July 30

What movie are these two lines from:

"Friend, some of your folding money has come unstowed."

and

"Oh, George, not the livestock."

Today's winner, on this 30th day, wins Thirty Days by Shayla Kersten!

July 29

Name that gangster!

"When I sell liquor, it's called bootlegging; when my patrons serve it on Lake Shore Drive, it's called hospitality."

Today's winner will receive a book "Gaps in Your Soul" by Shayla Kersten!

Brief Excerpt, The Orca King, II

Scene: Doe Bay Resort organic restaurant on Orcas Island. Players: Tommy (the son of Big Tom) and Rule Jentry, the heroine. (I also use this photo for "Tommy.")

~*~

"I never joke about the power of an orgasm to disrupt the time space continuem." (Tommy)

"Beam me freakin' up!" Rule laughed and pulled a layer of cheese off her pizza. "Miss?" she called. "Could we get a box, please?"

July 28

Today's winner will receive a download of Tina Holland's "The Last Virgin in Vegas."

Who said this: The night before I left Las Vegas I walked out in the desert to look at the moon. There was a jeweled city on the horizon, spires rising in the night, but the jewels were diadems of electric and the spires were the neon of signs ten stories high.

Enjoy!

Darr

July 27

Let peace, descending from her native heaven, bid her olives spring amidst the joyful nations; and plenty, in league with commerce, scatter blessings from her copious hand!

Who said this beautiful quote?

Today's winner will receive a download of "The Trouble with Allie" by Lisa Andel.

The puppy and the kitty

Okay...they were cute and sleeping for a good hour tonight. However, the 10 week old kitten still does not understand that the 13 year old miniature dachshund does not want to play :(

July 26

Today's winner will receive a download of Passionate Destiny! Thank you, Dee S. Knight for stepping up on a day I didn't have filled!


And now for the question! What movie is this line from:

Boy, I got vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals.

July 25th

What movie is this from?

"Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges.
I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!"

Bonus question:

Who are Blondie, Tucco and Angel Eyes?

Today's winner will receive a book by Rhiannon Neeley (but I'm not sure which one yet!) and the bonus winner will receive an e-copy of my first novel, "Love's Second Sight."

July 24--Indpendence Day

Nineteen years ago today I was sitting on a bus, riding home from Portland, wondering what the Hell I was doing with my life. I'd been acting as a "people mover" for a Fife and Drum Corps and Brass Band composed of 600 twelve to eighteen year olds. It was very late at night. The kids were sleeping. All around me the other adults on the bus were chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo softly. I'd been practicing Buddhism for about five years at that point. We'd just held a large festival in Portland. I'm a member of the SGI-USA.

I was sitting next to a young man I'd gone to high school with. He joined the Army right out of school, so we didn't meet up again for for several years. We both showed up at the same SGI-USA meeting a few months prior to the Portland convention. Someone in their infinite wisdom figured Denny and I would make a good team for chaperoning the kids. I thought he was the most handsome man I'd ever seen in my life. Problem was: I was married.

I'd been married to the wrong man for five years. I lived in an abusive relationship, where my husband often chose reckless behavior, alcohol and drugs over our relationship. I'd been chanting for this guy's happiness and protection (to which he chucked shoes at me while I was chanting putting big holes in our apartment interior doors). Our relationship was not unlike Tina Turner's marriage as shown in the movie "What's Love Got to Do With It?"

So, here I was, sitting on a bus, wondering what I'm going to do when I get home. Well, first things first--my ex-husband would want me to partake in his constant worship of the cannabis plant. He'd probably greet me at the door with his bong in hand. No, "Hi, honey, how was the convention?" But rather a, "Wanna get stoned? No? You don't? Well f*** y**." He would often become verbally abusive, calling me, c**t, b**ch, wh**e, when I declined his offers to "worship" with him--if you get my meaning.

Here I am a non-smoker, who married a tobacco and weed addict, who was never more than a few steps away from his ciggies or his bong. Lesson learned: do not marry the first man who says he loves you, especially when the surprise he has for you is pot drying on his dashboard in the sun. I was hoping for chocolate, you know? Like...what was I thinking?

Back to the bus: as I listened to the soft chanting around me, I suddenly realized that I didn't want to be around drugs or the lifestyle I had fallen into any longer, I didn't love my husband, and all I really wanted to do was practice Buddhism with my whole heart. And then there was this big guy sitting next to me who really turned my cookies. But he was in a relationship, too. He, however, I found out later, was just as attracted to me as I was to him.

As I chanted softly, embracing the truth of my situation, a brilliant light filled my life--I don't know how else to describe it. I suddenly understood the phrase, "absolute freedom from the Law of Cause and Effect" and knew what I needed to do. Had I been a Christian, I would have said, "I was delivered from my sufferings" at that moment. I needed to tell the husband that it was the drugs or me and it was time for him to choose.

I returned home and told my husband just that: it was either he go to treatment and save our marriage or he could leave and go live with his brother and they could smoke dope and play video games all day together. He chose to leave. That was quite a blow having a man choose marijuana over me, but hey...it all worked out.

Flash forward from July 24, 1988 to February 12, 1990. I picked up that handsome man, Denny, and gave him a ride as he was walking in the rain. Seems he and his girlfriend had split up and he was living at his brother's house. In the parking lot of the store he was heading for, we kissed. We haven't stopped since.

Two weeks after we officially started dating we were engaged. Six months after that, August 11, 1990, we were married. Eighteen months after that we had a baby. And we're still chanting, still loving and still going strong.

Early in our marriage, we chanted together for the happiness of our ex's and that our relationship would be beneficial for everyone concerned. Denny's ex-girlfriend married a very nice man within a few months of our marriage. My ex husband went to treatment!

I am married to my mate from the infinite past. I survived a terrible first marriage to see the light at the end of the tunnel and now I stay in that light, baby!

Today, July 24th, is the day I consider my personal Independence Day.

So...answer me this:

Who wrote this: True love should be transformative, a process that amplifies our capacity to cherish not just one person but all people. It can make us stronger, lift us higher and deepen us as individuals. Only to the extent that one polishes oneself now can one hope to develop wonderful bonds of the heart in the future.

Today's winner will receive a download of my novel, The Orca King.

Please post your replies.

Thank you!

Darragha

July 23

No Sword-Wielding, Card-Playing, Therapy-Seeking French Freedom Fighters were deflowered during the production of this motion picture. However, rumors of Custer and Pocahontas remain unconfirmed.

This is an example of a "crazy credit" disclaimer that appeared at the end of just about every episode of one of my favorite TV shows. What's the name of the show?

Today's winner receives a download of Your Desire by Dee S. Knight.

Darr :)

July 22nd

Who wrote:

"Love isn't how you feel, it's what you do."

Today's winner receives a download of "Hey! I'm Hanging with a Time Surfer" by Celine Chatilion.

Please post your reply!

Enjoy--

Darr

July 21

Who said this:

Great balls of fire. Don't bother me anymore, and don't call me sugar.

Today's winner receives a download of Wayne Greenough's book, "For the Love of Erika." Did I mention that he's my stepfather? :)

Darr

July 20

Today's winner receives a download of Roxy Harte's "Sacred Secrets." I'll tell you, I yelled at this book! It brought out very strong emotions in me. Roxy really, really knows how to write and at least with me, knew all my hot spots. Had it been a paperback, I would have chucked it against the wall because I was so angry with the "hero." Nothing comes between me and my....(you'll have to read the book to find out what he keeps from the heroine that I, personally, refuse to give up under any circumstances)

Sooo....who wrote this line:

"It is easy to tell among girls which are familiar with their condition and which are not. Once a girl truly understands that she is a slave, and there is no escape for her, once she understands it truly, emotionally, categorically, intellectually, physiologically, totally, deeply, profoundly, in every cell in her beautiful body, a fantastic transformation occurs in her. She then knows she is truly a slave. She then becomes wild and free, and sexual, and cares not that she might be scorned by the free either for her miserable condition or helpless appetites; she knows she will be what she must; she has no choice; she is slave.

July 19th

Which TV character's maiden name was "Lucy McGillicuddy?"

Today's winner will receive a download of my ebook "Cold, Hard Kash" the first in my Shadow Lover Tale series.

It's my husband's birthday, too. Be sure to wish Denny "Happy Birthday!" (I'll show him the posts tonight.)

Thanks!

Darr

July 18th

What is this?
What do its symbols represents?

(I have several of these, in various designs, nailed to my front and back porch)

Today's winner will receive a download of a Denyse Bridger (but I don't know which book yet!)

Darragha

July 17th!

What is Proxima Centauri?

Post your replies! Today's winner receives a download of Alien Communion by Xandra Gregory (one of my personal favorite books).

Darr :)

July 16th

Which country has this phrase as it's "unofficial motto?"

Better shoeless than bookless

Today's winner receives a download of TA Chase's No Going Home.

July 15

Who wrote: I will not send lard through the mail

Today's winner will receive a download of by Lucinda Thorne--Agatha Baine, Undercover Passion!

July 14th

Who said this? And do you know what bombast means without having to look it up?

How now my sweet creature of bombast?

Today's winner receives a download of "Price of a Tattooed Soul" by Vivian Dean.

July 13th

What movie is this line from:

You're why cavemen chiseled on walls.

Today's winner gets the Great Wall of China, two pyramids, a 1930 Rolls Royce Phantom and a download of The Pilot and the Pin Up by Tina Holland.

However, the winner is responsible for shipping and handling on all prizes except the ebook. That, will come to you free of charge.

Post your reply :)

Darr

PS If you've won before you can win again. And darlings, please do the poll to your right!

Mooncusser Cove, clothed

Picture No. 1 was my "concept" for the cover of Mooncusser Cove.
Picture No. 2 was the fabulous April Martinez's first draft.
Picture No. 3 is a done deal. The cover for Mooncusser Cove.

And you're seeing it here first! You lucky people :)
(I'm not even sure the gods of LSB have seen it yet! My bad?)

Darr

July 12th

What movie is this line from?

Look, Huxley, why don't we just do it the old-fashioned way?
[Huxley stands up, shocked] Eeewww, disgusting! You mean... *fluid transfer*?

Today's winner will receive a download of "Losing It" by Kate Willoughby.

Please post your reply.

July 11th!

Who is she, and to whom does she make this speech?

Today's winner receives a download of an ebook by Lisa Andel!

Enjoy!

July 10th!

Who said this?

I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.

Today's winner receives a download of The Sword and the Sorceress by Renee Michaels!

Please post your replies!

July 9th

The remodel of my office is at hand. Under the floorboards* my husband found some 1958 newspapers. So, my question comes from one of them. My question comes, in fact, from the Bellingham Sunday Herald of September 14, 1958.

Who was the NY Yankees catcher-outfielder in 1958? (He was catcher from 1946-1963)

Clue: the catcher-outfielder's name is the same as one of these:

A) a famous cartoon bear
B) a candy bar with a white wrapper
C) a different candy bar with a brown wrapper

*putting up new sheetrock and fixing the floor where it was bi-level. the house was built in 1890 and there are no square walls, even floors or closets. and no, i'm not a huge baseball fan. but if I were, i'd yell GO MARINERS!

Today's winner will receive a download of Tiffany Aaron's book!

July 8th!

What is a male breeding horse called?
what is a female breeding horse called?
What is the common name for a baby horse?

These questions come from my daughter, the horsewoman. Post your reply for a chance to win an ebook by Taige Crenshaw!

Darr

July 7th

Who said, "Boil that dust spec?"

Today's winner will receive Amusing Amanda by DJ Manly!

Please post your replies :)
And don't forget: Dare to with Darragha!

July 6th

From whence comes a Thneed?

Today's winner receives a download of Forbidden by Lila DuBois.

Please post your replies :)

July 5th!

What is a group of the following animals called?
(example: a POD of whale, a PACK of dogs, a MESS of officers)

Unicorns
Cows
Frogs
Rhinos
Kangaroos
Crows
Larks
Owls

Today's winner will receive a copy of "Who is Offing the Collectors: A Thanet Blake Mystery" written by MY STEPFATHER, Wayne Greenough and published by Aspen Mountain Press.

July 4.5

For an extra ebook today...ummm...one of mine--your choice of download format--and because it is Independence Day and because I was thinking about "freedom" and what it means to me, who said this:

Freedom doesn’t mean the absence of all restrictions. It means possessing unshakable conviction in the face of any obstacle. This is true freedom.

Post your reply. Thank you!




Dare to...with Darragha

July 4th

More TV trivia. Who said this?

"I don't like threats, I don't like bullies, and I don't like you!"

Today's winner gets a download of Ashlyn Chase's "Wonder Witch!"

Happy Independence Day to all us Yanks. Celebrate it by keeping the bang in the bedroom where it belongs and away from your kids and husbands, who always gravitate toward the Roman Candles and quarter sticks of dynamite sold to make today a "rip-roaring good time" (for paramedics and emergency room staff).

July 3rd

TV trivia.

Who posed this question?

"Eaten any good books lately?"

Today's winner will receive a Measure of a Man download by the incomparable Bonnie Dee!

July 2nd

What is Chirophobia?

A) The fear of spinal maniuplation
B) The fear of chiropractors
C) The fear of hands
D) The fear of Egypt

Reply by posting :)

Today's winner will receive an ebook from Colleen Love!

Just a few of the ebooks you could win this month!

Thirty-One Days of Darragha and friends!

Every day in July, I'm going to post a trivia question. Could be about anything! Posters who reply with the correct answer will go into a random drawing at the end of each day for a free ebook download from the day's featured author. On July 31st, one of the daily winners' names will go into a drawing for...I dunno...what would you like? An ebook reader? Chocolates? An Amazon.com gift certificate? Something from The Spiritual Shack? I haven't decided yet. But the "grand prize" will be fabulous! Look who's playing with me this month!

Vanessa Hart
Rhiannon Neeley
Roxy Harte
Wayne Greenough
Vivian Dean
Celine Chatillion
Dee S. Knight
DJ Manly
Jamie Craig
Lila DuBois
Renee Michaels
Lisa Andel
Kate Willoughby
Bonnie Dee
Lucinda Thorne
Tiffany Aaron
TA Chase
Shayla Kersten
Xandra Gregory
Taige Crenshaw
Denyse Bridger
Colleen Love
Ashlyn Chase
Lacey Savage
Tina Holland

More coming! With book titles and cover art!

July 1st trivia question:

Which of these is NOT another word for a shovel or digging implement:

• spade
• cratchett
• trowel
• stick

Reply by posting :)

Today's winner will receive: a download of "Help! I'm Falling for the Vampire Next Door!" by Celine Chatillon!

Thirty-One Days of Darragha

Like most e-authors (and many print-only authors) I have a day job. I'm about to embark on 31 days of V A C A T I O N. I'll be home, working edits on Polishing Saber and Mooncusser Cove, writing The Orca King, II, and outlining my next, which is supposed to be a Terran Realm novel.

Thirty-one days. Thirty-one mini-contests, culminating in one grand prize winner on July 31st.

Look for more information on how to enter on July 1st! By then, I'll have figured out what the grand prize should be, too. :) Any thoughts?

Darr

Click me for full effect. Go ahead. You know you want to.

I love Pre-Raphaelite art

The Romans Leaving Britain by Sir John Everett Millais.

I look at this painting and see a magnificent story--one that I hope to write soon :)

What do you see?

I hang at this place when I need inspiration.

Contest is over!

The winners have been notified! The gods are smiling. The contest blurb has been removed. The sun is shining! And I am smiling, too!

Darr :)

The Return of the Old Gods!

Monday, June 18th, the gods return. Bound together in e-format, they are struggling against their ethereal chains, eager to become corporeal. Their tales may be too big to contain in a tradeback--but Liquid Silver is going to try to contain them, anyway. But first--in e-form. The gods urge you to take them home in e-format. They'll be very good to you. Not necessarily obidient, but naughty can be so much fun! Then, when your airspace and computer is filled by them, welcome them a second time. Harder. Fuller. Smoother. Able to collect dust and get dog-eared. A great gift for your mother!

The gods want to go home with you. They're always looking for new adherents. Oh, and they have a few new things to say (added text) in this 3-in-one treasure, too :)

Enjoy. You know they will :)

Darragha

I love my job!

I signed a contract on 5/26/07 and another today, 6/7/07. Two books on the way, babies! Of Flesh and Blood: Polishing Saber and Mooncusser Cove are in the Liquid Silver Books pipeline!

And the sequel to The Orca King is at 8000 words and I just wrote the first love scene. The hero of this still unnamed sequel (HELP ME! PLEASE!) is Tommy, Big Tom's son. The heroine (who has the same name as my heroine in Polishing Saber because I'm stuck on the darn name and I need to come up with a different one! I'll take your help here, too!) is getting ready to chase some whale tail :)

I love writing. I love sending my ideas off into the ethers to be pulled into your computers where you are both amused and titillated by my prose. What more could a girl like me ask for?

Not a heck of a lot, I'll tell you!

Darr!

oooo...Dare to with Darragha! (I just came up with a new tag line!)

Gisli, Shfiter. Vampire. Hero.

Okay...lose the tattoo (which I haven't quite figured out how to remove in PhotoShop yet) and this guy is a fairly good representation of Gisli (Geezli), my environmentalist shifter/vampire in Polishing Saber.

Here's a little snippet about Gisli:

Gisli cursed under his breath at the opening of the clay tomb found buried in a niche in the cliffs by an eiderdown gatherer. It was a remarkable find. One with dire consequences. He had long rued the day; wished for it never to come.

He had thought the item well-hidden. He had been entrusted to preserve it as a reminder of the great war between the Hidden Folk and the witches; a silent memorial in hopes that such wickedness would never live to serve and control humankind again.
The Old Ones, Gisli included, had grown complacent and even arrogant and vein thinking that they had ridden the world of men and women from the fabric of evil.

The moment the warm hand of the down gatherer touched the clay sarcophagus, Gisli awoke from his long sleep and he realized his dreams of a secure homeland were false and misleading. The ever vigilant, but rarely combatant Hidden Folk, called him to action. He was responsible, thereby he was charged to put right the situation.
He, himself, had sealed the baked earthen box and witnessed in silence as volunteer Hidden Folk transported it and hid it deep inside the basalt of Grimsey. They had sacrificed their lives to the sea after that last great act to protect the secret.

Only Gisli remained—and he went into deep hibernation.
Four hundred years passed. Time, tide, wind and rain had eroded just enough of the crypt to make it the perfect place for eider ducks to nest and leave behind their soft, highly sought-after down.

The man who found the box didn't know what it was--but knew enough to phone the Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft in Hólmavík, a small fishing village in the western fjords. It was no coincidence that said museum had been founded so far off the beaten track. It had been built upon the epicenter of witchcraft in Iceland. In the lands sacred to the Hidden Folk. In the lands coveted by developers.

Hopefully, there is room in the hearts and computers of readers for a new breed of vampire. This ain't your mama's Carpathian. This is a blood-sucking, shape-shifting , very blonde, very attractive Old One out to save Iceland from developers.

So, what do you think about a vampire with a mission?

Darr

Links to additional stock photos

This is my "idea bank" that I'm offering to Tina and Celine to fuel our "creative process." If YOU see something that just makes you scream: "I must buy this vampire anthology right now!" Let us know, huh? Thanks!

stock photos #1

stock photos #2


stock photos #3

stock photos #4

An embrace

oooooo....what about this one?
the beauty of April Martinez is that she can change colors on this kind of stuff to suit our needs.

I like this one, quite a bit. Darr

Open Posting Today!

Hi

For comments on the cover art process, I've opened posting today to anyone. No Google Account needed. Play nice, please :)

Thank you,

Darragha :)

The cover art process

It's time for Tina Holland, Celine Chatillion and I to put our pretty heads together and come up with a plan for the cover art for "Of Flesh and Blood."

LSB uses the fabulous April Martinez and her stable of artists to produce our cover art. I am not a fan of poser covers, so I opt for "stock art" morphing to get the cover I envision. It's either use stock art or go for hand-drawn art, like from LW Perkins--which takes longer but can have amazing results. There's also the "anime-type" covers that Ann Cain does.

Tina, Celine and I like the two posted stock art photos. April will, of course, change the covers (hair color, background, etc.) to match our vision--so it's basically the pose we're looking at. Why these two?

1) because they have not been downloaded 1000 times
2) because I haven't seen them on other covers right off
3) because both are a bit different than the standard "nekkid male torso" cover

Now: here are our questions to you.

A) Which would catch you eye most?
B) Why? (example: I wouldn't buy a vampire erotica book with a female on the cover or other reason)

So, please...share your thoughts. They are valued!

Thanks,

Darragha

Completely off the cuff blurb for Polishing Saber, because I haven't *really* written said blurb yet. So, read away and please improve upon it as you will! Thanks!

Polishing Saber is not your average vampire tale. No Carpathians. No dark, brooding, deadly handsome men wanting to give you the ultimate hickey. Polishing Saber's vampire is one of the Old Ones--kin to the Hidden Folk in Icelandic mythology. Shape-shifters, too, they have protected their homeland for millennia from the insidious draugur--witches wearing dead man's trousers. The Necropants. Flayed from the skin of a corpse, steeped with magic runes and foul desires to control, usurp and bring unhealthy changes to Iceland, the Necropants have a will of their own. Including the need for their wearer to consume blood.

Necropants have been found. An Old One has awakened. Big business is planning the utter destruction of Iceland's pristine wilderness. And Saber Evangelista holds the key that all three forces wish to possess.

Saber, an African-American/Korean descent American woman with a kick-ass attitude, brains more powerful than Einstein's and a fabulous booty is all about the money. Transferred to Iceland as a computer consultant for AlumaTrends, Saber's poor choices from the past catch up with her when she finds herself in bed--literally and figuratively--with forces from both sides.

I invite Celine and Tina to post their blurbs! In a comment or email them to me and I'll post them here later tonight.

Ali! You win the Darraghacare Package

Please email me your snail mail address at darragha @ gmail.com (no spaces)

Thanks to all who posted!

Darr

The sequel to The Orca King is at hand

But darn it--I'm having trouble picking a title.

Basis: Saber has completely lost faith that true love exists. While reading "The Orca King" ebook, she devices a plan to destroy a street on Orca Island called "Lover's Lane." While staying at Doe Bay in a little cabin directly across from the Sweet Spot Yurt, she notices a very attractice man, who smiles slyly at her and makes her thing that perhaps one more romp wouldn't hurt before she swears off me and goes to jail for defacing public property. While relaxing in the natural hot springs at Doe Bay, a Shamanic pracitioner/student from Bastyr University tells her that the reason she hasn't been able to spot the very special albino deer that hands out at Doe Bay is perhaps because Saber and the deer share a spirit. They can't be in the same place at the same time. Saber learns to embrace her difficulties as well as successess while getting to know (and romp with) the handsome man in the Sweet Spot Yurt. Eventually she will discover the truth about herself, and this man.

This book is written with humor--as it pokes fun at me! The author of the Orca King!

Some title ideas:

Doing In Lover’s Lane
In Search of Lover’s Lane
Doe Bay
Doing Doe Bay
Finding the Sweet Spot
The Orca Prince
After the Orca King
Chasing Orca
At the Crossroads of Enchanted Forest and Lover’s Lanes
The Orca King Rides Again
Doing the Albino
Making Waves in the Forest
The Orca King, Jr.
Deer Orca King
Fiction Walking
Fiction Swimming
The Sweet Spot
The Sweet Spot Yurt
Son of Big Tom

What do you think? The person who helps me develop the title will receive a free copy of the book when it comes out. Thanks!

Darr

Jack and I have a date today

I'm going to Pirates No. 3 today! But here's my favorite clip (taken by me, with my camera posed at the TV while my daughter hit pause on the DVD) from Pirates No. 2.

****hours later****

All righty then. POTC3 has all of the stuff that made the first movie SO WONDERFUL and all of the fabulous CGI effects that made the second movie so facinating. I've never been a big fan of incredibly thin actresses who should be eating a sandwhich instead of shopping for another size zero dress, but goodness...Keira Knightly was astoundingly good in this movie. She steals the show. She is no shrinking violet, I dare say. She is the King. There was just enough romance tossed into this wild adventure to make me gush with delight and of course, we meet Jack Sparrow's father. And mother. Kind of.






Loved it. Walked out the theater door and went back to the box office and bought tickets for Sunday 10:30 a.m Me and the kid loved this movie!

Darr

Who says old men can't run?

The students were counting strides from 3 horses each walking, extended walk, collected walk, extended collected walk, trot, extended trot and cantor. This is my daughter's riding instructor galloping the old man of the stable--a retired racehorse. That's me in the background with the "Oh, my!" and my daughter yelling "I love you!"

The Running of the Dauchshunds

After a long day of recording the strides of various horses over a 108 foot stretch of an arena, we were all a little nuts. Thereby, came the running of the dauchshund. The data will be added to my daughter's science project. I hope her teacher has a sense of humor. (Yes, that's moi sniggering in the background.)

Public kisses

Jerrod didn’t recall how he felt about public displays of affection in his life before Vesper Highgate-Adaire. He didn’t recall so many things. This, open mouth, full-on body clutching soul-kiss in the fresh meats section of the Marshes Coomb grocery market therefore, felt like a ‘first.’ As exciting as a first time and with twice as much anticipation and need as any other kiss he’d shared with this delightful daughter of a Mooncusser.

I'm proofing Mooncusser Cove today, and yanno...I like this scene. Damn. If I were a reader and read this, I'd want to read more. Ego alert: Sometimes I'm so brilliant! HA!

Darr :)

Excerpt: Polishing Saber

Polishing Saber is my novella in the upcoming Liquid Silver Books vampire anthology "Of Flesh and Blood." Polishing Saber is not your traditional vampire story. No Carpathians or Urban Angsty vampires here! Mine is an environmentalist vampire on a mission to save Iceland from greedy developers. He finds his champion in the form of Saber Evangelista, the woman with the key to the developers' dreams--but before he can enlist her aid, he has to put a shine on her attitude...

Excerpt, Chapter Four (with apologies to my own sweet mini-dachshund, Lyle)



The security guard didn’t know what to do. He’d never had trouble of this kind at the Pearl before. In fact, other than the occasional tourist shoplifting a trinket from the souvenir shop, his job was fairly uneventful. He placed his strong arm around the shaken woman. With a heavy German accent pervading her attempt to speak English to the guard, she described a horror he found hard to grasp. Had she been drinking? He sniffed her hair as she sobbed. No. There was no alcohol on her person. He cautiously peeked under her shawl. Sad brown eyes looked up at him, and a little tail wagged slightly—below what clearly looked like a human bite mark.
“I put his little leash around the pole and used the restroom ever so briefly. When I returned, he was gone. My little boy was gone.”
A miniature dachshund. Her little boy. The guard rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “And then you found him behind the potted plant?”
“Yes. With the horrible wound on his back!” the woman sobbed.
The guard stroked the red-coat dog’s smooth coat. “He seems fine, but you had better take him to the animal hospital on Langholtsvegur.”
“Someone bit my dog! He is not fine!”
“I have alerted the police, Mrs.—one will be here shortly. I must go examine the area where you dog was injured now. Will you be all right alone for a moment?” the guard asked.
The woman nodded and held her dog closer to her chest. There was a very miniscule ring of blood on the shawl above the dog’s hind end. Who would bite a dog? He thought immediately that a small child had stumbled across the hound and teethed upon the friendly little beast—but the bite marks were too large for a child. It was an adult. A lunatic. A lunatic at the Pearl. Or perhaps one of the Hidden Folk—the Yule Lad, Bjúgnakrækir, the sausage pilfer, came six months early and thought the little wiener dog was food. The guard chuckled. That would be something, indeed.

Eight things about moi

I got tagged by Roxy Hart (who thoroughly impressed me with her first book, Sacred Secrets, incidently)--so here are the rules and my 8 random thingies:

THE RULES:Here are the rules according to whomever likes to makeup rules (not me):
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (All's fair in Lurv and bloggin')
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Darragha's tidbits:

1) I will not drink out of a water glass. If I do, the glass will shatter against my lips. It will, I tell you! I prefer coffee mugs. Nice, solid coffee mugs.

2) I make up songs to annoy people in the car. I sing until they start throwing things at me.

3) I once worked as a Science Specialist, and actually had to remove brown bats from a school courtyard as a part of my job. Oh, and I fed and sexed snakes, too. Do you know how to tell a girl snake from a boy snake? I do!

4) I wrote my first book when I was 10 years old and submitted it to Random House.

5) My favorite piece of music is the soundtrack from Conan the Barbarian by Basil Poledorus. Love it. L O V E * I T!

6) I wear only clogs. I have worn clogs as my primary shoe for nearly 30 years.

7) I do not wear white. Ever.

8) Long story short: I was regressed by a hypnotherapist because of an irrational fear of a ditch at the end of our alley when I was a kid. While "under" I relived a past life where I was a little Jewish girl in Poland, gassed and buried while still alive in a mass grave--in a ditch. I began speaking German (which I did not speak at age 13) and gave incredible details about the place and the people around me. My mother still has the cassette. I "woke up" no longer afraid of the ditch.

What's harder than an ebook?

A tradeback! Coming soon:

Rachelle and Ana!

You are the blog winners!

Rachelle wins the tradeback of Love's Second Sight and Ana wins the LSB ebook of her choice!

Please contact me at darragha @ gmail.com (no spaces)

Happy Birthday to me and happy reading to you!

Darr

The countdown

On April 5th, I'll be 46 years old. Do I feel 46? I dunno. I think I act more like a kid than my own kid does sometimes. I really have only one birthday wish, and that's to have some new sheets. Isn't that pathetic? I want new sheets and pillow cases and pillows. If I ever make it to Target I could just buy some. But not Bed, Bath and Beyond. You wanna know why? Some blighter got ahold of my debit card account number on Friday (at 3:19 p.m.) and tried to charge $35.00 at BB&B. My bank caught the "funky key-in" immediately and flagged my account. I tried to buy my husband dinner at 6:30 p.m. and my card was "declined by the bank." How flippin' embarrasing is that? I ran my plump butt up the block to the nearest branch of my credit union and unraveled the mystery. So, I'm without a debit card until my new one is issued. Cash? Please! I don't use cash. I don't even have a checkbook! I am a debit card person. And now, I am nekkid in the wilderness. So, new sheets? Not today!

I like to give gifts on my birthday. It's more fun for me if those (whom I force to attend and participate in a 3-day event) celebrants around me are getting something in return for their praises. Yanno?

So, to one poster on this blog between today and April 6th, I shall give a gift. A signed tradeback copy of my first novel, "Love's Second Sight," and the Liquid Silver Books ebook of his/her choice.

Post happy!

Darragha :)

I am totally impressed. Good for her! Good show!

This is her video site. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JinasSuzyIQ

I read Google News. Maybe I should stop.

Somebody! Stop her! Do not let this woman have any more children when she can't take care of herself! No! Phew. That felt good to get off my chest.

"Britney has realized what a rock Kevin has been to her, and how out of control she has acted recently. She has been talking to Kevin every night for hours on the phone, telling him she still loves him. She just wants to be with him again, and thinks having another baby will seal their marriage," the source said.

However, according to recent reports, Britney isn’t doing very well in rehab.

After Britney checked herself in the Promises rehabilitation center in Malibu, British tabloid News of the World reported that the staff at the clinic said she was put on “suicide watch” after she tried to hang herself with a bed sheet.

"She is still very vulnerable.

Yeah, and a baby would help that. Babies should not be conceived and birthed to be bandaids for marriages! Get the woman on Prozac, off the booze and on Depo! Oy.

Dirty Dancing...wedding style. I love it!

Chickens = Love!

The April, 2007 issue of Romantic Times Book Reviews has an article called "Compassionate Women: Romance Authors Spread the Love." I'm happy to share that my whole "chickens = love" personal contribution campaign made the cut!

Darragha

Loco Jacobo

This is my handsome nephew, Jacob, who is on a walk-about in Central America. I'm not sure who the girl is, but she seems to be very happy standing next to Loco Jacobo!

Jake should pose for romance novel covers. Don't you agree?

Incidently, he agrees. :) We've discussed the matter when he was living in our shed's mini-apartment.

Darr

Full circles rock

This handsome young man was a two year old Icelander when I met him in 1979. His father and I started writing each other in 1978. Siggi, the father, Anna Lisa, the mother and Thordur, the little boy (not to mention the in-laws, parents, sisters, brothers)...

From the moment I met this wonderful family in Iceland, I knew they would have my heart forever.

When my daughter was born in 1992 (pictured, left) I named her after the little boy's mother.

In 1994, the little blonde Icelandic boy came to the US and stayed with us. My 2 year old daughter and the 17 year old youth bonded as if they'd been born and raised together.

In 1997, my husband and I took our five-year old to Iceland so that she could meet the woman I named her for. We met Thordur's sister, Sveinlaug, then, too. At 15, we could tell that Sveinlaug was a natural-born teacher. She recently graduated from University and is teaching...

In 2001 Siggi, the father, phoned my husband after the attacks of 9-11 and told him that if the Army wanted him back, that he should come live with them in Iceland.

In 2003 the boy, now grown man, welcomed his first child into the world. Thula Katrin. We look forward to the day she comes and stays with us!

In 2004 we had a visit from Siggi and Anna Lisa, the first. I never wanted them to leave!

2/3/07, we met up with our Icelandic love in Seattle. He escorted his grandparents to California to visit relatives (a lenghthy flight from Iceland to Boston then Oakland), then he flew up to see us. For 8 hours. We had pizza, Starbucks and hung out in various locales near SeaTac, then hugged good-bye and hope it won't be another nine years before we get to see him again.

I dedicated Love's Second Sight to his father.
I dedicated Devil's Food Kate to his baby daughter.
I used his name, both of his grandmother's names and his father's name as characters in Love's Second Sight.
I named my only child after his mother.
We totally love this Icelandic family--all of them. They are as pure, rich and passionate as the history and land that bred them.

Darragha

The Magic Word is...

Actually, the magic word is a short sentence. It's what I wish you.

BOUNDLESS JOY

Now, go ye here...and do that thing...