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Welcome Destiny Blaine!

Published August 18th, 2008 in Books, Guest Blogging and Interview. 40 Comments

w00t! w00t! There’s a party going on right here! (Can you hear the music?) I’d like to welcome author, Destiny Blaine!

Destiny Blaine is an author who loves to bring her southern roots into her stories. With the exception of casino-related story lines, most of her books have a southern setting. All of Destiny’s books have her true southern voice and you can see it as you turn the pages.

The proud mother of two teenagers, Destiny and her husband are on the move a lot with sports activities keeping them on their toes. For enjoyment, the family likes to look for sandy beaches with huge waves for surfing and just relaxing!

Destiny Blaine writes erotica romance, suspense, and mainstream fiction. She’s agreed to answer a few questions (Silly Destiny … has she never visited my torture cham … er, um… guest blog before?)

Please tell us about your newest release.
Unspoken Truths (no cover curently available) is a contemporary erotic romance about a sexy-hot alpha male that has a very interesting “day-job” (as a football bookie well connected to organized crime) and a woman he’ll be forced to leave behind because of conflicting career interests. Tanner, the hero in Unspoken Truths, is one of my favorite heroes to date. He’s known the woman of his dreams his whole life but in order to protect her, he’s continually pushed her away-until he simply can’t stand the thought of leaving her behind. Coming August 29^th to Whispers Publishing, let me know if you’d like to see an excerpt by dropping me an email to destinyblaine@yahoo.com!

Your characters sound dreamy. How do you come up with them?
Often, the heroes in my stories remind me of someone I know. Sometimes, the physical descriptions match someone I’ve just observed for the sole purpose of writing them into my books and short stories. Of course, since I seldom see’ vampires, my imagination typically runs wild regardless of the inspiration! (Smiles)

Is there a particular genre you enjoy writing and why?
Right now, I’m wildly partial to western erotic and paranormal. However, I do write a lot of gambling-related love stories. I guess I’m sort of ‘known’ for them since a lot of my readers come from a gambling-related/poker background. Many of the folks who read my sports and gambling-related books first read my work under my real name before they discovered I write under the pen name of Destiny Blaine. It’s been really interesting to write in this arena because it’s like a new genre rising and I’m glad to be a part of it!

Your books seem to cover a little bit of everything. Is there some common thread to all your stories?
My stories typically have an alpha-male, though not always. Some have southern settings and many have gambling-related elements, or a sports theme. As for one thread? I don’t think so. I have to keep things interesting and different!

Okay, what’s your favorite type of paranormal hero, werewolf, vampire, fairy or some other dark mystery man I didn’t name?
Vampire (Oh, should I mention I’m writing my first vamp story? No! Bad hostess. Down, girl. Down!)

Tell us about your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantzer? Do you have comfort drinks or snack foods? Any favorite music you play while writing?
My writing process is boring. I write all the time-how dull is that? I have a novel I’m working on right now that has been plotted and outlined too death but I fly by the seat of my pants with some stories. This one just had a very unique plot so I had to make sure everything fell in the proper place with the right timeline so an outline helps when there’s a lot of research involved.

Comfort drinks? COFFEE! (She’s not kidding her folks. She ’s scoffed down two double latte moches with foam and an iced coffee. And did she offer me some? Umm … that would be a negative.)

Good Writing Music? It changes day by day and week by week. Today it was: James Blunt, Elvis, Three Doors Down, Hinder, and Nickelback. Then, total silence-which often happens when I am dying to type “the end”. It’s mere minutes away!

You have books with several different publishers. Is there one you like to work with more than the others?
I have a couple that stand out above the rest because of the open communication.

Since I promote myself more than I’ll ever depend on someone else to promote for me, I count on the open communication so I can figure out what works and what doesn’t. If I can’t ask for and receive feedback, then I’m working solo and wasting my time. Ultimately, writing is a business. No matter how much I like someone in this business, the bottom line (yes, the money) is always going to matter to me-it must because I write full-time. Supportive publishers who are willing to offer constructive criticism and yet still point out an author’s strengths are a rarity in this business, or at least, that’s been my experience. However, I do have a couple or publishers who go the extra mile to help their authors succeed-which is nice.

That said, those who know me, know I look at e-publishing and small press a little differently than most. It only took a Las Vegas minute to understand that small press is political, to an extent, just like anything else. I’ve been in this business long enough to be indifferent to a lot of the surrounding elements which is why I can stay so focused.

I know there will be rejection along the way-I accept it. Sometimes I might question it (not openly, of course) if I bother to compare other books or whatnot, but I still accept it and move on. I know there will be bad reviews-I always consider the source and decide if it’s well meaning or well targeted for another purpose.

I look for the best place to thrive as a writer-where I feel welcome and comfortable. That said, a writer can only be as good as their publisher and vice-versa. I try to watch where I submit now for that reason. I want to be an asset to my publisher but in small press, I really expect the same in return. It’s a team effort-a joint venture-and again, I’m fortunate enough to be with some publishers who have similar visions and an outstanding work ethic.

If you could be one of your characters who would you choose and why?
It’s a tie between Constance in Winning Virgin Lust (coming soon) and Darlene from A Matter Among Men (out now). Why? Ahem…you’ll have to read the books!

You have a Yahoo loop that runs on Mondays. Could you tell us about that?
While writing the first stories of the Winning Virgin Series, I noticed a need for a chat group where authors and readers could come together and share their paranormal book excerpts, post contests, and just keep in touch. Just Another Paranormal Monday was born and it’s been rocking and rolling ever since it’s grand opening several months ago. (She’s not kidding her folks … it’s an awesome group! It’s how I first stalked, err … got to know Destiny. Come on over and check it out … http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ParanormalMonday)

A hot soak in the tub or a smokin’ BBQ with friends?
Hmmm…it depends. Who will be in the tub and who did you invite to the BBQ? (Men in kilts … have you not been listening to the bagpipe music? *g*)

Anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
Yes! Right now, I’m running a sweepstakes. It officially kicked off with the release of Love, Lust, and Scandal in Professional Football but since football season doesn’t officially kick off until later this month, the big rush for prizes will begin in late August. Members of my loop will be able to score touchdowns and win prizes throughout football season. It’s a great contest so check it out at : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/destinyblaine_romance/

Wow, she talks faster than me and that’s saying something! Destiny and her books can be found at her WEBSITE or at MYSPACE and on her BLOG.Destiny’s agreed to stick around a day or two … haven’t you hon? (She’s nodding… or maybe her nose itches. It’s hard to tell with her hands tied to my keyboard.) In any case, don’t be shy. Ask her a question. Leave a comment to tell her you stopped by. Or just plain tell her how much you loooove her books. (No sweetie … bathroom breaks every hour on the hour … really, no complaining … next time maybe you’ll share that cup of coffee.)

Really folks, she’d love to hear from you.

At Long Last …

Published August 16th, 2008 in Free Reads, Test Drive and Writing. 1 Comment

And it’s finally here … the last of Test Drive, the free read I’ve been offering this summer. My apologies to have taken so long to get this twelfth installment to you.

Please enjoy…

******** TEST DRIVE ********

“Please don’t leave me here in the woods.” She looked from Brent to his brother, Paul. “We haven’t been gone that long. They’re probably not even missing me at the dealership. But it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m not going to identify you, because no one will know I was with you. The police won’t ask any questions once they find out I went for a little joy ride. It’s not the first time.” Margo heard her own voice, but it sounded distant to her ears. When had she made this decision? Where did she think she would go?

“What?” Both men blurted in unison.

“Margo, really, we’re not going to hurt you,” Brent said. “As soon as we get to the camp, we’re going to dump this car. Then, off to the mountains to buy the lodge, thanks to the down payment in the trunk. Poof! No longer U.S. citizens–”

“Shut up! You fucking asshole!” Paul’s voice echoed in the stillness of the forest. “I should leave you both here to rot in the woods.” Paul stalked around them, his fingers raking through his hair. “First her screwing everything up. Now you shooting off your fucking mouth. This whole thing sucks.”

“Margo.” Brent’s eyes searched her face. “This isn’t who we are, embezzlers and thieves.”

Paul pulled him to his feet, rage contorting his face. “We. Are. Not. Criminals. Need I remind you that that was Dad’s money and our inheritance? We got back what that cheating bastard of a business partner stole from us.”

“Well, it’s not how the courts are going to see it are they, bro?” Brent stepped back when Paul let go of his windbreaker. “That part’s done. It no longer matters.” He straightened the windbreaker. “It’s the kidnapping charges I’m concerned about.”

These men no longer frightened Margo. They were simply trying to find their way in the world just like her. “It’s only kidnapping if you have a victim. And I don’t see one of those here in these woods.” She spoke quietly, but with new found conviction. She had no intention of telling anyone about these men. “Getting the car back through the border is a non-issue, just put the dealer plates back on. We have Canadian customers all the time, but it doesn’t matter, I’m not going back, there’s nothing there for me.” Margo tried to stand, but her twisted ankle wouldn’t hold her weight and she nearly went down. Paul grabbed her and held her steady with an arm around her waist.

“What do you mean you’re not going back?” Concern rode on Paul’s words.

“It’s a long story … and not half as exciting as what you’ve been through.”

Brent pushed his brother aside and scooped her into his arms, heading back up the hill back to the car. “We’ve still got a drive ahead of us. Listening to someone else’s problems for once would be nice.

He set her in the passenger side of the car, Paul taking his place behind the wheel. What strange turns life took. Leaving Dylan this morning, she wouldn’t have guessed that a kidnapping could open her eyes to the disatrous turn her life had taken. But as Paul pulled the car back on to the road, she told them everything.

She told them about growing up in northern Maine, her life with her brothers, the death of her mother and her broken dreams. She talked without interruption, save for her own tears. It was a catharsis. She hadn’t even shared all of her disappointments with Dylan. How had this happened? How had two strangers opened her eyes?

“We’re almost there,” Paul stated flatly.

Brent leaned around the seat. “Margo, you know you can’t come with us. It’s time for us to fulfill our dreams. Your time will come. It’s just not now. Not with us.”

Margo looked from Paul to Brent. “I can’t come with you, but I don’t have to go home. You came to my dealership for a reason today. You’ve chosen today to start your lives over.” She laughed at the absurdity of her words. “You have guts. You had a goal you’ve been working toward and you reached it. That’s not easy to do. I thought I had to accept my life. But I don’t”

Paul turned off the highway and down a small dirt road. Pulling the car into the brush, he turned to Margo. “It’s the end of the line for us Margo. We’ll put the dealer plates back on.”

They all got out of the car. The autumn sun was warm on her face. The autumn breeze danced with the pumpkin colored leaves and filled her nose with the rich, earthy scent of fall. Despite everything she’d been through, a calm settled over her. She watched the brothers empty the trunk. Sadness made her limbs and heart heavy.

Brent pulled her into his arms. “You’re one classy lady Margo, if you’re ever in the mountains, look us up.” His fist tapped her chin. Of course he didn’t mention which mountains.

Paul handed over the keys. “Drive safely, and don’t pick up any hitch hikers, you never know what kind of ride they’ll take you on.” He laughed.

They helped her limp around the car and settle into the driver’s seat. Margo watched the men until the woods swallowed their retreating backs. Somewhere they would meet Dave. By the clock on the dashboard she realized only ninety minutes had past since she’d left the dealership with the old man John. What a different person she’d become in that short span of time.

She started the car, driving back onto the main road. Her life had opened up to her on this little test drive.

What she did now was totally up to her.

THE END

And the Answer Is …

Published August 15th, 2008 in Fun. 0 Comments

Okay, I just have to say with all the flurry of activity between the swimming and the gymnastics, I have done nothing but cry. Everytime they play the national anthem and another American stands on the podium I just ball my eyes out. I’m such a sap.

So, the three sports that aren’t olympic sports.

Lacrosse - Neither men’s nor women’s lacrosse is an official Olympic sport. It was a demonstration sport in 1928, 1932, and 1948, but teams continue to petition to make an Olympic event.

Tug of War - Though it was part of the ancient olympics they brought it back from 1900 to 1920. Two teams of eight tried to pull their opponent six feet. If after 5 minutes no one did that, it was the team that had pulled the farthest that won.

Men’s Synchronized Swimming - Yes they did this on Saturday Night Live, but the picture is actually from world competition. Though it is not an official Olympic sport, men do compete at an International level in this sport.

I also found out they had at one time Croquet (1900), and one handed weight lifting (1896, 1904, 1906)

Other interesting sports at the Olympics (but ones we don’t get to see include badminton, team archery, kayaking, mountain biking, handball (an insane sport that combines basketball and soccer), sailing, and rhythmic gymnastics.

And I leave you with this …

An Olympic Thirteen

Published August 13th, 2008 in Fun and Thursday Thirteen. 4 Comments

I love the olympics. I watch them with a box of tissues beside me because inevitably I ball my eyes out when someone … anyone does something like break a world record or competes with a broken foot or gets the first ever gold medal for their country. Or when they show an athlete’s parents cheering them on (like Michael Phelps’ mother.) Or when the athletes from Russia and Georgia hugged and shared the podium proving sports isn’t about politics. Okay … I’m crying again.

But to keep things light-hearted (because I’m all about the humor) and educational (because retired teachers never stop teaching) … I’m listing thirteen sports. Only ten are actual Olympic competitions. Can you pick out the three that aren’t currently on the official 2008 Olympic program?

I’ll give the answer tomorrow Friday evening (EDT).

So here’s the list. Which 3 don’t belong? (Okay, and no fair googling before you answer.)

1. Women’s Badmitton

2. Men’s LaCrosse

3. BMX Cycling

4. Men’s Table Tennis

5. Trampoline

6. Tug of War

7. Women’s Handball

8. Men’s Field Hockey

9. Team Archery

10. Women’s Air Rifle Shooting

11. Sychronized Diving

12. Taekwondo

13. Men’s Synchronized Swimming

First of the Last

Published August 13th, 2008 in Children, Life Observations and Personal. 0 Comments

So school started today. If you have children you know that means … back to the routine of lunch money and homework; soccer practice and PTA meetings; school dances and fund raisers. There’s a nice rhthym (okay, and sometimes … insane scheduling) that ebbs and flows through the house when the kids are in school.

But this year is just a little different …

Little Boy Blue is a senior. *sigh*

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those moms who followed the school bus to the elementary school in tears. On the contrary, when Little Boy Blue stepped foot on that yellow bus with his two older sisters I grabbed my purse and headed to the nearest Starbucks for an hour or two of sipping lattes and enjoying the knowledge that I had a few blessed hours to myself. (Okay, not quite like that … we don’t have Starbucks and I worked fulltime, but you get the idea. )

So my reaction to the youngest child heading out for the first day of school surprised me. The last first day of school … ever. We did the whole picture taking thing, because that’s a tradition in our house. But no more children will stand next to the tree, backpack in hand (because I want visual evidence for their chiropractors) and fidget while I work to get the camera focused and the picture framed just so.

Yep, there’s going to be a lot more lasts this year.
- last time filling out registration paperwork
- last open house
- last parent/teacher conferences
- last Christmas/Spring band concerts
- last of each sporting season
- last senior year events
- last … well you get the idea

I’m happy for Little Boy Blue. He knows already what he’d like to study in college and even where he’d like to go. It’s the way it should be. Children gaining their independence and making their own way in the world. And I’m happy he’s moving in that direction … really.

It’s just that the last two senior years didn’t quite affect me this way. There was someone coming up behind. But this is making me a little sad.

To think I’m closing the book on a HUGE chapter of my life. It’s just a little odd. And I’m not sure my heart’s ready for it.

Crossing the Line

Published August 11th, 2008 in Curiosity, Marketing, Nina, Opinions and Writing. 0 Comments

When people interview me one of the questions that always seems to pop up is “why do you write in different genres?” The question surprised me. I thought, writing a story is writing a story. But then I started reading marketing advice for writers. Branding is a word that continued to be bantered around.

Did I have a brand if I was supposedly bouncing all over the spectrum of erotic writing? I panicked. Who was I?

Then I stepped back and looked closely at the stories I’ve written.

The Healer’s Garden - Takes place in a future earth where a man and a woman are trying to find their way in a world that doesn’t believe they should be together. But riding on that relationship is some mystery that carries through the story.

Blind Love - A contemporary romance about two people discovering who they are and falling in love with each other. But the heroine is working to unravel the mystery behind her friend’s death.

Love’s Bounty - Centers around drug running up the Maine coast, but in the thick of it, two people discover love.

Arranging Love - An engaged couple discovers love isn’t always enough and fights to hold their relationship together. But a stalker infiltrates their lives and threatens everything they’ve become together.

Blue Moon Rising - A woman with a battered heart isn’t looking for love, but she finds it with a man who claims to be a wolf shifter. When a slaughtered body is found on the property where she’s vacationing, he has to wonder if she’s somehow involved.

Huh.

I relaxed. Those aren’t different genres in my opinion. The thread tying them together is the mystery/suspense part of the plot. I’m all about the puzzle. Weaving the story in such a way that hopefully the reader falls in love with the book while the main characters fall in love with each other. But on the coattails of the romance is something that keeps the danger up, the questions running through the reader’s mind…the mystery if you will. And of course there’s the added heat of the sex. *g*

Erotic suspense.

Not different genres. The same genre with a change of characters. It doesn’t matter to me where the story is set. Future, present or past. (Nope, haven’t done an historical yet … but I’m thinking about it.) The occupation of the character changes, but I can’t see how it matters if my hero is a breeder, a modern day piano player, wolf-shifting cop, or my current … a vampire firefighter. Isn’t it all about the sexy guy falling for the kick-ass girl next door and the life and death situations I throw them into?

So, what do you think? Should an author brand themselves and stay within one genre … say paranormal? Or do you mind picking up books by the same author that have different flavors to them?

Cause now I’m curious.

Thirteen Reasons we love Scotsmen!

Published August 6th, 2008 in Thursday Thirteen and Vacations. 9 Comments

In the middle of July my family and I travelled to Antigonish, Nova Scotia to see the Highland Games. It’s the second largest competition in the world next to the original games held in Scotland. And I took pictures with my new camera. It took me two weeks to figure out how to download them to my computer. Then last week when I hit “publish” I also hit some mysterious button and after two hours of uploading photos, my computer ate my blog. Urrrr …

So, the planets aligned, the computer didn’t puke out jibberish and finally … here’s thirteen reasons I thoroughly enjoyed the games …

1. Come on … kilts, kilts, and more kilts!

2. Everyone wore kilts. The hotel staff, the little children (OMG, a-dor-able!), the Catholic priest who did the blessing (and he was once a competitor and still holds Canadian records), the police, and the Royal Mounted Police…

3. The Highland Games is a bunch of men throwing stones …

4. And hammers …

5. And telephone poles …

6. And the whole time they’re doing it, you get to listen to the haunting sound of bagpipes.

7. So, we all wonder why everything weighs 56 pounds … well this guy, the master of ceremonies, explains that Europeans weigh things by “stones” and a stone is 14 pounds. So everything is some portion of 14.

8. So how did this whole thing start? Well, men being bigger versions of boys, when it came time to put away the blacksmith’s tools, like the 56 pound weights they hung around horses necks, one said “I bet you can’t throw that over the rafter.” And so it began …

9. Then they attached the weight to flexible pvc piping, called it a hammer, twirled it over their head and threw it behind them.

Notice the boots. They have special spikes to help them really keep their feet planted. I can hear it now … “Honey, Jim came over to play in the rock pile … do you know where I put my work boots and carpenter nails?”

10. The caber toss is probably everyone’s favorite event. You take one man, who has to pick up a 21 foot telephone pole, run with it …

11. Throw it in the air so that it flips end over end …

12. And hope they’ve thrown it well enough to land at 12:00 from their shoulders. (Notice the judge standing behind him to judge the position.)

13. So we had a blast … watching the games all day. But did I happen to mention they play bagpipes? Allllll day. Do you know how many tunes they play on the bagpipes? One. Even the most enthusiastic fan will loose it after eight hours of bagpipes!

Managing Time & Energy

Published August 5th, 2008 in Complaints, Life Observations, Personal and Ramblings. 6 Comments

I want to write.

I wake up in the morning and remind myself that this is my primary goal. When I’m making my sandwich, my current story still not having seen the light of day (despite spending the morning at the computer), I remind myself the afternoon will be spent putting words together to make sentences and create a story. When I get up in the late afternoon because both the dog and Little Boy Blue are looking forlorn and a little malnourished, I tell myself, right after dinner I will open that manuscript and write. Because I still haven’t stopped posting excerpts or working the Internet or whatever else I did for 4 hours that afternoon. But you know full well, when I fall into bed at 10 PM, I still have not accomplished that goal.

Part of it is my inability to structure my day. I’m a little anal … okay, family stop laughing … I’m a lot anal. In college I knew how I would roll through each day (including scheduled naps and play time) and it all worked for me.

Where have I gone wrong?

I know part of it is my own fear. Fear that I’m not going to find a good plot to carry my story. Fear that the cursor will blink incessently and I won’t hit one key and type one word. And when I do begin typing, fear that the words are so awful and run of the mill that I’ll have to scrap them anyway. So I don’t open the manuscript.

Dumb.

But I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this. I think lots of authors have this feeling. Or that their next story won’t live up to the praise of the others. It’s a weird place to be.

Add to all this … MS. Now, I’m not trying to make you feel sorry for me, it’s just a new fact of my life. Where once time really didn’t matter because I could just keep piling on the things and plug away at them until I was finished or exhausted … whichever came first. It seemed I got so much done then.

Ennnnh … (Hear loud gameshow buzzer.)

Now, the very act of showering and dressing wipes me out for half an hour on some days. Now that’s a pain in the @$$! There are some days my fingers don’t really want to type at all and they do this queer spasm thingy. That’s frustrating, I gotta tell you. But it’s something I need to work around and I gotta stop fussing and worrying about it.

Now you’d think, after three years of writing, I’d have figured out some kind of schedule for both my time and my energy. Not so much. And balancing my family in there? Let’s just say I’m glad my kids are grown up and my husband works late hours. Because I haven’t got that whole thing figured out either.

And I shouldn’t even complain. I dare say 90-95% of writers can’t support themselves on book sales alone and they work! Sheesh, I can’t imagine what I’d do if I had to squeeze that in too!

So, I’m just wondering … how do you do it? Writing, parenting, working, elderly parents, children … have you figured out how to balance your life? Please, let me know your secrets!

The Dog Ate It …

Published August 2nd, 2008 in Complaints, Family and Ramblings. 0 Comments

You’re probably not going to let me get away with this and I have to say … I’m soooo sorry! This week has gotten away from me AGAIN! I have no excuse. I still haven’t finished the last installment of Test Drive. I know … shame on me. We are so close to finding out what these two brothers are up to and what will happen to Margo.

And I can’t even say I finished my fireman novella, though I have been working diligently on it. Still… it’s not a good excuse. Now I’m travelling to visit my sister at the Maine coast. Of course it’s going to rain all weekend. But I don’t mind. She and her husband live in Maryland and only come to Maine for a few weeks in the summer. Needless to say we don’t get much visiting time. Sometimes a gal just needs her big sister. My big brother and his family are going to be at the beach too! Yay!

Anyway, I hope I haven’t scared you off completely. After talking with several authors who offer free reads, I’ve decided after I finish this one I’m trying something new. Hopefully you won’t give up on me!

And a happy wave to all my writer friends in San Francisco enjoying the final weekend of the RWA national convention. I’m lifting a margarita to all of you!

Bad Blog Day …

Published July 31st, 2008 in Ramblings and Thursday Thirteen. 9 Comments

I know it’s Thursday! And there should be a lovely list here of thirteen somethings. And there would have been. I spent a couple of hours last night working to bring you some looooverly pictures of my vacation, but alas, when I hit “publish” (but inadvertently “control” and some mysterious key …) my blog went away. Not just a little away … completely, lost forever gone to cyber space …AWAY. It was 11:15 at that point. I’d missed watching “So You Think You Can Dance”, (I listened to it with my back to the television … but really, it’s not the same thing is it?) and a couple of other shows I enjoy and I just gave up!

I was hoping to wake up this morning and it would be there. Like maybe it was joshing me. But alas, that isn’t the case. So you’ll get 13 vacation photos next week.

THIS week I’m taking the easy route … 13 of my favorite DVD’s on my shelf. In no particular order …

1. Shrek (2 and 3 also) - I’m a sucker for a green ogre and some Disney-esque music.

2. I Robot - with Will Smith. I love this movie (okay, I’m a girlie, drooling squeeeee fan of Mr. Smith’s)

3. Maid in Manhatten - with Jennifer Lopez. Because I’m a sucker for a romantic comedy. One of these days I’m going to sit down and actually write one!

4. 50 First Dates - Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. I don’t usually like either one of these two, but together they really make this work.

5. Ice Age (and the second one) - I just can’t resist an angst Wooly Mamouth and a lisping sloth. It’s a real feel good movie for me.

6. Wild Hogs - (I’m sensing a comedy theme … boy, I must have been traumatized by my blog disappearing.) Anyway, John Travolta, William Macy, Tim Allen, and Martin Lawrence. Four guys looking to recover their youth. Kind of a foolish ending, but the movie’s funny anyway.

7. Roxanne - A classic remake of Cerino Debergerac story with Steve Martin. The bar scene with 20 insults to his nose is priceless.

8. The 10th Kingdom - A little known 3 disc/10 hour set that features a host of actors too numerous to name. But it has some great fairy tale stuff. We watched it when the kids were early teens and fell in love. Little Boy Blue found it somewhere in cyberspace. Hey, maybe he should look for my blog.

9. Miss Congeniality - with Sandra Bullock. Butch FBI agent goes undercover at a pagaent. Hysterical.

10. Ever After - Drew Barrymore. A remake of Cinderella. It co-stars some little known actor who’s very funny … and very sexy.

11. Butterfly Effect - With Ashton Kutcher. A very sci-fi movie that really bends the mind.

12. Stardust - A relatively new film with a star-filled (hee hee a little pun) cast. Another fairy-tale romantic comedy.

13. 13 Going on 30 - with Jennifer Garner. A “BIG” remake for a girl. Still … very cute.

WELCOME!

You've found the blog site of Romance Author KARA DUNN and my alter ego, Erotic Suspense Author NINA PIERCE.

Writing is an interesting journey, one rife with obstacles. Getting my first book published in electronic format in 2007 was only one of the goals I've set for myself. I continue to write and submit and hone my skills. I use this little corner of the internet to share with you all the joys and tribulations of being a published romance author.

So pull up a chair, grab your favorite beverage, and share some time with me. Kara/Nina.