February Coming Attractions!

by Caren Crane

February 2, you won't want to miss the fun as Kate Carlisle launches Book Two of her fabulous Bibliophile Mysteries, If Books Could Kill. I can't wait to find out what's happening with Brooklyn and the mysterious Derek! It's going to be a wild time in the Lair, with prizes and cocktails and chocolate and cabana boys...and more. Don't miss the party and the prizes!




February 3, Nancy Northcott hosts Edgar and Emmy Award winner and RITA nominee Hank Phillipi Ryan. Hank will give us the scoop on the ways her career as an investigative reporter influenced her creation of reporter heroine Charlotte McNally, who's juggling a demanding job, a new love, and a budding relationship with her lover's daughter--and risking her neck in the pursuit of truth and justice. Hank's latest Charlotte McNally novel is Drive Time. Can't wait to hear how Hank's experiences inform her writing of this great heroine!




February 4, Donna MacMeans hosts Lisa Cooke, whose new humorous historical release A Midwife Crisis is set in the Appalachian Mountains of the 1890s. A captivating midwife discovers she’s engaged to three different men (thanks to her zany family) and falling in love with a fourth. Lisa will be talking about what we love and hate in heroes. I am a total sucker for zany families!





February 5, Jeanne Adams interviews Brad Parks, whose gritty debut novel Faces Of the Gone follows reporter Carter Ross as he investigates four execution-style murders and finds a connection between the victims that puts him in the killer's sights. The man had a cover quote from my idol Harlan Coben on the cover of his debut. I can't wait to read the book and to know more about Brad!





February 19, romance and urban fantasy author Seressia Glass joins Nancy to discuss Shadow Blade, the first book in the new Shadowchasers urban fantasy series. With an Egyptian dagger missing, a 4000-year-old Nubian warrior seeking it, and sinister forces turning Atlanta upside down to get to the dagger first, shadowchaser Kira Solomon has her hands full. Sounds like spine-tingling fun!





February 21 Christie Kelley interviews Janet Mullany about her new Regency-set historical release, Improper Relations, featuring the impertinent Charlotte Hayden, whose cousin Ann's bad behavior may cost Charlotte the husband she is growing to love. Oh, my, falling in love with one's husband?! What is a Regency woman to do?






Contests and Prizes and New Releases, Oh My!

Anna Campbell recently received the gorgeous Australian edition of Captive Of Sin. It's a lovely trade paperback that isn’t available overseas so she thought she'd share the joy. TWO lucky people can choose which of Anna's four books they’d like to receive in the bigger version, so the prize is a signed copy of either Claiming the Courtesan, Untouched, Tempt the Devil or Captive Of Sin. All you have to do is email Anna on anna@annacampbell.info with the title of her June 2010 release. You might find the answer in the Latest News on her website. For more information, please visit Anna's Contest Page.


Christie Kelley is running a contest on her website through February 28. Just stop by and tell her something scandalous that you've done in your life — she promises not to tell and claims it doesn't have to be scandalous, merely fun — and enter for a chance to win an autographed ARC of Something Scandalous.





February may be the shortest month of the year but it will be jam-packed full of fun! It looks like the happenings in the Lair will be hot enough to keep all of us in the Northern Hemisphere warm. For those currently sweltering in the Southern Hemisphere, at least the party will distract you from the heat and humidity! I hope you will all make a point of popping in each day to see what's happening with all of the thap gump, Bandita Buddies, special guests and, of course, the Golden Rooster!

So, Bandita Buddies, what are YOU looking forward to in February? Inquiring Bandita minds want to know!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Book Booty!!!

We have a winner from Monday's open letter to Amy Adams! But first, I wanted to thank everyone for making it such a fun day in the Lair. Just so you know, I'm sitting by the phone, waiting for Amy's people to call. I've got a really good feeling it'll happen any time now. I'll keep you posted! ;-)

Meanwhile, the winner of the ARC of IF BOOKS COULD KILL is . . .

Elyssa Papa!!!

Congratulations Elyssa, my darling! Write me at katecarlisle99@yahoo.com with your snail mail address and I'll send that ARC out to you, post haste!

P.S. Hey everyone, don't miss my book launch party this Tuesday! Fun! Games! Prizes! Cocktails! Men in kilts??? Oh, yeah!! Woohoo!!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Happy birthday, Lucy!

Wishing the happiest of 31st birthdays to my twin sister, Lucy. It has been so much fun to grow up with you. xoxoSource URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Just Scored Me Some Otherworld Pig-faced Orcs

I have been waiting for these miniatures for 4 months. Finally they arrived a couple of days ago at my FLGS! As I was paying for them, I told Don at The Sentry Box that he is my new hero. He said he'd like to bring more Otherworld figures into the store, particularly the Demon Idol miniature, modelled on the idol from the front cover of the original AD&D Players Handbook. If you are thinking of buying any Otherworld miniatures, let Don know, that may embolden him to bring that Demon Idol mini in as well, and have someone paint it up for the display case.


Now comes the fun part, painting these Pig-faced Orcs up, and getting them onto the table!
Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Secret Formula?

by Susan Sey

I hit a writing milestone just before Christmas. I turned in Book 2 on my first contract. Now you'd think Book 1 would be the milestone, wouldn't you? The first one, the big kahuna. The one that merited The Call we writers love to talk about for years and years to come. But I'll tell you the truth--it's Book 2 that I'm really proud of.


And why am I prouder of Book 2 than Book 1? Because I wrote Book 1 (Money, Honey, coming July 6 from Berkley Sensation--have I mentioned that?) under absolutely no pressure. Nobody cared if I wrote it, nobody cared if I finished it, nobody cared what I did between "once upon a time" and "happily ever after." It was my book, my baby, & somebody--goodness only knows why--liked it enough to buy it. That was lucky. Not that I'm knocking luck--I'm darn grateful for it--but with Book 1, I presented the publishing world with a done deal.

Book 2, though? That's a different story. That one you write with somebody looking over your shoulder from start to finish. It's the one you have to outline before you write, & get the outline approved. Then you have to write something approximating the outline, and pray you've managed to turn the outline into a story that has even a little bit of the verve & charm that sold people on the first book.

It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much. I wrote Book 2 two separate times--not two drafts so much as in two completely separate books. I wrote it the first time in about eight months. I wrote it the second time in two months. I don't recall anything between Halloween & Christmas, I truly do not. But I finally got it right. I did the work & I'm proud of it.

I thought I was in for a well-deserved vacation but my agent has recently informed me that we should now be thinking about what we want to propose to my editor for a follow up to Book 2 (now sitting on her desk awaiting jugment.) So for the past two weeks, I've been racking my addled brains for fresh story ideas. For some gorgeous, high-concept pitch that's going to convince the powers that be to take another flier on me in an economy that (to put it politely) blows.

I'll tell you this--for all the flack romance gets for being formulaic, this was not as easy as it should have been. If there's a secret formula out there for writing a best-selling romance, will somebody please send it my way?

In fact, hey, why don't you? If you had to write a recipe for your perfect romance novel, what would it look like? Do you like your heros dark & broody? Funny & smart? Dangerous & suave? What about your heroines? Shy & sheltered? Kick butt & unapologetic? When a dog takes center stage, do you cringe or melt? Give us the skinny! Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Double Bandit Booty-Jo Davis & VLT

posted by Suz
Today, I hope to warm up your winter nights by giving away double the bandit booty by announcing winners from guest appearances by Jo Davis and Vicki Lewis Thompson!



The winner of a signed copy of I SPY A WICKED SIN by Jo Davis is LAURIE! The same Laurie who won the Golden Rooster that day! Congratulations, Laurie!

AND

The winner of a signed copy of BLONDE WITH A WAND is MARNEE!! Congratulations Marnee!!

Please send your snail mail address to swwelsh2001 AT yahoo DOT com(yes there are 2 W's in that addy.) And I will see that both Jo and Vicki get those prizes to you ASAP!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Initiative And Attack Priority

My earliest gaming experience with combat initiative in Dungeons and Dragons was of the semi-random variety. Both sides (the party and the DM) rolled a d6, and whichever side rolled higher had initiative that turn.

As we became "more sophisticated" gamers, we turned to individual initiative, with each player rolling a d10 and adding their Dexterity bonus. The DM would also roll a d10, and attack priority would be granted from highest to lowest number, with the monsters attacking at the same time, based on the DM's roll. At one point, we even applied weapon speeds to our initiative rolls, so that players with faster weapons had a better chance of striking first.

I find this table (from the Ready Ref Sheets) to be very curious. It suggests that, after "Glance", "Breath" and Missile weapons, the longer and slower weapons have priority during combat. To be sure, a character weilding a faster weapon can modify the timing of their attack by having high Dexterity and wearing light or no armor, but the table still suggests that on balance it is the longer, slower melee weapons that act first.

For me, the attack priorities proposed in this table only make sense during the first round of combat, when the combatants first come to blows. After that, i'm not sure I would use this table to determine attack priority. I might still give Glance, Breath and Missile weapons the advantage, but would then reverse the order of the melee weapons, so that the short weapons would have earlier attack priority.

In modern Dungeons and Dragons, i'm not sure it really matters who strikes first (particularly when your characters have advanced several levels). But in Chainmail's Man-To-Man Combat section and Fantasy Supplement, attack priority is of critical importance. That is because, before the innovation of Hit Points, a successful hit resulted in an automatic kill. Therefore, whoever gained attack priority possessed a huge advantage, since, if their attack was successful, they would kill their opponent, thereby avoiding being killed themselves.

This could explain why attack priority and initiative was taken very seriously in early versions of Dungeons and Dragons.Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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A 3-D CATURDAY COLLAGE

There is no rhyme or reason to this collection of pictures.  They are just ones that I like.

I have also included some of those "lurk-alikes" called squirrels (they're always lurking and they look alike).  We have so many black ones and they all look the same from a distance.  Up close it's a different matter.


(Biggify at will!)



This was a cool shot because it was taken through the bush, which gives it a partially mottled look.
I just love the detail on his little fingernails in this picture.





Here's a different squirrel, on a different day, noshing away in the safety of the tree.
This little guy has a lot more brown on him -- you can see it on the inside of his legs and tummy.  He's quite the chubby fellow as well.  Look at those thighs!



This is a brave little nosher -- appears to be pure black with quite the luscious tail, and deft fingers.



Although you can't see any detail for this one, I really like the picture.  The little guy surprised me by just peeking around the corner of the house, close to where I was sitting.  As I said -- they're lurking everywhere!





This is Dylan watching his reality TV from the comfort of the cat bench.  The squirrel has just reached the first branch of the tree on the left.





This was taken on a bright and sunny day.  It's the shadows that I find interesting, in addition to the marked contrast between my little Domino and my behemoth Dante.





Here's Dylan on the same day.  Again, it's his shadow which I find compelling, plus the hint of Dante's tail at the bottom right of the picture.





Once again, the shadow play enhances Domino on her stroll.  I caught her mid-step, which is always kind of cute.



On a completely different day, you can see the sun is no longer shining.  The sky is overcast which makes for a totally icy effect.  Here's Dante on the long trek to the end of the driveway.



Brrrrrrr!  It's a good thing Maine Coons are built for this kind of weather.





Dylan comes to the edge of the road to see what's going on.  Neither of the mancats ventured any further.
The landscape looks so desolate.  There's also some odd reflection from the camera lens on Dante.





And on yet another day in the recent past, here's Daddy and Domino enjoying a together moment on the front porch bench.  Isn't that all kinds of cute?


So that's all I've got for today.  Enjoy your Caturday everyone!
Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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The Passing of Icons

by Jo Robertson



My husband says everything comes in three’s. Three natural disasters in a row, three appliances breaking down within months of one another, three celebrity deaths.

This week two very different but memorable writers passed away.

According to reports, American crime writer Robert B. Parker died at the age of 77 at his desk, writing, of course -- the literary equivalent of a cowboy dying with his boots on. The incredibly prolific writer, noted especially for the Spenser (no first name) series (“s,” not “c,” like Edmund Spenser), also penned the Sunny Randall series, as well as my personal favorite, the Jesse Stone books. He also wrote numerous stand-alone books and westerns.

When I heard the news of Parker's death, I felt like an old friend had died. He's one of the few writers I auto-buy in hardback and his Spenser books are a throw-back to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammet.

Then on Thursday reclusive J.D. Salinger, whose iconic work The Catcher in the Rye has been read by millions of teenagers (usually in their sophomore year in high school), died at the age of 91.

The Catcher in the Rye is rich with teenage angst, rebellion, and alienation. I taught Catcher for many years and have had parents seek me out at Back to School Nights to say, “This was the defining book of my adolescence. Thank God, you’re teaching it.”
Or, on a rare occasion, a parent might grumble something like, “That damned book ought to be banned.” Such controversy has surrounded the book since its publication in 1951.

Risking the wrath of a conservative school board, I went all Holden Caulfield on the latter kinds of parents, showing a spark of courage in my career when answering, “I don’t believe in censorship of any kind.” Ouch, what a rebel.

So now I hold my breath, not really superstitious, but uneasy, wondering silently what I’d do if one of my favorite writers no longer penned the stories I love. It’s unthinkable that I’d never read a new book by Stephen King or J.D. Robb, J.R. Ward or Kate Atkinson, Meg Gardiner or Anna Campell, Mary Balogh or Anne Perry, Robert Crais or Michael Connelly. And the list goes on . . .

Salinger hadn’t published in forty-five years but by accounts there were piles and piles of notebooks at his home. He claimed he continued to write because he enjoyed it so much.


Right now I’m reading Brimstone, one of Parker’s westerns. A new Jesse Stone book comes out next month. Was this the last book he wrote, I wonder?


Now, your turn, readers. Which two authors would you mourn if they never wrote a new piece of writing? They don’t have to die! Just no more new stories. And yes, you must narrow it down to two and you must share why.
Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Have a fabulous weekend!

My darlings, what are you up to this weekend? If you must know, I will be turning the grand old age of 31. We'll be celebrating with a maternity massage and lobster rolls (and hopefully something peanut-butter-and-chocolatey). Have a wonderful weekend, my lovelies, and here are a few great posts from around the web...

A Paris onesie!

The Unhappy Hipsters tumblr makes me laugh out loud.

Cute pink blush.

The making of the Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Grandpa's wedding.

A magic curtain!

Love Anna Bond's shopping round-ups.

What a RAD identity for a design firm.

Yahoo, Tina Fey will be on the March cover of Vogue.

Now THAT'S a log cabin.

A black wedding dress. So chic.

A hilarious website about the Facebook updates of annoying married couples.

The Mast brothers are making me hungry. (Mmm, a salt + pepper chocolate bar.)

Side braids.

This Sixx family has seven kids but amazingly still finds time to renovate homes...and write a new book.

Pretty blouses. (Do people still call them blouses?)

Loved Abbey's post about those moments of “absolute and perfect happiness--the ten to twelve that comprise a whole life." Beautiful.

Plus, five Cup of Jo posts you might have missed:
* Floating houses.
* Cute summer dress.
* A day in the life of Abbey Road.
* Awesome parents.
* Staring contest.Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Cheap Timberwolves Clippers Tickets!

Hey Timberwolves and Clippers fans!! Ticket King would like you to know that we have an AWESOME selection of Timberwolves vs. Clippers tickets for the game tonight at the Target Center. Our ticket prices start at just $5 for upper level tickets or $50 for lowers. We even have courtside seats that are currently HALF of face value! Grab yours now before they're gone!!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Jason Aldean Odeum Colorado Tickets

Jason Aldean will be performing at The Odeum Colorado (formerly the Broomfield Event Center) in Broomfield, Colorado on Thursday, March 18th. Ticket King has a very nice selection of Jason Aldean tickets to the show starting at just $70 each for seats on the main floor! These great deals will NOT last long so grab them now while you still can! Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Tea submarine

Now that I'm not drinking wine, I've returned to my British roots and am drinking tea. Every evening, Alex and I make a steaming pot of cinnamon-y Bengal Spice. So I laughed when I saw this funny submarine tea infuser. Genius!

What kind of tea do you like?

(Via Swissmiss)Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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WWE US Bank Arena Tickets

Hey WWE fans!! Ticket King has great news for you! The superstars of WWE will be coming to US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday, May 22nd at 7:30 pm. If you haven't had the chance to see these guys live in action, now is your chance to get GREAT seats at a very inexpensive price! Our WWE US Bank Arena tickets currently start at just $40 each for lower levels. You won't find deals this great anywhere else so grab them now!!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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Street Style Memory Game

Funny news: When I posted about Barbara's Amsterdam street-style blog last summer, I joked that it looked like a hip version of the game Memory. Well, lo and behold, Barbara told me she was actually inspired to make it into a Street-Style Memory Game, which comes out this March. Yay, how fabulous! It looks like so much fun to play.Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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3D-s: THE TWO-TH OF THE MATTER

Although I have three cats with D-names, they are usually much better off in twos, than in threes.  And some twos are better than others.

There is a rather circular nature to the 3-D hierarchy.  Domino rules the roost, Dante is second in command, and Dylan takes the bottom position.  Domino and Dante get along quite nicely, and their every interaction is peaceful and harmonious.

Dante and Dylan also get along very well, though they have those mancat "rassling" sessions every now and then.  Dante will keep Dylan in line if he goes too far, though.  He will raise his mighty paw and Dylan will back off.

Domino and Dylan are another story.  Although Domino is able to strike fear into Dylan and force him to back off, Dylan's basic instincts often get the better of him.  Domino and Dylan interactions often end in hiss-terical controversy.  So, at times Domino will just take the path of least resistance, and avoid Dylan altogether.

So the 3-Ds are actually best taken either singly or by the twos, with the exception of the Domino-Dylan pairing which normally ends in some sort of disruption.  I guess you could call it "The Domino Effect", if you will.

Peaceful co-existence is the order of the day, as we start off with the Domino/Dante twosome.




Here is Dante hovering directly behind Domino and she is not in the least disturbed.  Now if that was Dylan, it would be a whole different matter, because Dylan would likely attempt to jump her.  Dante knows his place when it comes to being second-in-line behind Domino.





Domino and Dante follow the credo ...



... "Live and Let Live"





So, when Dylan comes on the scene, Dante makes cozy with him while Domino keeps her distance.





Dante bridges the gap.





And comes back to pay his respects to Domino.





Then Domino decides it's time to move on while things are still relatively peaceful.





Domino rocks and rules!





She's off to find her place on the bench to grab a little sun.





Dylan's off on a mission of his own.





He's got some serious sniffing to do, as you can clearly see.





So, Dante joins Domino on the bench as they both bask in the winter sunshine. 
(There are lots of peanut shells on the bench, where the squirrels must sit and eat -- I guess they want to keep their feet warm, too!)





Domino and Dante both keep an eye on the neighbourhood.





They cooperate, as Domino looks one way, and Dante, the other.





Domino trusts Dante to be viligant while she takes time out for a little bath.





Uh-oh!  Intruder alert!





Look who's back!





It's just like Dylan to barge right in!  He never really looks before he leaps.





So Domino makes her escape to avoid the inevitable confrontation.





Dylan says "Nuts"!  Foiled again!
Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/2010/01/
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