That U Turn Was a Little Something More!!!

Hey everyone,

Well, it wasn't an earthquake that kept me away this time, but two somethings, one scary and one more exciting. In fact, since I had a book come out this week, and couldn't be around for the fun, you know it was something serious to prevent my attendance.

I was in hospital.

I can't go into all the details right now, and for the most part, I'm alright. But without scaring you all (or myself more) I've been away having some tests and procedures done. I'm still in the middle of things, but I made Jonathon take out my computer so he could send this letter out to everyone. I knew (depending on who you were) you'd be worried or irritated or just flat out shaking your head over my odd behavior.

I'll probably be in here through the 30th of May.

Then, part II of the something comes into play. Right in the middle of all this, Jonathon finds out that we are being sent elsewhere to work. He's got a choice between several locations, both foreign and domestic, but we will be leaving Macau as soon as I'm healthy enough to do so. AAAARRRGGGHH!!!!! Once I know more about that I'll share.

But talk about getting hit with everything at once!!!! So, between that and the medical issues I've been unable to go online or do any kind of work at all. Though laying in bed does offer a lot of opportunities for dreaming, I must say. LOL

It is said that life hits you all at once and now I can surely attest this to be true.  So, please don't worry if you don't see me for awhile. Jonathon and I have talked and we've decided for my health and so we can get us packed up and moved to wherever without adding to my medical problems, I'll be taking a hiatus for awhile. I'll keep in touch with those key people I've already mentioned before, but right now I just don't have the strength to do more. Please forgive me for that.

My personal FREE READ... I'm so sorry all. I made a huge mistake not writing ahead because I was enjoying the cliffhangers right along with you. But it doesn't help to have a predated blogger set up if you don't have something to put on it! I won't do that again. I will say if I can find the time to write installments, I will put them up. But that probably won't be until after the first of the month and I'm out of hospital. And I will promise NEVER to do it this way again.

My chat group and chat blog... I'll drop in when I can, but if you don't hear from me, don't worry. If something unusual happens, I'll get a note to you somehow and I thank you all in advance for the prayers and loving thoughts I know you'll be sending my way.

Blessings to all and I'll miss you so much!

The Perfect Way To Get To Know Someone

 Hey all,

It's Friday and you know what that means.  I have another great author for you to get to know.  Today's guest is Jessica Freely, a fellow Loose Id Author who writes some really great M/M books.  Here's a little about her...

Jessica Freely has been writing and publishing genre fiction under a variety of names for over fifteen years, but it wasn’t until she stumbled upon a stash of Jay and Silent Bob fanfiction that she found her true calling: male/male romance. She hasn’t looked back since.

With such great books such as Virgin, Instinct, The Ice Prince and the Eppie nominated Rust Belt, she delights her readers with hot, tender romance that always leaves you wishing for more. 

I've read several of her books and her characters are emotion driven and well rounded so you wind up living and breathing what they're going through.  Recommended for anyone who enjoys a good M/M romance, especially those who enjoy a little paranormal or fantasy with their reading.

So please help me in welcoming Jessica to CJ's Living Dreams...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for having me on your blog, CJ! And big thanks to CJ's readers for stopping by. Please feel free to ask me any questions you have.

When I started thinking about what to write for this, I was a little bit stumped. As an author and a writing instructor, there's not a lot I do in a day that doesn't involve writing somehow. Yet I really like the idea of this blog as a place for authors to share ourselves as people, beyond the next title we're marketing.

So to refresh my memory that I have a life beyond the written word, I started browsing through my photos file. I came across this picture and I thought, well, what better way to get to know someone than to meet their family?

The woman on the far left is my great-grandmother, Johanna Heysemann Marks. She was born in the mid-1800s in a little town near the Polish border called Flatow. There is very little left of Flatow now, after two world wars. Mostly fields and just a handful of houses.

Johanna was deaf and lived with her brother, a wealthy vintner -- until the brother got married and it was time for Johanna to move out of the house. A marriage was arranged for her overseas in America. As the family story goes, there were two brothers who were prospective husbands -- one was responsible and prosperous, the other was a gambler. Those acting on Johanna's behalf believed they had secured Wealthy and Prosperous for her, but when she arrived in Detroit, she discovered that there had been some sort of mix up, and she'd been saddled with Gambler instead.

They settled in the Gratiot Ave. area of Detroit, at that time heavily populated by German immigrants. When Gambler died, he left Johanna with four children and no money. Because she was deaf, she never learned to speak English.

So there she was, in a foreign land where she did not speak the language, with no income and four children to feed. She had to do something, so she took the children's wagon to a wholesaler's warehouse down the street. Since this was the Gratiot neighborhood, the people there spoke German. She told them that if they would let her take some of their goods -- soap, twine, sugar, flour, etc. -- and sell them out of her wagon, she would repay them their cost, plus a percentage, and keep the rest of the markup for herself.

They agreed, and Johanna went into business. She parlayed that wagon full of sundries into a brick and mortar general store with which she supported her family for years to come.

It wasn't until I was in my thirties that I learned from a cousin that Johanna was Jewish. There had always been a family story about how when my grandfather came to call on my grandmother, Johanna chased him down the street with a broom. The explanation given was that it was because he was a mechanic, which never made a lot of sense to me. However, if they were Jewish, and he was a Gentile, then it makes a lot more sense. Although really, just look at him. Would you want him around your daughter? He looks like a turn of the century James Bond. And by the way, neither of the women in that photo is my grandmother. I'm just sayin'.

Anyway, Grandma converted to Lutheran when she married Grandpa, and my mother, who endured some appallingly anti-semitic remarks from college classmates at the University of Michigan during World War II, never told my father or us kids about her Jewish heritage. (Below are my mom and dad, just before their marriage.)

The great irony of it all is that they settled and raised us kids in Oak Park, a suburb of Detroit that was predominately Jewish up until very recently. As a kid during the late sixties and seventies, I was often the only Gentile among my friends -- except I wasn't. According to Hebrew tradition, which follows the female line, I'm Jewish.

It was hard on my mom when the word got out. She'd kept that secret for so long, she was certain everything would fall apart once people knew. Of course nothing of the kind took place, and eventually she saw that, and I'm grateful that before she passed away she had the opportunity to know that it was safe for her to be all of who she really was.

It's popular nowadays to think of ourselves purely as individuals -- sole captains of our destiny. But the truth is, the lives of our ancestors echo in everything we do. And I'm good with that.

Thanks for reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A great blog and it made me look back at my own family and the wonderful things I've gotten from them.  We've got a horse thief and a Native American shaman in my background along with a few others we don't talk about in polite company.   But Jessica is right.  They are a part of us and should be celebrated.  I know I smiled when I read her blog and it made me give my mama a call just to say hi.

Learn more about Jessica Freely by going to her website and blog at http://www.friskbiskit.com/

I'll see you next week!

Hugs,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/secondchances/lifesadance.htm
http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/

What Is it About A Bad Mood?

I was in a bad mood the other day.  Really.  I had my grump on like no one's business.  It wasn't something personal...not this time.  A moron jerkface asshole had hurt someone I loved and I was furious with him for doing it.  And, since I'm not someone who takes things like this rationally, I spent the next six hours thinking of slow and painful ways for this man to die.

Does that make me a bad person?  Or a loyal one?  I wonder.

I can honestly say if the moron jerkface asshole in question had passed by me in the street I would have been tempted to push him if front of an oncoming bus.  And I might have even smiled at the tire tracks on his face.

After a while I couldn't just stomp around the apartment anymore snapping out curses and planning my enemy's demise.  I need to breath and walk and maybe snarl a little bit more.

Bad idea.  Because as I may have mentioned once or twice (or a hundred) times in the past, some of the people over here are just plain rude.  And the last thing I wanted to deal with in the middle of my mad were rude people.  Talk about tossing gasoline on a blazing fire.

Let's just say the afternoon progressed from bad to worse.  I stomped.  I growled.  I glared.  But if you'll remember from a previous blog, since I'm mostly invisible to these people, (being a Westerner and all) at first they didn't even notice.  Well, I can tell you, when someone is in the middle of a grump, NOT being noticed is the worse thing that can happen.

The blazing fire was now a towering inferno.

Down the street I strode, my fury like a cloud of deadly wasps hovering around me.  Those who didn't use proper sidewalk etiquette (which these people don't seem to understand in the first place and seriously, how hard is it when you're walking two abreast to drop behind your partner for the split second another person has to pass you?) and move out of my way were mowed down like chattering little toy figures.  Cab drivers squealed to a stop, and their tires went flat in horror, foodcart vendors huddled behind their stands and prayed to the gods that I would pass by and leave them unscathed.  I tell you, by the time I was in full grump mode, even the dogs of Macau tucked their tails between their legs and ran the other way.

Damn, it was satisfying.

After several hours of scaring the residents of the city, my anger, while not gone, was at least manageable.  The decision on how to deal with the moron jerkface asshole had been made (and I promise you, that bus would be preferable to what I'm going to do to him), I'd walked at least a gazillion calories off, not counting those that rage burned off all on it's on, and for the first time--and this was the best part--I wasn't invisible any more.

Everyone knew who I was.

Now as I walked down the street, it was like the parting of the red sea.  Everyone saw me coming and either plastered themselves up against the building, stepped off into the street, or, as in the case of one small child (and I kinda sorta regret this part...but not much), ran screaming into her mother's arms.

When I do a grump, it's a good one.

And then I wondered...  Did I pass my bad mood on to anyone else?  Are grumps transferable?  Will that food vendor dump a bowl of ramen on some customers head?  Will that tiny little girl go home and throw a tantrum because she had the misfortune to see me at my crankiest?  Do I even care?

Now, thirty-six hours later, I have to say I don't think so.  I loved my grump.  It did exactly what I needed it to do.  Blew all the cobwebs out of my brain with the strength of it's rage.  And helped me think clearer.  Just like a good mad is supposed to.  So I can't be upset I gave in to my bad mood.

Besides...I was tired of being invisible anyway!

See you next time!

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/secondchances/lifesadance.htm
http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/

 

Arranged Marriages In India

Hey all,

It's Friday and I'm back up and running with by Friday Guest Bloggers.  Today's author is another fellow TMDRA blogger and once I read her blog I was so please to have her here.  Here is a little bit about this awesome author.

R. ANN SIRACUSA is involved in many activities, but her two favorite are traveling the world and writing fiction.  This talented author combines those loves into novels which transport readers to exotic settings, immerse them in romance, intrigue, and foreign cultures, and make them laugh.

After receiving a degree in Architecture from UC Berkeley, she traveled to Italy.  There she worked in Rome for an Italian architecture and urban planning firm and married the Sicilian policeman she met at the Fountain of Love on her first day there.  When she and her husband returned to the United States, they settled down to career and family.  But the travel bug never left her.  While working for over thirty years in her chosen career, she made time to travel and began to write fiction that incorporated many of her experiences and observations.

Today, she is retired, lives in San Diego, California, and writes full time (which is as many hours as an Italian husband, three grown children, and eight grandchildren will allow on any given day).  She has been active in Romance Writers of America since 1985 and recently served two terms as Co-president of the San Diego RWA Chapter.  Her first novel was published in 2008, and since then Sapphire Blue Publishing has released seven more works.

Shall we see what she has to tell us about her travels?  Please join me in welcoming her to my blog...

************************

I love to travel almost as much as I love to write, and I’ve managed to combine those two passions into writing novels which transport readers to exotic settings, immerse them in romance, intrigue and foreign cultures, and make them laugh. In 2009, I traveled to India’s Golden Triangle, the cities of Jaipur, Delhi, and Agra, located in the heart of northern India. India is a large country with a population of 1.1 billion people and has an amazing variety of language, culture, and tradition.

When I travel, I’m always looking for something so unique about the country that only certain stories could happen there or for pieces of information about the culture that spark a story idea. When our Indian guide, Amit, mentioned that, even today, ninety percent of Indian marriages are arranged by the families, I was surprised and interested.

While readers and writers of historical romances are familiar with the arranged marriage scenario, contemporary romance novels generally deal with two people falling in love. What kinds of situations could occur in contemporary India where most marriages [I can’t vouch for the ninety percent figure] are still arranged even though women are out there getting educations and working in the work force?

In India today, there is a difference in the terminology used. “Wedding alliances” are arranged marriages brought about by parties other than the bride and groom. If the partners choose each other, the term is “Love Marriage.” “Love marriages” are more common in the big cities and urbanized parts of India.

Historically, because the religious caste system didn’t allow interaction between men and women, an arranged marriage was the only option. All the references I could find indicated that even today the instance of arranged marriages is very high [no percentages given], but―there’s always a but in there somewhere―the criteria have changed. More and more frequently the preferences of the bride and groom are taken into account in the negotiations. However, marriage is still considered a marriage of families rather than a liaison between two individuals.

Who actually does the negotiating depends on the community and the family. Sometimes it is the parents, but may also be uncles, aunts, or other older relatives. At times, an official matchmaker is called in, particularly when there are complications like a less attractive woman, a divorcee [divorced women are still treated as social outcasts], or previously broken engagements. [While the references didn’t mention gender, I assume these sources mean women who have broken engagements, not men, but I don’t know for sure.] Matchmakers may be individuals or businesses, perhaps the Indian equivalent of a dating service or eHarmony.com.

The Process

While the steps in arranging a marriage differ from one community to the next, they are basically the following:

• Announcement. The guardians of the bride or groom make it known publically they are seeking an alliance. The announcement is usually triggered by another event such as graduation from college, getting a job, or the marriage of an elder sibling.

• Horoscope Matching. This is big. Interested parties have to be astrologically compatible. The wedding date is part of this. The families don’t just choose a date. A muhurta, or auspicious moment, is chosen based on the time of the year and the horoscopes of the bride and groom. Sometimes the wedding has to be planned for nearly a year in the future, while sometimes the auspicious moment is within the month. Some sources say astrological compatibility is often used to reject an offer.

• Background Check and Interview. Well, I guess marriage is a little like getting a job. The families exchange photos or videos. If that pans out, they may arrange an interview, or darshan, between the couple with other family members present. Often the bride and groom have met only two or three times before the marriage. The process also includes a background check including bad habits such as smoking, drinking, drugs, as well as other issues like anger management. That one blew me away. The background checks are done through friends, relatives and sometimes by more modern means like record checks and PIs.

• Contract Negotiations. The dowry and the logistics of the marriage are negotiated by the families.

• Engagement. Once everything is settled, the engagement is announced. The “Eating of the sweets” marks the end of the negotiations, followed by gift exchanges between bride and groom begin. The engagement period and the actual wedding are whole topics unto themselves. Indian weddings are generally as elaborate and expensive as the family can afford within their economic range.

I also found in my research that divorce rates in India are beginning to rise, particularly in the new middle class and among working [empowered] women with independent incomes. That tells us something, doesn’t it?

An interesting case in point. A young woman originally from Sri Lanka, who worked for me in my prior career, had been in the United States for at least ten years and graduated from UCLA. She was a professional woman making good money. Upon returning from one of her periodic trips to Sri Lanka to visit her mother, she announced she’d gotten married. Apparently, her mother [concerned regarding her marital status] had hired a matchmaker who identified several eligible men. The mother had interviewed them, picked three she liked, and insisted her daughter meet them when she came to visit.

My employee [and friend] said she “kind of liked one of them,” and so they were married. Frankly, I was shocked that after her integration into American culture she would marry a man she’d met only once. It took three years for her to get a visa for her husband to come to the US. When he did, they had a child and not long after that she divorced him. When I asked her why, after all the brouhaha, she said he treated as he would treat a Sri Lankan woman, and she didn’t like it.

Well, duh! Bite my tongue. At least I didn’t say it aloud.

I’d love to hear comments from women knowledgeable about this topic. I’m dependent on what I was told in India, one Indian acquaintance and research on the Internet. Personal stories always offer new insights. What one reads and hears isn’t always correct, and usually leaves out some important facts or mitigating circumstances.

The high point of the trip to India was a visit to the Taj Mahal, one of the eight man-made wonders of the world. Located in Agra, the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his dear wife and Queen, Mumtaz Mahal. Part of the wonder and allure of the Taj Mahal is the beautiful love story behind its construction.

Shah Jahan, whose real name was Shahab-ud-din and known as Prince Khurram before ascending to the throne in 1628, was the son of Jehangir, the fourth Mughal emperor of India. At the age of fourteen, he met and fell in love with Arjumand Banu, later named Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess of fifteen [born April 6, 1593]

After meeting her, Shah Jahan told his father he wanted to marry her. Five years later, they married. [I assume this was an “arranged marriage” but was definitely a “love marriage” also.] When Shah Jahan became the Emperor in the year 1628, he entrusted Arjumand Banu with the royal seal and gave her the title of Mumtaz Mahal, "Jewel of the Palace". Shah Jahan had other wives also, but, Mumtaz Mahal was his favorite and even traveled with him on military campaigns.

In the year 1631, when Mumtaz Mahal was giving birth to their 14th child, she became ill and died due to complications. It is said that Shah Mahal was so heart-broken after her death that he ordered the court into mourning for two years, and eventually undertook the task of constructing an unsurpassed monument to honor the memory of his beloved wife. The monument, completed in 1648, took 22 years and the labor of 22,000 workers to construct. It cost 32 Million Rupees.


I’ve used my travel experiences in writing a humorous romantic suspense series entitled The Tour Director Extraordinaire Series, published by Sapphire Blue Publishing. The setting of the latest full-length novel in the series, Destruction Of The Great Wall, is based on my travels in China.

For more, visit me at my website: http://www.rannsiracusa.com

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Sounds awesome, doesn't it.  Like me, she uses her travels to make her stories exotic and delicious.  Give some of them a try and see what it's all about.

And if you're looking for an exotic story, don't forget my FREE READ, Hustle into Love.  It's set in Macau, an island nation off the southern coast of China.  It's the Las Vegas of the East and the story will literally blow you away.

I'll be back next week with whatever catches my fancy!

Hugs,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/secondchances/lifesadance.htm
http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/

Not a U Turn, but More of a Kick in the Butt

Hey all,

So, as promised, I'm back with some news that sorta relates to what I was talking about a month or so back.  Remember the U turn?  Well, losing my online capabilities for the last few weeks wasn't a U turn, but more like a kick in the butt.

What do I mean?  Well, not being able to spend the time online was horrible in a lot of ways.  I missed my friends and fans, I wasn't able to do research when I needed to and I couldn't keep up with my online responsibilities like promoing, lists, emails and blogs.

As the days went by, I funneled that frustration into other avenues.  Instead of spending hours on emails and fan mail, I was able to dream out four new novels.

Instead of fussing on my blogs, I was able to create worlds and characters that not only made me take a second look, but made me want to stay around for more.

And instead of worrying about all the advertising, promoing and other "duties" of an author, I was able to do what an author is supposed to do.

Write.

No big deal, right?

Wrong!!!!!  As I spent my days doing what I loved, I realized how much I'd gotten away from it.  Don't get me wrong, some of that other stuff is important too, but it should NEVER be more important than the writing itself and somehow I'd forgotten that one salient fact.

I won't forget again.

So, things are going to be a bit different.  I'm not sure of all the deets yet, but instead of spending hours online, and doing all the promoing I was doing, I'll be doing what I really want to do.

Create those worlds, characters and romance that you all want me to.

I may not be around as much, but the trade off--better stories and a happier CJ will be worth it.

In the next couple weeks I'll be reworking this blog schedule as well as some of my other duties.  You may not see me around as you used to, but I'll be here still.

And hopefully it won't take another earthquake to make me understand how lucky I am to be doing the one thing I've always wanted to do. 

Hugs and I'll see you next time,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/secondchances/lifesadance.htm
http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/

A Quick Announcement

Hey all,

I'm sorry it's been awhile.  I've been unable to go online due to what was going on over here in Asia, but I'll be back on Monday with a short blog and some news, so make sure you check it out!

Hugs,


 CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/secondchances/lifesadance.htm
http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/

Why I Am A Team Werewolf

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't been around too much. My internet is down--I'm assuming due to the problems going on over here. I had someone else put this up for me so forgive me if it isn't as CJ like as usual.  Not sure when things will be back to normal, hopefully soon.

Today's guest blogger is Eva Gordon, another fellow Truly Madly Deeply Romance Author.  Here's a little bit more about her.

She has a BS in Zoology and graduate studies in Biology and has taught high school Biology, Environmental Science and Anatomy/Physiology. Her background in science and passion for wildlife biology adds credibility to her writings.  She also moonlights as a faculty member of the Grey School of Wizardry, an online school for kids and adults interested in magic and lore.  A member of Romance Writers of America, she has also taught workshops on wolf lore and falconry for writer groups.  She has volunteered at a wolf sanctuary and is involved in other aspects of wildlife education. 

 

She is a world traveler and loves visiting the places where her novels take place. She lives in Northern California with her husband and family. 

Sounds great, right?  So lets see what Eva has for us today!  Welcome, Wolf Maiden!  :-)

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My blog is about why I am team werewolf when I chose to create my paranormal romance lycan series, The Wolf Maiden Chronicles. My passion for wildlife, especially wolf biology (my degrees are in Zoology and Biology) and my love of mythology was like the mixing of chocolate and peanut butter to create the Reeses Peanut Cup. I had to combine my two great loves. The call of the wild meets romance. Why the wolf? That was easy. The wolf is one of my totem guides and in fact has been the totem guide for numerous cultures. Nothing sends a chill down your spine more than hearing a wolf’s howl in the night. 

While at a wolf sanctuary, I spent the night in a trailer on the grounds and was privileged to hear night after night of thirty wolves in their nightly serenade. No sound is more awesome. Wolves have traits we admire. They are powerful predators, with complex social behavior, and what appeals to most romantic readers, wolves are monogamous. In reality wolves have a low hunting success rate and the average wolf is the size of a German Shepherd so I made my lycan wolves huge, the size of bears with cool tribal tattoos. The Beast of Gevaudan legend of 1764 of Southern France spoke of such a large wolf creature/werewolf said to be the size of a bull. I knew then that my lycan had to be larger than the average wolf.

I studied myths about wolves from around the globe. In Native American culture the wolf is an important archetype. They had great respect for the wolf and often offered prayers before a hunt to the wolf spirit. Wolf spirit was also powerful medicine for shamans who traveled to the world of the dead. In Europe just as in the New World, myths and stories about wolves are universal. Early Europeans Respected the Wolf as Protector and Teacher. From the Steppes of Asia Minor to the British Isles the Wolf was mighty totemic protector. Hecate, an Ancient Greek deity was worshipped as a goddess with three wolf heads. Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus who were fed by the she-wolf, Alcala/Lupa.

In Ireland, King Cormac was nursed by a she-wolf. Myths about heroes being suckled or raised by wolves are ubiquitous and would take too much space for this blog. In the Viking world to be a member of the Wolf Clan, Ulfhednar was the greatest honor. Viking warriors believed that if they died a heroic death they would be turned into magnificent wolves. Vikings also believed wolves chasing and devouring the sun and moon caused eclipses. Two wolves accompanied Odin, ruler of the Norse Gods. He created the wolves Freki (Hungry One) and Geri (Greedy One) as loyal companions. 

Many of these wolfish tales were actually werewolf stories. As Europe went from hunter/gather to a agricultural land grabbing cultures the wolf was no longer seen as friend but rather foe. Tales of ravenous wolves haunted the land. From Lycaon being turned into a werewolf by Zeus to Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf became the new evildoer. Werewolves roamed looking for human prey. There are numerous accounts of werewolves devouring people. And so many ways to become a werewolf, from wearing a wolf pelt, from a curse, drinking from a specific water hole or the classic bitten by a wolf and influenced by the full moon. I then I began to see history through the eyes of a werewolf. What if werewolves were real? Mine would be genetic and super powerful. If they were, they would need to keep themselves secret. Thus my creation of my werewolf universe, in The Wolf Maiden Chronicles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Eva says, wolves are powerfully romantic characters.  Lucas, my hot hunky werewolf in The Peacekeeper series is one of my favorites.  He's strong, totally alpha, but sensitive, moody and with a temper that would scare the most frightening demon.  I love using wolves in my books and while a wolf isn't my personal totem--mine is a hawk--I am drawn to them because of their beauty, mystery and serenity.  Eva's books are well written and have that touch of realism from her studies that shows she knows what she's about.

And you have to admit she looks great in a Red Riding Hood outfit!  The pic at the beginning of the blog is of Eva and her handsome--if you like them hairy--husband. LOL   Let her know what you think in the comments below.

For more about Eva, check out her blog http://evagordon.blogspot.com where on each full moon she interviews a famous werewolf and like creature or person. This month she plans to interview Little Red Riding Hood and she welcome comments about the new movie, Red Riding Hood. Go take a peek at her trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UMtDFJB7kE Explore her other books on http://www.ravenauthor.com

Become a fan on Face Book http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eva-Gordon/45924449313

Hopefully, I'll be back on Monday with more fun chats.  It depends on if they get the internet dealt with and I can find somewhere to hole up and get all my work done.  But if you don't see me, don't worry.  I haven't been taken by wolves *vbg*.  At least, not yet, damn the luck!  LOL

Hugs to all,


CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/secondchances/lifesadance.htm
http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/

The Other Perfect First Line

Hey all,

Last Wednesday, I talked about my contest and the Perfect First Line for a book.  But as I was writing it out for posting I realized there is another first line...one that is just as important in any romance.

The first time you actually speak to a potential lover.

Now we've all heard those ridiculous types of first pick up lines.  There are lists of them online and of course, who hasn't seen the TV shows where some guy tries to pick a girl up in a bar and comes out with a beaut like...

"What's your sign?"

Wow!  Boring much? 

But I've got to admit, some lines can be intriguing, even if they are a little silly or even overused.  And though I rarely used first lines with my characters as a hook (they usually meet in some other dramatic way), I have a few times, so I've done my research.

Here are a few of my favorites.

1.  Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again? 

2.  When I'm older, I'll look back at all of my crowning memories, and think of the day my children were born, the day I got married, and the day that I met you. 

3.  If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together. 

4.  Do you have a Bandaid? Cos I just scraped my knee falling for you.

5.  Do you have a map? Cos Honey, I just keep gettin lost in your eyes. 

6.  It's not my fault I fell in love. You are the one that tripped me. 

7.  Wow!  If you were a laser, you'd be set on "stunning". 

8.  Your legs must be tired because you've been running through my dreams all night.

9.  If beauty were time, you'd be eternity.

10. Is there a rainbow today? I just found the treasure I've been searching for! 

And these...guaranteed to send the person screaming from the room.

1.  If you were a booger I'd pick you first.

2.  My love for you is like diarrhea, I just can't hold it in.

3.  Excuse me, but does this smell like chloroform to you?

4.  I'll give you a nickel if you tickle my pickle.
5.  Do you live on a chicken farm? [No] You sure know how to raise cocks.

6. Wow! Are those real?   

7.  You are so beautiful that I want to be reincarnated as your child so that I can breastfeed by you until I'm 20. 

8.  Gee, that's a nice set of legs, what time do they open? 

9.  If I flip a coin, what are my chances of getting head?

10. I wanna floss with your pubic hair.  

Can we say ick!  Seriously, do any of these work?  Or are the recipients so shocked or laughing so hard, the person giving the line thinks they've actually done what they've set out to do?

Some of the ones in the first category I might laugh at and depending on how I read the guy offering them, I might allow a conversation, but I'd know it was a line.  Whether he wants to me to tickle his pickle or he's scraping his knee falling for me, I sure as hell would know it wasn't anything serious.  First lines in a relationship are just like what they are in a book.

A way to hook you and get you to take a second look.

So how about you all?  Do you have a favorite pick up line?  One that made your ick factor hit mach 10?  Or did your significant other use a line that had you turning into mush?  Did you use one on them?  Let me know in the comments below.  I'd love to add your funny or sweet perfect first line to my list!

See you on Friday with another guest blog from the amazing Eva Gordon!!!

Hugs to all,

 CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/secondchances/lifesadance.htm
http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/

 

  

A Very Different Sexy Shapeshifter

Hey all,

Today, one of my favorite all time stories was published.  And I'm so excited to have it back on the "shelves" so to speak.  Here Comes Peter is filled with humor, romance, holiday spirit and of course all the hot steamy loving I'm known for.  So take a peek and if you've never read this awesome Spring story, pick it up and you'll see why reviewers say the following... 

Hot, hot, hot love scenes will scorch your fur, and the strong feelings and delicious dilemmas they encounter will leave you wanting more.  A Recommended Read.~~~Joyfully Reviewed

I applaud CJ England for creating such a warm and funny tale of two people in love while bringing out the true meaning of Easter: forgiveness and love.  A Recommended Read. ~~~Fallen Angels Reviews

A mesmerizing romance, which is often poignant yet sometimes humorous and always entertaining. Every word of this imaginative love story will delight any time of the year.~~~Ecataromance Sensual

Readers will be amused by the clever ways CJ England uses the bunny theme.  A refreshingly humorous and erotic tale that is sure to keep readers charmed!~~~CK2S Kwips and Kritiques 

 

Ms. England has definitely hit the mark with Here Comes Peter! The characters are truly unique and refreshingly likable.  ORGASMIC.~~~Just Erotic Romance Reviews

Here is a little bit about his great book...

 Meet Peter Cottontail… the randiest rabbit in Easter Village. When he’s challenged by the Easter Bunny to show his Easter spirit by teaching a human woman the true meaning of the holiday, Peter thinks he’s got it made. Half-human himself, and able to shapeshift at will, he hasn’t met a doe… or woman yet who can resist him. This assignment will be a cinch.

 

   Enter Bunny O’Hara. With a name like hers, and a dark secret that haunts her, Bunny hates everything to do with Easter. Peter won’t have it as easy as he thinks!

   One look at Bunny has Peter forgetting all about the challenge, and in Peter, 

Bunny sees a chance for the happiness that has eluded her. But secrets and lies have a way of coming out, and Bunny and Peter find themselves having to decide if what they’ve found together is worth fighting for.

 Enjoy this quick taste of an excerpt... 

It was a while later before Bunny noticed Peter needed another beer.  As Chris pulled one, she drew little hearts on her tray.  “I think he likes me.  Not like those other guys.”

“See, sweetie.” Chris nodded his head.  “Not everyone cares about your past.”

Bunny’s head jerked up.  “He knows?”

“Uhhh...”

“Chris!”

“Shit.”  The blond rubbed his chin.  “He asked about you last night, and before I knew it I told him everything.  I’m sorry.”

Her heart felt like it was bleeding.  Peter was like all the rest. After just one thing.  And if he could get laid doing it, well that was just an added bonus.  Anger swept through her, driving out any lingering passion.  “Give me his beer.”

Taking a deep breath, she strolled back to Peter’s table. 

He met her eyes and smiled.  “I wondered when you’d be back.”

“Do you still want to go home with me?”  Bunny leaned over, noting how his gaze went straight to her cleavage.

Peter suddenly had trouble with his breathing.  Her breasts were so soft and silky looking.  “Uhhh, yeah.”

“And I suppose you want to get to know me a little better,” she murmured, running a finger over his bottom lip. 

“Yeah, baby.”  He clenched his fists to keep from touching her.  He wasn’t sure why she’d changed her tune so fast, but he was more than willing to play the song.

“And afterwards we can talk.  Really go…deep…into what each other is about?”  She slid her bottom onto the table so her thigh was pressed up against his arm.

“Deep…real deep,” he managed.

Nodding her head, she ran her free hand through his short black hair, mussing it even more than it was.  “You’ll probably want to know all about me.  All the intimate details of my past.  The robbery, my arrest?”

Peter blinked, wondering where she was going with this.  But her hands felt so damn good.  “Anything you want, honey.

“So, you’ll take anything I have to give you?” 

She smiled down at him in a way that made him suddenly want to bolt for cover.  “Yeah,” he said cautiously.

“Good.”  Bunny stood abruptly.  “Then let me start with this.” 

~*~

Want to know what she gave him?  Read more on my Website... http://cjengland.com/peter/herecomespeterexcerpt.htm

And don't forget to check out my latest Contest.  Give me your perfect first line and win a free custom story of your very own.   

See you on Wednesday with a fun blog about another kind of PERFECT FIRST LINE.

Hugs,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/secondchances/lifesadance.htm

http://cjengland.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/

Memory...the diary we all carry with us. ~Oscar Wilde

Hey all,

Another guest blogger is here today.  Fellow Loose Id author and also a member of Truly Madly Deeply Romance Authors, Elizabeth Silver writes some awesome stories.  Let's find out something about her, shall we?

International woman of mystery and wearer of many hats, Elizabeth Silver is a writer, a worker, a nerd, and a self-proclaimed internet junkie. An avid reader all of her life, Elizabeth also began writing at an early age, and fell in instant, undeniable love. It's been a long and wicked affair, but literature is damn good in bed with a cup of cocoa.

With her feet planted about halfway between New York and Philadelphia, Elizabeth has often been accused of having her head in the clouds, although what she's really doing is just thinking really hard. Elizabeth can frequently be found at the local diners or coffee shops with internet access and bottomless refills, working on new story ideas on her own or with her close friend and co-author, Jenny Urban.

Got you curious?  Me too!  So let's take this time to welcome her to the blog and see what she has to say.  Welcome, Elizabeth!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you, CJ, for this wonderful opportunity to visit your blog. I have to admit, I went through a lot of ideas, trying to come up with the perfect blog post to share with you. I only hope this one does the job. ☺

What I want to talk about is the funny miracle of human memory. Stop and think, if you will, about how our lives are just collections of little snippets of time, mental photographs and over-exposed video from our childhood reinforced by the stories our family tells about us when we get together for birthdays and holidays. My eldest sister-in-law loves to tell tales about how cute and demanding my husband was when he was little, the late in life baby for his parents, and sometimes I swear that I can see him like the little toddler she remembers, up at sunrise and ready for a whole day of playing.

Memory can play tricks on you, too. When I was eighteen, the Boyfriend (now Spouse) and I went to Scotland with a bunch of silly Americans for the first proper Scottish Highlander: the Series convention. It was matched up along with a regular science fiction con, much to the Boyfriend’s delight, but all I cared about were my Immortals and Watchers. There was the regular convention, and a long, gorgeous tour of the Highlands afterward for us Americans that I’ve got an entire photo album full of. But if you ask me or anyone close to me about that trip, none of that will be what comes to mind first.

Instead, I’ll tell you that drug- and bomb-sniffing border dogs like chocolate just as much as normal pups.

We’d flown all night, from New York to Glasgow; coach seats, Northern Lights out the window, a screaming baby in the back of the compartment, white-knuckled at the thought of flying over a flipping ocean. When at last we landed and shuffled into the queue to get into the airport proper, none of us really cared much about the security dogs. The worst I had was a couple packs of cigarettes and a few chocolate assortments from the factory I worked in – gifts for specific people. Nothing I couldn’t live without, and nothing I wasn’t half sure customs wouldn’t give a fart over, anyhow.

So the German Shepard and his handler came down the line – I’m looking for drugs, looking for bombs – the dog’s head damn near swiveling off his body when he passed me. On the second pass, of course, Fido ignored the yummy smells coming from my bag and walked on by, but I was marked.

“You.” A customs officer pointed to me as I bee-bopped past him, dressed in pastels, my long hair in a sloppy tail and the Boyfriend trailing about ten feet behind me, looking like the Spectre of Death, pale and all in black. “Come here.”

So we went over, and listened to the officer as he listed the various things one was forbidden from bringing into Scotland. Guns, knives, drugs, explosives… “So,” he asked, “do ye have any records?”

I blinked sleepily at the Boyfriend, who had managed a couple of hours of sleep. Clearly that made him custodian of the communal brain. “Records?” I asked him in a hushed whisper. “Did you…?”

He shook his head. “No. You?” It was beyond us why anyone would bring records on an airplane. Hell, I hadn’t even been able to find a needle for my mom’s turntable in over two years.

As we continued to whisper back and forth, worried that we’d somehow missed something, other customs agents began to close in on our little group. And then, suddenly, I understood. We were, after all, two nations separated by a common language.

“Oh!” I said, reaching into my purse. “I have this CD! He’s at the convention we’re going to!”

I brandished my Jim Byrnes CD at the officer, who did a slow fade, closed his eyes, and just waved us on, subtly signaling the other agents to fall back.

It bothers me, a bit, that I can’t remember the names of most of the people I spent the following two weeks with. We did all the usual convention things for that first weekend, and then went all over the Highlands, having what I’m sure was a grand adventure, if the pictures are anything to go by.

There are other stories from that trip, of course. There’s the story of the Menacing Spider that Would Not Die. The tale of how Liz learned that you never, ever water down good scotch with ice. And of course there’s the Glasgow karaoke bar full of kilted guys singing “It’s Raining Men.” But the story of how I almost got arrested by the Scottish border officials over a box of chocolate and a blues CD is the one that, naturally, stands out the most.

But the point is that at least I have learned my lesson about the fragility of memory. That one moment, early on in my trip of my young lifetime left its mark all over my mind and recollections, so that even to this day, more than a dozen years later, when I mention that I’ve been to Scotland, and someone inevitably asks how it was, that is the first thing that comes to mind.

I learned, in a roundabout fashion, that it’s all in the pacing. You don’t want to have the best bits in the very beginning, because the rest will be forgotten far too easily. It’s helped me in my writing, in my story telling, and taught me the true value of a really good punch line.

Because, you see, it wasn’t until a year, and at least half a dozen retellings of The Story later, when I got to the “records” part of the story with a coworker, that it suddenly clicked. I ran off, and called the Boyfriend.

“Records, baby,” I said. “As in criminal records.”

There was a long pause. And then, “OHHHHHHH.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That was great!  LOLOL  I didn't get the records part either.  I was scratching my head wondering why they'd worry about any type of music.  When we went to Scotland, no one cared what music we were listening to!   LOL

Anyway, let Elizabeth know in the comments below what you thought.  Did you figure it out?  Or like me, did you get to wait for the punch line?  

Like what you read?  To learn more about Elizabeth and what she’s up to check out her online hangouts.

Website and Blog: http://www.urbansilver.net

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LizSilverWrites

Truly Madly Deeply Romance Authors: http://trulymadlydeeplyromanceauthors.blogspot.com/

Dirty Birdies: http://dirtybirdauthors.blogspot.com/

I'll be back on Monday with a fun blog about another type of PERFECT FIRST LINE.  Don't forget to check it out!!!!


Hugs to all,
CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/secondchances/lifesadance.htm
http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/