Love is an exploding cigar -

Holiday Traditions

Dee Tenorio — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:28:25 -0700

It's December 1st and that means a whole host of holiday traditions are being pulled out of closets around the world. Channukah, Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa and probably a lot more that I'm not yet aware of. Decorations, cards and presents, things you bake or make or give... There's just nothing like holiday traditions. They might overwhelm, excite, give us some hope or make us feel in some way closer to times or people we've lost, but where would we be without them?

December Appreciation Giveaway at Cigars -- Author Announcement Thread

All of Us at Cigars — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 07:38:11 -0700

As we head into the Christmas season, the Cigars ladies have decided to thank our members and celebrate the season all at once by doing a daily giveaway -- yay! We're excited!

Read on for details.

December Giveaway Celebration Discussion and Party Thread!!

All of Us at Cigars — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 07:36:50 -0700

Use this thread to discuss the giveaway, have some fun, congratulate winners, and let us know when you have received your gifts in the mail!

What kind of Shopper are You?

Samantha Hunter — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 07:09:55 -0700

So, okay, this can be the one millionth blog today talking about shopping, but for me, it's a rather unique topic, because I am not much of a shopper. I am generally the kind of person who gets mall crawl within an hour, and I like to know what I want, where the best price is, and I get in and out like a black ops commando when it comes to buying. I waste no time or effort on the actual shopping, with tunnel vision that gets to me to my target and out the moment I hit the door. What kind of shopper are you?

Is Your Tummy Growling?

Tawny Weber — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:10:01 -0700

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and my tummy is already growling. If I close my eyes, I can almost taste the garlic-roasted mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy. I can smell the rich scent of the sweet potato hash (yes, I obviously have a carb obsession) and the yeasty richness of the rolls. And yes, even though I don't eat it, the smell and sight of that turkey on the table definitely makes Thanksgiving for me. Tried and true dishes, the sights, scents and tastes that say Thanksgiving in my house year after year.

And yet, every year, I get the urge to shake up the traditional menu.

P-P-Plotting!

authorm — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:04:28 -0700

Plotting vs. Pantsing --

Wait a minute. Isn't pantsing what you did in junior high when you pulled down someone's pants in a public area so they were embarrassed?

I'm not talking about that kind of pantsing -- I mean the kind that's not plotting. You know...the kind where you just sort of start writing and hope it all turns out all right.

Yeah.

That's pretty much how I write.

Hey, look...it's me again.

JeannieWatt — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:58:36 -0700

Sometimes I lead a sitcom life. I mean, where but in a sitcom does a woman run to the post office on her break, and accidentally pull the front end off a Pontiac Grand Am by hooking it with the hub on the rear wheel of her truck? And then have to go teach class?

Winner of Plotting No No Contest

JeannieWatt — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:56:56 -0700

Is Ani! Thanks everyone for your comments. It really helps to know what readers and other writers are thinking. I'll probably pick your brains again in the future.

Welcome Debut Author Rita Oberlies!

Rita — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:55:01 -0700

More Than a Feeling…

Today my mother packed her car after a week long visit, kissed her grandchildren and headed home to Boston. As I puttered around the house, missing the sound of her laughter, I was haunted by her parting admonition: don’t share anything too personal when you blog this week.

With the release of my debut novel The Catcher and the Lie from Samhain Publishing I’ve stepped further into the online world. To my mother this means I’ve discovered another outlet to share anecdotal stories. Family stories. Stories that should never see the light of day.

Plotting No No Contest

JeannieWatt — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:14:55 -0700

I'm in the middle of plotting a book. I'm at the how-the-heck-can-I-get-these-characters-where-I-need-them-to-be stage, so my question to you is What plot device makes you say, "Not this again!”? I don't want to screw up, and sometimes, when I’m desperate to get the characters where I want them, I start clutching at straws. I don’t want to clutch the wrong straw.

I once read a comment from an editor of sweet romances in which she said something along the lines of never wanting to read another manuscript opening with the nervous secretary running smack into her intimidating boss and dropping her armload of papers. I imagine that before the day was over, she saw another.