A Mish-Mash of Topics

I've been dealing with so many things lately that I have forgotten to do a lot of things, including visiting with you!

With school back in session, I now have homework to add back onto my list of things to do. I'm taking a creative writing class this semester and I'm really excited about it...except for this whole poetry thing. 

Don't get me wrong...I love poetry. I spent many years of my life pouring my feelings onto paper in the form of poetry. Unfortunately, I didn't really study it. The forms, feelings, etc. of other poets have not been my focus. Now, I have to keep a poetry journal where I write 100+ words about the poem, another 100+ words about the author's thoughts, then a poem of my own that follows the form of the author. Let me just say, I'm behind.

I also had the impression I would finish Book 3 in the Cedar River series before I went back to school. Hahahahahahaha! I'm at 62,000+ words and I still am not done. I have a lot of story to tell in this book. I'm introducing so many new characters plus I have two big events to get written in. I am beginning to wonder why I set goals. Maybe I should simply forget it. It may work better.

I went to find a pair of socks and couldn't find any that were clean. That tells me the laundry was WAY behind! I rarely wear socks in the house. I'm a barefootin' it kind of gal, but lately, it has been cold enough that I've needed socks. Even my thick socks were dirty. *Sigh* So, I put in a load of laundry since underwear is the next thing to run out and I CANNOT let that happen :D

Oooh, before I forget to mention it: I put a contest up on my website on Friday. With an iPad 2 to giveaway plus a couple of gift cards, I expect to see people entering. I'm doing this because I promised my readers a giveaway when the 2nd book was released. It took me a little time to get all the legal junk together. But it will run through April 1st, so stop by and enter.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, you may need to buy a gift for that someone special. Be sure to check out my books (listed on the left hand side) for that urban fantasy/paranormal romance lover on your list.

I need a little pop of color today. My world is coated in white so I feel as if I'm living in a black and white film at the moment :D This lovely flower pops up every spring just outside my door. 

I took this in the fall. I actually had dipped my toes in that water. It was that warm. And since I'm craving warm weather, this seems appropriate. My painted toes dug into that cool wet sand and the water splashes against my ankles...*sigh*

With homework to do, I will get this posted and start my work. I hope you all have a blessed week! Stay warm/cool! (Depending on where you are in the world)

My Yooper Wonderland

Old Man Winter has finally decided to pay us a visit. We've had about 4 inches of snow on the  ground for a few days, but today...well, Mother Nature decided enough was enough. I don't know, maybe I bitched too much about the cold. Either way, I have a Yooper Wonderland outside. I'm not complaining by any means because I truly love the snow. After that nasty blast of cold we had, I'll take the snow any day of the week. Here's a little video I took about twenty minutes ago. We're supposed to have another 5-8 inches on top of what we already have. 

The dogs love the snow for the most part. Our German Shepherd believes it's her personal job to create (what we call) Weiner Angels. (She's our little Weiner Schnitzel.) Diesel thinks he needs to take Mama for a walk through every inch of snow we have. Jazzy is too old to appreciate the snow and Klondike is indifferent to most everything (she's more like a cat than a dog.)

What I love best is seeing the other critters' footprints in the yard. We've had deer, grey fox, red fox, loads of bunnies, and a few we haven't identified yet. I'm an animal nut! I can (and have) while away a morning watching two little porcupines play at the edge of the woods. They are simply precious to watch. I even caught the grey fox in our firepit one early morning. He was sniffing through our charcoal briquets looking for goodies. I felt bad for him and started leaving him little pieces of hot dog from time to time. 

Well, it's about time to bundle up and take a walk in the Yooper Wonderland that waits for me. (Dogs potty time.) So, I'm off. 

Whatever your weather is like, stay safe! I want to be able to visit with you later on :)

P.S. If money is tight at your house, but you still want to read Natural Born Enemies, I'm giving away two copies at Coffee Time Romance's Contests by the Cup in their forums: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/showthread.php?t=27935

I also was a part of Coffee Time Romance's Coffee Thoughts blog this week. Because I'm a bit of a ditz, I decided to make it up to readers by offering a copy to one person who leaves a comment on any of my posts.

The Results of Draco

If you're new to my blog, you will find that I LOVE to take pictures. I live in such a beautiful place that it only seems right to catch it, digitally, and share it with you. 

So, Winter storm Draco hit us yesterday, but, as I posted yesterday, he didn't hit with the force the weather men were predicting. Of course, I'm Michigan born and raised. It takes a storm of pretty massive proportions to impress me.

Yes, this is my backyard. Can you see why I love it so? I decided to take my camera out when I walked the dogs this morning and captured these.

My poor little apple tree! 

So, this is the view of my winter wonderland. And, yes, that is how I see it. Do I love the cold? Not really, but it's part of the territory. There are certain sacrifices a person has to make to have the view I have. These are sacrifices I am more than willing to make :)

Happy Solstice to all of you! Yule is in full swing in our house. A few extra gifts to pick up, mainly stocking stuffers for the canine kids. We wish you and yours the best of the holidays!

Be sure to stop over to TRS parties to enter to win an e-copy of Keeper of the Golden Dragon's Heart.

Want to keep up on the happenings around my world? Be sure to visit my website and sign up for my newsletter. 

How To Lose a Demon in 10 Days with Saranna DeWylde

Let me start this interview off by saying I met Saranna through my friend, Virginia Nelson. Her sense of humor is dark, twisted, and hiliarious. I was intrigued so I purchased one of her books. It has been a loooooong time since I read a book where I laughed out loud at the characters, cursed at them, and felt that much emotion all within two covers. Okay, now I'm sounding like an obsessed fan:) Without further adieu, I give you Saranna DeWylde.

Tell us a little bit about yourself-  I started writing after my 8^th birthday party where we watched The Exorcist. It scared the crap out of me, but I decided that I wanted to do that, I wanted something I created to elicit all of those emotions in people. I began reading romances at a young age as well, so for the longest time I couldn’t decide where my heart lay. Then I worked as a corrections officer and decided that I wanted to give the world more happily ever afters.

My family is very supportive of my writing. My husband worked two jobs to support our family so I could stay home and pursue my dreams. My kids empathize with Jack Torrance in The Shining because his wife just wouldn’t leave him alone to write.

 GOT DEMON?

 
Grace does. She's got more demon than she can saddle. In fact, she's got a sinfully sexy Crown Prince of Hell named Caspian. She's also got ten days to get rid of him or Bad Things shall ensue. See, her Russian mobster ex-boyfriend didn't take kindly to her smutty Mephistophelean contract. It's not that she's conspiring with fiends; that was his idea. It's that she's conspiring against him with outrageous devilry that runs the gamut from embarrassing to a dead hooker turned dominatrix demon gunning for his soul.

One should never trust demons, let alone shag them. They don't have hearts. Yet Grace is buying hers some slightly tarnished armor and hoping that once he's been shoveled into it, kicking and screaming, he'll find it's just his size.  This damsel in distress needs a dark knight for a Happily Ever After.

Now for some fun:

Ten Tantalizing Teasers-

Plotter or Pantser?

A little bit of both, but mostly a panster. I have a few notecards I keep by my desk to scribble this and that, but otherwise, I like to discover what’s going to happen along with the characters.

Which Goddess best defines you?

Me? *laughs* My nickname for the longest time has been The Amazon Goddess of Doom or The AG of D. 

(Gemma laughs)

Favorite Dessert?

Mo’s Bacon Milk bars. Or anything from Vosges. It’s an addiction.

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Chocolate.

Favorite scent?

Fall.

Coffee, tea, soda, or water?

I’m a tea freak, I collect tea. But I do love my water.

Do you have to set the mood to write? If so, how?

No. I just sit down and work.

Do you have a favorite character? Why?

Susan Kay’s interpretation of the Phantom of the Opera. He’s brilliant, tortured, very complex. Why? I don’t know. I just love heroes that are scarred inside and out. Maybe because it speaks to the strength of the power of love and redemption. 

(I agree with you. Some authors shy away from imperfect characters and I adore the fact that you don't.)

Morning, afternoon, evening, or late night writer?

All. However long it takes me to hit my word count. Although, I am kind of a night owl.

If you weren’t writing, what would be your occupation?

Psychologist or law enforcement. 

You can find Saranna and her books in all of these lovely places:

Facebook

Website

You can buy her books here:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

A View From Paradise...or Close To It

I went out to take pictures last weekend & ended up with two entire rolls of, well, nothing. I picked up my pictures and had two rolls of black. Nothing on any of them. Pissed me off! So, my darlin' hubby and I went out to take more pics for you with my trusty digital camera.

The marina was full and the beaches were pretty empty. Being the people we are, it was our kind of day:) The water was calm, which isn't nearly as pretty as when it's a windy day, but I made do with what I had. Can any of you understand why I love living where I do?

For some reason, it has always been important to me to live near the woods and the water. We lived in Pennsylvania. Our house was in the woods with a beautiful creek running through my front yard. (I'll post pictures some time.) When we moved here, my husband came up on his own and worked for a month before I could move up here with the dogs. He had to find the house on his own & I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried. He told me about this little cottage and I was really unsure. I'd never been to the UP before so I didn't know what to expect. We crossed Big Mac and tears filled my eyes. There was some part of this place that sang my heart's song. Four hours after crossing the bridge, we pulled into our new home. My heart skipped a beat because my hubby did very well. He proved to me that he knows me better than I thought.

So, this is my view of paradise. If you've ever seen the movie "Escanaba in Da Moonlight", the narrator tells the viewer that he lives "nort' of the bridge and a little sout' of heaven." I didn't believe it until I came here, but the only way you're going to closer to heaven is by dying.

I've started a Pinterest page for those who want to check it out. You can find me here: http://pinterest.com/gemmakmurray/

I hope you enjoy my pictures and you can see where the inspiration for Cedar River comes from. It certainly isn't hard to write a story set in the beauty of the Upper Peninsula.

Blessings on you and yours!