khenet might survive this assignment. (NOTE: To fit our eight sentence constraint, I’ve had to do some creative editing and punctuation). Khenet is speaking:

“The first condition we’ve already discussed, that I may seek some other solution to Nephthys’s problem, resolving the black magic without my own death. Secondly, I’ll swear my oath to you, not to her – I can’t give my allegiance to Nephthys.”

“No problem, you serve me and therefore you serve my patron Horus and your own gods,” Nat-re-Akhte said. “Have you forgotten I helped you build that small shrine hidden away from my grandfather’s priests when we were boys; kept watch for you when you went to worship? I understand your qualms about Nephthys, say no more on that issue. What’s the third condition?”

“I want time in the royal library before setting out on this mission.”

Pharoah nodded, “Wise, not much is known about the Viper Nome but I’m sure the oldest scrolls contain some maps, maybe some other useful scraps of information.”  

???????????????????????????????These figurines reside on my writing desk, sort of a fun photo for today. Next week I promise the excerpt will be about Lady Tiya, who definitely deserves equal time.

I  love and appreciate your comments and feedback every week! Go here  to find all the other Weekend Writing Warriors and read  an amazing variety of  terrific excerpts…

And the blurb for WARRIOR OF THE NILE (which is available for pre-order at Amazon ):

Egypt, 1500 BCE

Lady Tiya is bound to the service of the goddess Nephthys, who plans to sacrifice Tiya’s body to protect Egypt from an ancient terror. She embarks to meet her grim fate alone but for the hardened warrior Khenet, who is fated to die at her side. Tiya’s dreams of love and family now seem impossible, and Khenet, who is the last of his line, knows his culture will die with him. Struggling with the high cost of Nephthys’s demands, both resolve to remain loyal.

Neither expects the passion that flowers when Tiya’s quiet courage and ethereal beauty meet Khenet’s firm strength and resolve. On a boat down the Nile, their two lonely souls find in each other a reason to live. But time is short and trust elusive.

Without the willing sacrifice of Tiya and Khenet, a great evil will return to Egypt. How could the gods demand their deaths when they’ve only just begun to live?

Jul 14 2013

Weekend Writing Warriors Khenet Says Wait A Minute

better wewriwaContinuing with my Ancient Egyptian paranormal romance WARRIOR OF THE NILE, I thought it might be time to let Khenet the Warrior speak. By the way, he’s Pharaoh’s adopted brother and boyhood companion, so he can be a bit more informal with Pharaoh in private than most people would dare to be.  Also (because I can’t give you the entire novel here LOL), Pharaoh did tell Khenet he was asking for a volunteer.

Khenet touched the two braided leather bands on his left wrist, smoothing his fingers over the carved jade and carnelian beads woven into the worn black straps. “If I choose to accept the mission, have I your permission to evade death if possible?”

Pharaoh nodded. “Save the poor girl from Nephthys’s plots as well, if you can, as long as the nomarch and his black magic are thwarted. The safety of Egypt must be paramount, however.”

 “I accept this duty, on three conditions.” Khenet was momentarily amazed at himself, dictating terms to Pharaoh, adopted brother or not

“Name them.”  

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I  love and appreciate your comments and feedback every week! Go here  to find all the other Weekend Writing Warriors and read  an amazing variety of  terrific excerpts…

And the blurb for WARRIOR OF THE NILE (which is available for pre-order at Amazon ):

Egypt, 1500 BCE

Lady Tiya is bound to the service of the goddess Nephthys, who plans to sacrifice Tiya’s body to protect Egypt from an ancient terror. She embarks to meet her grim fate alone but for the hardened warrior Khenet, who is fated to die at her side. Tiya’s dreams of love and family now seem impossible, and Khenet, who is the last of his line, knows his culture will die with him. Struggling with the high cost of Nephthys’s demands, both resolve to remain loyal.

Neither expects the passion that flowers when Tiya’s quiet courage and ethereal beauty meet Khenet’s firm strength and resolve. On a boat down the Nile, their two lonely souls find in each other a reason to live. But time is short and trust elusive.

Without the willing sacrifice of Tiya and Khenet, a great evil will return to Egypt. How could the gods demand their deaths when they’ve only just begun to live?

Jul 13 2013

Can A Statue Be Cursed? My Encounter

Today I’m over at Paranormal Romantics, talking about the subject of cursed statues and telling the true story of one I personally encountered that may or may not have been cursed but it sure wasn’t staying under MY roof!

I’ve got a couple of really good pictures of the Egyptian statue of Neb-Senu at the Manchester Museum that’s been in the news recently, taken by one of my twitter friends on a visit to the Museum this month and kindly shared with me for the blog post.

The photo below is also from my friend, showing the Museum’s “cursed” statue (with his back to us) and a small companion:

ImTyUK photo1Photo courtesy of ImTyUK copyright 2013

 

Jul 9 2013

Paranormal Week – Worldbuilding in Ancient Egypt

I’m kicking off Paranormal Week over at the Here Be Magic blog today. I took world building as my topic, writing about the wonderful Ancient Egyptian civilization and how the various gods and goddesses get involved in the events surrounding my characters.

I regard Sobek the Crocodile God as my unofficial good luck charm, since he was the hero of my first published novella, PRIESTESS OF THE NILE. I’m beginning to have quite the collection of crocodiles, thanks to my family! Plastic ones, china ones, pictures of them, you name it! I’ll draw the line at either live or a mummified one though, thank you very much!

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Jul 8 2013

New Book from Linda Mooney – KNIGHT OF DARKNESS

knight250Talking about a new novel from my friend Linda Mooney, which she says is “A Sensuously Erotic Sci-Fi Romance”. It’s on my kindle waiting To Be Read 🙂

Here’s the story:

Sorrow Knight knew that at any time the U’Nar would attack Earth, but he needed a few more days to come out of chrystasis before he could fight the deadly enemy. With his soul sword, Rall, he and the handful of other Surge Knights would gather wherever the enemy landed, and drive them off this world. A world with so many wonderful sights and surprises. A world that contained a woman named Rachel, who had captured his heart and his imagination, but who was forbidden to him by his laws.


Rachel Grohl often wondered about the skinny, dishwater-blond young man living in the apartment across the breezeway from her. His shyness, as well as his clean but well-worn clothes, tugged at her heart. They’d barely spoken a dozen words to each other since he moved in a few weeks ago, but she had to thank him for helping her the other day. Maybe asking him over to dinner would work.

They shared one dinner, one touch, and one kiss that would lead to one night of love. A love which could ultimately avert the total eradication of the human race.

Warning: Contains tiny men skirts, lasagna, human metamorphosis, glass table tops, IOUs, comrades-in-arms, bomb shelters, and an invading alien force that will haunt everyone’s nightmares.

For an excerpt:  http://lindamooney.com/Knight.htm

 Now available at:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DOOD47A

Barnes and Noble:www.barnesandnoble.com/w/knight-of-darkness-linda-mooney/1115810327?ean=2940016684208
All Romance eBooks:
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-knightofdarkness-1225470-340.html
And via PayPal: 
http://lindamooney.com/autographedorder.htm

Jul 7 2013

Weekend Writing Warriors More Bad News From Pharaoh

better wewriwaI’m planning to go on with excerpts from WARRIOR OF THE NILE until it’s released by Carina Press on September 16th, assuming I can do that without giving away too many spoilers and ruining the fun of reading the novel itself. Last week Pharaoh had just begun telling the warrior of the title, Khenet, about the details of this assignment, as the goddess Nephthys has requested. I’m doing a bit of creative editing to fit the 8 sentence format (and I had to include one extra sentence so pretend 9=8, ok? LOL). Pharaoh is speaking:

“According to the goddess, the provincial ruler practices black magic so powerful even the Great Ones can’t enter his realm. His plans are reaching a climax and he wants a Theban noblewoman of one particular lineage to marry. Nephthys intends to take over this girl’s body at the right moment and cross the border in secret, hidden in human form.” 

            Khenet was shocked at the notion of a goddess taking the body of even a willing priestess. Poor girl, loss of a home for one’s soul is worse than death. “To what purpose?”

            “It’s part of a larger scheme ending in the Nomarch’s death…and the girl’s.” Staring across the table at Khenet, Pharaoh lifted the dagger and pointed the blade at him. “And the death of my envoy as well.”

003

I  love and appreciate your comments and feedback! Go here  to find all the other Weekend Writing Warriors and read  an amazing variety of  terrific excerpts…

And the blurb for WARRIOR OF THE NILE (which is available for pre-order at Amazon:

Egypt, 1500 BCE

Lady Tiya is bound to the service of the goddess Nephthys, who plans to sacrifice Tiya’s body to protect Egypt from an ancient terror. She embarks to meet her grim fate alone but for the hardened warrior Khenet, who is fated to die at her side. Tiya’s dreams of love and family now seem impossible, and Khenet, who is the last of his line, knows his culture will die with him. Struggling with the high cost of Nephthys’s demands, both resolve to remain loyal.

Neither expects the passion that flowers when Tiya’s quiet courage and ethereal beauty meet Khenet’s firm strength and resolve. On a boat down the Nile, their two lonely souls find in each other a reason to live. But time is short and trust elusive.

Without the willing sacrifice of Tiya and Khenet, a great evil will return to Egypt. How could the gods demand their deaths when they’ve only just begun to live?