A WINNER everytime!

okie dokie the big winner of a signed copy of Scott M Baker's  The Vampire Hunters (as determined by Random.org) is... Ashley!!! I'll email you later today so you can provide me with your details so Scott can get your book to you.

the winners of the $10 dollar Border's gift cards are Kim and Kitty!! ditto on emailing you.

Congrats to everyone and thank you Scott! You all are awesome!

 tomorrow is my interview and giveaway with Alex Bledsoe so don't forget to come back. winning is soooooooo easy. all you have to do is comment to be entered!!! this includes all my wonderful overseas followers!!

Happy Vladurday!

christmas card fun

look at those cards. orange and blue gators making up a Christmas tree. why now THAT'S art. no not really but I wish I had those. today I did my Christmas cards. they weren't gator cards they were a mix of cards that I had accumulated over the years. well, I had set up a system for addressing stamping stuffing and then sealing the cards. all went well until I noticed that several of my cards (older ones) had been "written" on by Maddy when she was two or so. there were scribbles on the inside. no doubt I had given them to her to do while I was trying to get mine done back then and then just put them in the box and forgotten about them. so I ended up with a bunch of stamped and addressed envelopes with no cards. I found some that would fit but you can clearly tell that they don't go with the envelopes. and this year I was trying to be more orderly and together. so much for that. instead some people are getting the "it'll be alright" version of my Christmas card. hopefully they will read this and understand. I suppose I could have sent the ones Maddy wrote six years ago concocted some story about it but I just did my best. hey, it's the thought that counts.
next year, I'm getting those Gator cards.

HEY! don't forget tomorrow is the drawing for the giveaway for The Vampire Hunters. don't forget to enter! tell your friends. sunday I will be interviewing Alex Bledsoe author of Blood Groove and The Girls with Games of Blood. there will also be some nifty giveaways with that interview as well!

I interrupt my blog for

yes I wanna talk about this because I am a ginormogantuan Gator fan. our head coach Urban Meyer is leaving. I don't know where he's going all I know is he's going. and that's bad. I have Gator coach abandonment issues. I was not happy when my favorite coach Steve Spurrier left in...whenever. I was pregnant with Maddy so it was 01 or 02 (I rooted for him this season when they played UF. He SO deserved it). then his replacement left. and now Urban Meyer is leaving. I don't think I'll be as upset at this leaving as I was when the Old Ball Coach left because I feel like Coach Meyer gave up on the Gators. that's my opinion only but I do. it seems like he felt that they couldn't win so he gave up. and I admit it has been a season of average. there was no Made of AWESOME Timmy and that left the team without a leader and a motivator and things just didn't go well. maybe the coach didn't know how to deal with that. I don't know. but I do know that leaves a team with a crappy problem before finals and before a bowl game. poor Gators. poor kids. maybe it's karma punching the Gators in the face for all the obnoxious fans and so on but dang. there's no joy in the Gator Nation today. or for a bunch of days.
okay, back to my normal foolishness. make sure you comment to be entered in the giveaway with author Scott M Baker. good stuff being given away!!

Interview with Scott M. Baker author of The Vampire Hunters plus a GIVEAWAY!

This is the first of my author interview/ giveaways this month and I'm so pleased to have with me today Scott M. Baker author of The Vampire Hunters. Scott, thanks for being here. Let's get started.

Alison: I know you describe yourself as a monster kid. If you could be a monster, what would you be?
Scott: If I had to choose, I'd be a vampire. If I'm going to be evil, I might as well be immortal, powerful and sexually uninhibited.

Alison: Do you "write what you know"?
Scott: Yes, as much as I can. I'm a firm believer that the only way to write a truly  compelling story is to pour some of your heart and soul into it.
The underlying theme of the The Vampire Hunters is the war on terror, or more precisely how those who fight it come to terms with the never ending nature of the conflict. The comparisons between vampires and terrorists are obvious so I won't belay the point. Neither shows remorse or compassion. They attack their victims indiscriminately and for every terrorist or vampire destroyed, several more take their place.
The hunters take up stakes to combat evil and fight the good fight but they don't have the same level of commitment. Drake Matthews is the dedicated, gung ho leader of the group that wants to fight until every last vampire is wiped out, even if such an outcome takes years. Alison Monroe is a realist; she joined with Drake out of loyalty but after a while comes to the realization that this war will never end and wants to move on and start a life of her own. And finally, there's James Delmarco, the engineering student drafted into the cause. He does whatever it takes but is biding his time until his tour of duty is up.

Alison: Did you always know that you wanted to be a writer?
Scott: As far back as I can remember. When I was about ten, my father brought home an old typewriter from work and I set up an "office" in the family room where I typed out a weekly monster magazine.  I was a writer, editor, art director and publisher. Granted it only had a circulation of one- my mother. But it planted the writer bug in me and I never looked back. Of course, I hope the quality of my writing has improved by now.

Alison: First book in print...initial reaction when you found out it was going to happen?
Scott: Signing the contract was awesome. It was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. However, the real excitement came the day my copies of the book showed up at the front door. Sure I had already approved the artwork and read the proofs so I had an idea what it would look like but nothing compared to opening that box and seeing the finished book staring back up at me.That was a thrill ten years in the making.

Alison: Any hints about what's next for you as a writer?
Scott: I'm shopping around a finished novel titled Rotter World about vampires and humans trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. I'm currently working on a novel about something monstrous stalking the deserts of northwest New Mexico. Future works include a sequel to Rotter World and a possible series about OSS officers combating demons summoned by Nazis dabbling in the occult.

Alison: People say vampires are done, do you agree?
Scott: Hell no.True because of the craze for vampires, publishers and movie studios have pumped out an endless stream of titles that have saturated the market, most of which no one will remember in a few years. But there is still plenty of quality vampire fiction. The Anita Blake series is still popular. True Blood is one of the highest rated shows on HBO. Hollywood is reimaging classics such as Fright Night and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There are still a lot of die hard fans who keep the genre thriving and will continue to do so for years.

Alison: If they made your novel into a movie, who do you see playing the leads?
Scott: I can see Nathan Fillian of Serenity playing the lead character Drake Matthews. If Hollywood wanrted to go campier then Bruce Campbell would be perfect. For the part of Alison Monroe, I've envisioned either Ali Larter or Christa Campbell.

Thanks again for stopping by, Scott! We appreciate it. Good luck with The Vampire Hunters!

And now, I'm giving away some swell swag. Scott has generously agreed to sign copy of The Vampires Hunters for one lucky reader. Also, two other readers will win 1 ten dollar gift card to Borders each.
Here are the rules...
Leave a comment about what kind of monster you would like to be in the comments section along with your name and email address. Don't put the at sign in. Put the word "at" instead. + 1 entry
You can also get more chances at winning by linking the interview back from your blog. + 2 entries
Tweet about the interview and giveaway + 2 entries.
Follow my blog and get +5 entries.
Do the tedious math for me +3 entries (man I HATE math)

That's it! Easy! I'll draw the winners saturday afternoon and post them then.

Happy Vladurday!

what if I gave you 1 million dollars for one night with your wife?

so I'm sitting there watching the movie Indecent Proposal, which I stinkin LOVE, and I started pondering the deeper issues. This was brought on probably by reading a blog post about Gilligan's Island being some kind of existential allegory for hell and the 7 deadly sins. yeah. it worked. go check out El Blog de Steve and see for yourself. thanks Steve.JK.
 I started to wonder about would I really do it. take the million bucks. in the movie it's a no brainer. the guy is rich, charming, awesome. but is that enough? are you selling your soul to the proverbial devil? (thanks again Steve) do you ever recover from it? Or is it really a problem?
as writers we get the wonderful opportunity to ponder these questions and their countless outcomes. I like that. no I love it because we can do the things that we wouldn't normally do through our characters. we get to take the money or not. and we get to have a good time or not.

Go check it out!! Talli Rolland's Blogsplash!

y'all let's help out fellow blogger and super awesome Brit Chick Talli Roland's, debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk? it's uber simple. all you have to do is spread the word today! a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon will help push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.


it's a great read!!one that you could dive into to escape from holiday craziness or enjoy while snarfing holiday cookies!

and even if you don't have a Kindle, you can download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more!

a schedule I can keep!

even though NaNo for me is over, I am still writing on schedule. I managed to get in quite a few words today. that is such a great feeling. I really think I will meet my goal of having a first draft done by Christmas. yay me! writing seems to be a thing I have control of these days so I am taking full advantage of that. oh well, it's a huge learning experience for me so it's okay. and in true buddhist wannabe form, I know nothing lasts forever.
on the waiting front... I am dying to get edits back! I know I'll be sorry I asked for it but I am anxious. I know it will probably be after the new year but I am yearning.

I love this show!

check out Gabriel Byrne. I love this guy. Remember him as the devil in End of Days?SWEET! anyway, I am hooked on In Treatment. I started watching it to research my character of Anthony Wilson the psychiatrist in love with Lauryl but I quickly tuned in just because it is a fabulous show. I love the marathons on the weekend. I get to catch up because I miss the shows during the week. this show is so great because you see that even therapists are human and flawed. and that is amazing. I feel so much for his character. he spends his days trying to help people. by trying to steer them to more sane ways of living while dealing with his own mountain of crap and wall of shame. wow. and he does it well, despite his feelings of being the world's crapiest psychologist and a failure.THAT is a complex character. Gabriel Byrne does such a phenomenal job bringing him to life. if you haven't seen this show, tune in. it is incredible!

Happy Vladurday!!

Here you go. Happy Vladurday. Thought I'd amuse myself since the Gators are losing.

I DID IT!

this morning a little before 2 I finished. yes, I crossed the finish line of NaNoWriMo with 50022 words verified. my word count was 2 words different but who is quibbling over 2 words. it was a fun month. I wrote everyday except for the days I was sick with rotavirus of death. my characters talked to me and did all sorts of romantic, funny frightening and evil things. I was in heaven. now all I need to do is finish my ms and my follow up to Life in Moonlight will be complete. or at least the first draft. so YAY! I'll definitely do it again next year. it's kind of like the triathlon bug. you train, you do it and then you have the bug!
I want to celebrate my experience. in  December I am having two fantastic author interviews and giveaways. The first starts next sunday so stay tuned.it is going to be fun and the swag is great. plus you get to find out about some terrific authors!!

anytime there are vintage animals riding in vegetable cars, it's a win. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope you all have a great day full of happiness and fellowship. take a moment out to think about what you are truly thankful for and all the blessings you've received no matter how small they were. even though I have had a rough past month, I am truly grateful for the experience of it. if you know me personally you know what I am dealing with. but this has taught me humility,patience,the importance of friends and family and to be thankful for each day and what you have because you might not have it too long. yes, I'm thankful for a rotten patch because it makes me appreciate the good times and the just meh times. if that isn't a blessing, I don't know what is.
on the dinner front, I'm cooking and we are having southern thanksgiving. turkey, cornbread dressing, turnip greens, field peas etc. I've seasoned them the redneck way with lots of ham hocks and neck bones. ugg you might say but it's good. I love southern cooking. it's how I learned to cook although I can cook just about anything you ask for. the southern cooking makes me think of my family so it is special to me. it's been passed down through the generations straight from the farms and countryside where my family lived and still lives. I live on acreage and LOVE it. although we no longer fit one of the you might be a redneck jokes of "if directions to your house include turn off the paved road" I miss living on a dirt road. now we only live near a dirt road. we moved onto the hard road.
anyway, enough rambling. enjoy your day! back to cooking and back to NaNo. I'm almost done!!I'm thankful for that too!

and then it hit me

look at this sexy mo fo. so there I was watching Legion with this dude, Paul Bettany, and it was like a light went off in my head. a big flashing red light that said wowza. there he is. my mc. this dude with the mannerisms and smooth factor of AR and Sam. I went right back to writing and wrote some of the sexy bits that I had been skipping over. yep, it's always better with inspiration.
and now a public service announcement... this on behalf of super awesome writer and funny as hell chick Allison Pang. apparently some prick was selling an ARC of her soon to be released novel A Brush of Darkness on eBay. this is a BIG BIG BIG GIANT NO NO. ARCs are labeled not for sale and that means sales of all varieties. if you are lucky enough to get an ARC, please respect the author and don't sell it. it's wrong and it's piracy. those kinds of pirates are not cool.

Borrowing Heaven, Subletting Hell is Allison's blog btw. check it out!

more Putin than you can shake a stick at

so speaking of taking over the world...one of my characters is dreaming of that. what a fatal dream. people who have that dream always meet their doom. kind of says dream big but not tooo big. anyway, I was writing a scene tonight and had to rely on good ol' google maps and google earth. I was checking routes and city layouts for a city I haven't lived in for MANY years. thank goodness for things like those nifty tools. otherwise readers in that city would be like man, she's way off. I love weaving fictional things into real places. it gives readers a connection to a city they might not ever have been to or readers who actually live there a feeling of hey, that's right near me! all this sounds really dumb but perhaps it's because my mind is tired from writing and staring at those damn google maps.