I had a piece of chocolate the other day (we won’t discuss how many), and found a note inside that really hit me.

I pinned it on my wall so I wouldn’t forget.

Live Your Dream!

I’ve wanted to be a writer for a long time, and I wasted years thinking it was silly.

No dream is silly if it’s what you want.

Don’t be like me and wait years. Find out what makes you happy and live your dream!

The Sun!

Gosh, it feels like ages since I’ve seen the sun. It’s June and this is the first week this year that we are supposed to reach 70 degrees every day. (Okay, workday, but I’ll take it!) We’ve had less than five (or so) days this whole year it’s been that warm. I’m stoked!

Maybe we can even turn off the heat in the house. I know, right? But I turned it off last week. I think it got up to 72 degrees one night. The next day, I decided since it was almost June, we shouldn’t be running the heat anymore.

I came home to 63 degrees. Brrr.

I’m nearing the finish line in my edits on Electric Moon. I’m excited. It goes off to the editor next!

I’ll start posting a few sneak peeks for you soon, so stay tune.

I’ve been stuck in my writer’s cave for the last few weeks. Thankfully, I’m coming to the end of the book. Then, all I have left are the edits. The last chance to improve my work before I send Electric Moon off to my beta readers and editor.

As noted in the picture, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve been treading water for a while, so I’m excited to find out how the book will end and begin fixing things in the story.

After months of waiting, spring is finally here. We reached 70 degrees! We still have a few snow piles melting yet, but the snowy season is done.

Time to get back to the story. I left Raven and a few others facing off with the killer. But not everyone is friendly. One of her men has been taken hostage. She must risk him being infected and possibly killed…unless she can find a way to eliminate the threat before it’s too late.

The ice maker went on the fritz. Instead of cubes, the ice would chop up. After a few tries, I finally figured out that the ice machine was too full. So I emptied it. An hour or two later, I wanted to make sure it worked and grabbed the nearest empty container. The dog’s water dish.

It worked! And since the water dish was empty, I decided to fill it. The younger dog saw something bobbing in the water, but remembered the last time when the rubber racket ball fell into the water. He submerged half his face into the water. Lesson learned…after three times and a five minute sneezing fit when water wet up his nose.

So when he saw the ice cubes, he looked interested. I told him to get one, and he went bobbing! And won! He got two ice cubes the first try. He quickly chewed them up then went back for more, nervous that the other dog was eyeing the dish. He ended up going back five times…then all the cubes melted.

It was hillarious. The only drawback was the small river of water runing through the kitchen afterward.

Yeah, ignore the classy dish we use for dog bowls. The cat got curious. Though he took a few sips, he has no fangs, so no bobbing for him.

The last piece for the kitchen finally came. I’ll post some pictures tomorrow. Well, all except for the curtains. Neither Hubby or I can find anything that fits, so Hubby volunteered me to sew curtains. That should be amusing since I don’t have a sewing machine. lol 

A young couple woke up to carnage this morning when they walked into their hallway. All the toys in their house were viciously destroyed.

The suspect was caught on camera. He is white with salt and pepper hair. One blue and one brown eye. Stands about 26 or so inches, 55 pounds. He has several distinguishing marks on his face including a number of freckles. If you see him, don’t try to apprehend. Call the number on the tags.

His known associate has black hair and brown eyes. He’s stands about 26 inches and weighs 110 pounds. It appears he tries to rescue the toys, but the ensuring tug-of-war only ends in death.

Again, don’t approach them. Call the number on their tags for help. They will worm their way into your house with innocent eyes and bashful looks. Their antics are adorable. If you are taken in, they will wait until you are asleep and murder all your toys. The next day, they walk around the remains all innocent like as if oblivious to the mess. Like they didn’t create any chaos. If you think you are safe because you don’t own any toys, fluffy socks, slippers, drier sheets and any type of stuff animals are fair game for them. They are not picky.

Beware! You were warned.

I’m at Mariposa’s Musings today with a short interview, talking about inspiration and my latest release, BloodSworn. I’d love for you to stop and say hello.

Yeah, this is not what it looks like outside.

We hit the first day of Spring this week. Last year at this time, we were wearing shorts and t-shirts. This year, we still have snow. I believe it was Monday I woke up and it was 3 degrees. They said -9 with the windchill. Brrr.

Normally, I don’t mind snow, but when I was younger, I remember snow being light and fluffy and feet deep. We spent hours outside and build forts, snow caves and had epic snowball wars. We never felt the cold. That was before anyone really worried about the snow caving in on you. Ah, the innocent days. lol

This is more like our backyard.

Now, Winter seems to be all freezing temperatures and ice. To tell the truth, I miss the snow. We still get snow, but now it gets packed down into ice so quickly, we don’t have time to enjoy it much. And snow packed, icy roads? *Shiver*  Makes you wonder what you’re doing driving when you see a car twenty feet in the field (yes, they drove all the way through the ditch to get there) and even a truck tipped on its side. Yes, I’ve seen both of those this week.

So have the climate changed in your area? Or is it just my perspective that has changed? 

Electric Moon Update: The last scene I wrote left Raven, who was on her first date, at the morgue. I better head back for before she scares her date off.

We’ve been remodeling our kitchen for the last three or so weeks.

It feels like three months!

We’re almost done, thank goodness, but like everything I do, nothing can go smoothly. The first incident I was involved in had something to do with this little baby.

I bet you can guess where this story is going, huh?

I thought I’d ‘help’ and remove all the covers from the light switches and plug-ins. On the very last one, my hand slipped.

The power was not off.

I gave an embarrassing squeak pitched high enough to do a mouse proud. No macho swearing for me.

And of course, my husband heard. He was in a different room. Heck, a different floor of the house.

His reaction? He laughed. For a long time.

Sigh.

But fate got back at him. A few days later, he was lifting a cabinet to mount to the wall. And accidentally touched a live wire. He thought the electricity was turned off.

Nope. Not so much.

No squeaking for him. No, he introduced me to a few words I’m not sure I knew. The funny part (or not so funny part depending on your point of view) was he couldn’t drop the cabinet and had to take the shock like a man until the cabinet was mounted. *snickers*

Ah, the joys of house remodels.

Synopsis~

A tormented zombie (Nicholas Hoult) experiences a profound transformation after entering into an unusual relationship with the daughter (Teresa Palmer) of a military leader charged with eradicating the walking dead. As the unlikely pair build a tenuous bridge between the living and the dead, those on both sides of the battle begin to sense that nothing in their world will ever be the same again. Warm Bodies is based on the novel by Isaac Marion. Rob Corddry and John Malkovich round out the starring cast. — (C) AMG

To celebrate publishing my book, I begged asked my husband to take me to a movie. I’m a huge fan of zombies, so when I saw a preview of Warm Bodies, I had to see it.

The show was not what I expected at all. I thought the movie was hysterical! My husband almost fell asleep. Go figure.

The actors were wonderful, especially Nicholas and Teresa. I loved this scene…he tells her to act dead. When she started moaning loudly, he turned toward her and said not that dead. lol

The storyline wasn’t that terribly good, a number of logic issues throughout, but there was something very moving about two people so opposite, with no hope of a happily-ever-after, falling in love.

This is not your straight-forward zombie movie. There is some violence (people do get eaten), some okay graphics (the boneys were awesome), but the zombies themselves were so very human-like that I was a little disappointed. You won’t have decay or body parts falling off. Warm Bodies tickled my funny-bone and landed purely in the romantic comedy category for me.

Favorite graphics: Boneys!

Rating:  

Sorry for being gone for so long. I’ve been working my fingers to the bone with late nights, but I finally have some exciting news to share!

After weeks of edits, I finished BloodSworn. I never thought I would get it done. When I realized that I was only re-wording sentences…over and over…I decided enough was enough and drew my line in the sand. lol

BloodSworn is now live and available to order in both ebook and print on Amazon!

Don’t you just love the name of the book and the cover? I’m more than thrilled the way things have turned out. I hope you join Merrick and Trina as they go on a wild adventure, fighting for their lives, and the love that neither of them ever expected to find.

Below is the blurb and excerpt. I hope you enjoy!

Blurb:

The last BloodSworn witch must confront her fate if she hopes to save the man who forced his way into her lonely heart.

Ten years after they bound her powers and banished her, Trina Weyebridge had successfully carved out a new existence in the human world. She put her life as a witch behind her. But, her magic would not be denied, the bindings holding them in check are weakening. Vampires who crave a taste of the powers stored in her blood are hunting her with deadly force and have kidnapped her sister to lure her out. In a desperate bid to free her sister and gain her own freedom, Trina bargains with the all-too-tempting lion shifter who calls out the long forgotten wild side in her…she would be his concubine in return for pack protection. She’d be safe…until they found out the truth.

UNDENIABLE DESIRE. FORBIDDEN LOVE. INESCAPABLE DESTINY.

When Merrick spots a female intruder living on his property, he’s intrigued by her daring. Curious to find out more, he follows her and comes to her aid when she falls prey to an attack. After weeks of unnatural silence, his beast awakens at her touch, and he suspects that she might be the only one able to save his race from a disease killing his kind. Not willing to take the chance of losing her, he binds her to him the only way he knows how…by claiming her as his own. All he has to do to save her is uncover the secrets of her past, stop a pack revolt, convince her that she’s desperately in love with him in return, and prevent a war.

Here is a little peek:

Trina was halfway bent down to kneel and grab her bag when she saw him.

The same man from her dreams.

A very naked man.

Merrick.

Her mind rebelled. She couldn’t have had a sexy dream about the man who might very well destroy her. Vampires had been in this very house not a day ago. She couldn’t forget that, no matter how much her body wanted to be worshiped by him.

Merrick lay stretched out, dwarfing the extra-large couch. He didn’t look comfortable, but that wasn’t what captured her attention. The sun highlighted the golden color of his skin. It was just how she imagined his cat would appear.

The only thing blocking her view was the sheet draped haphazardly over his slim hips. Her brain short-circuited at the thought of him completely nude.

Him sleeping within a few feet of her and all without a stitch of clothing on struck her dumb, and her emotions jumbled at the conflicting emotions.

She swallowed hard and fanned her face. No matter how much she might have wished it, there was no way that image would ever be far from her mind. Every time she saw him now, she would picture him stretched out as if for her pleasure.

It didn’t matter that she was a doctor, that she’d seen hundreds of naked bodies. She knew layers of skin and bone, but nothing in her studies had ever shown a man structured quite like him, with muscles quite so defined and begging to be stroked.

Doctor.

She shook her head at the reminder, as if she could banish the impulse so easily. She needed to get a closer look at him to decide what was the best course of action…for medical purposes she told herself sternly when her pulse betrayed her and sped up.

She just didn’t know if she’d survive it.

One thing would help…getting him clothed.

But she couldn’t tear her gaze away from that sheet. Or more precisely, what it hid. Where was a gust of wind when you needed one?

Her fingers itched to explore all that exposed flesh, but she feared it had nothing to do with science. Her body urged her to touch, while the sane, sensible part of her mind seemed to have taken a vacation.

Then she saw the lines of strain, the stiff way he held himself even in sleep. She needed to see his back.

“Merrick, roll over.”

Trina found herself sprawled across the floor with a lion, in all but animal form, half sprawled over her with his face just inches from hers.

She hadn’t even seen him move.

Was it her imagination or were his teeth sharper, his body larger, and his eyes shaded just this side of golden?

She gave a tentative smile, knowing better than to try and escape. “Hello.”

“Are we under attack?” He blinked as if confused, finally recognizing her. His sleepy expression sent her heart thumping hard against her ribcage. The rumpled appearance only made him more attractive, more approachable and more touchable than was good for her.

Especially when she felt the sheet tangled around her feet.

No matter how much she told herself not to do it, it was too late. Her eyes flickered downward.

Yup, naked.

And such a nice naked backside, too.

It was her turn to blink when she felt his arousal.

“Attack?” It sure felt like it, and she was unarmed. She cleared her throat when he continued to gaze around the room. “I woke you to begin your physical therapy.”

Vivid green eyes met hers. The wildness had retreated, yet she very much felt like a mouse under a cat’s paw. Heat seeped in her pores, but the calculated look he gave her brought back some of her sanity.

“Get up.” She resisted touching him. It would be a mistake as once she started, she was very much afraid she wouldn’t stop.

Frown lines crinkled the corner of his eyes, and he levered himself up on all fours. Trina didn’t wait, but scrambled backwards, her eyes anywhere but on him and his now very happy dangly parts.

“It’s safe.” The humor in his voice had her head snapping up. He stood, the sheet tucked around his waist. He wore a slightly disgruntled expression that looked sexy as hell and a too-knowing gaze that did things to her body that should be illegal…or bottled.

It’s been a hectic week. Have you ever had those days where you never seem to get anything done? That’s my week/month. I set aside a couple of hours each night to write, but ‘things’ always seem to come up. Did you know that kitchen remodeling can take over your life? Sigh…

Not everything that happened was bad (like the computer getting a virus that took hours to fix). Final edits are done, and the printed proof of BloodSworn came in the mail today. One more read-through, last minute changes, and the book should be ready to go live next week. Yay!

To show my excitement, I’m going to share the book cover. Isn’t it wonderful?

THE LAST BLOODSWORN WITCH MUST CONFRONT HER FATE IF SHE HOPES TO SAVE THE MAN WHO FORCED HIS WAY INTO HER LONELY HEART.

Ten years after they bound her powers and banished her, Trina Weyebridge had successfully carved out a new existence in the human world. She put her life as a witch behind her. But, her magic would not be denied, the bindings holding them in check are weakening. Vampires who crave a taste of the powers stored in her blood are hunting her with deadly force and have kidnapped her sister to lure her out. In a desperate bid to free her sister and gain her own freedom, Trina bargains with the all-too-tempting lion shifter who calls out the long forgotten wild side in her…she would be his concubine in return for pack protection. She’d be safe…until they found out the truth.

UNDENIABLE DESIRE. FORBIDDEN LOVE. INESCAPABLE DESTINY.

When Merrick spots a female intruder living on his property, he’s intrigued by her daring. Curious to find out more, he follows her and comes to her aid when she falls prey to an attack. After weeks of unnatural silence, his beast awakens at her touch, and he suspects that she might be the only one able to save his race from a disease killing his kind. Not willing to take the chance of losing her, he binds her to him the only way he knows how…by claiming her as his own. All he has to do to save her is uncover the secrets of her past, stop a pack revolt, convince her that she’s desperately in love with him in return, and prevent a war.

Stay tuned for a sneak peak in the next couple of weeks.