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The numbers for February are in and I have three spots on the bestseller lists…nowhere near as nice as January, but I’ll take it nevertheless.

On the Amber Heat List…

6. The Blood Club
- Brit Blaise
(Ménage / Bisexual [M/M]

10. Cave Creek Cowboy Ménage
- Brit Blaise
(Ménage / Bisexual [M/M])

On the Amber Allure list…
7. The Blood Club
- Brit Blaise
(Ménage / Bisexual [M/M])

I don’t have another new release coming until April, when I have two… Lady in a Box and A Sure Thing.

And lately the muse is causing me grief. My first story, published in ‘05 is back in my hands; Monkey Around. I’m going to rewrite it, since the premise was cute, but the delivery was rushed. So many of the stories I’ve written would be very easy to make into full length stories. I’d loved to make The Virginia Model-logues into a full. The same goes for several of the Cave Creek Cowboy stories, and Two Weeks in Paradise. Do all writers of short stories want to revisit their characters and bring them back to life again?

And when will the compulsion to make the stories longer end…I have over twenty stories with Amber Quill and a couple are already fairly long. Plus, I have two stories released from Triskelion. So many stories, so little time.

I think this is the perfect reason for writing novel length stories from the beginning…

Brit Blaise

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I’m writing a historical again, and immersing myself in the sights and sounds by watching certain movies while I write, or rather listening. The more times I’ve seen the movie, the better, because then I don’t need to look away from my computer screen. When I wrote Thoroughly Mannerly Millicent, I listened to Sense and Sensibility and Emma, none-stop.

This time it’s Becoming Jane and Pride and Prejudice, both the movie and the BBC television version on the 10th Anniversary Limited Collector’s Edition. It’s my mood music, the way I shut out the world while I write. And I love to think about Jane, what her life was like. She wrote 6 wonderful novels in her short life. She was 41 when she died. And she did them by hand with pen and ink. How labor intensive was that?!.

Her brother was interesting too. He married a much older woman (his cousin), one who could afford to give him the luxuries of life. And since Jane and her sister eventually came to live in a cottage on his estate, I’m glad he had the courage to do so…for Jane’s sake. The first time I watched Becoming Jane, I found it upsetting and now I adore it. If it’s true, I admire her all the more.

Jane Austen was brilliant. Her grasp of her characters and what motivated them…uncanny. Her wit was perfect. I recently re-read Pride and Prejudice and found I often had to read a sentence more than once to get the meaning and it was always worth the effort.

We’re getting a huge snow storm today…maybe as much as eight more inches and there is already about three inches on the ground. The world is white, and the fire is warm. Mr. Bingley has just acquired an estate near the Bennett family. Elizabeth will soon meet Mr. Darcy again…and again…and again.

Brit Blaise
www.britblaise.com
www.myspace.com/britblaise

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I wanted to wish everyone a happy Valentines Day! Here are a couple of quotes for the romantic in you.

Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. - Franklin P. Jones

 You don’t love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her.  - Anonymous

There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved. - George Sand

 Some say that love is blind, I say that love is the only thing that can truly see. - Unknown

Love is never lost. If not reciprocated it will flow back, and soften and purify the heart. - Washington Irving

Love is like the ocean, the more you venture into it, the more deep you realize it is. - Patrick De Souza

Lynne Logan

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First, let me say thank you to the Butterscotch Martini Girls for having me as a guest blogger today. And a special thanks to Brit for letting me take her normal Monday blog spot. Thanks, sweetie!

Okay, now a little about me:

I’m Eden Robins. I’m currently published through Cerridwen Press. I like to write paranormals, science fiction, dark fantasy and straight contemporary romances. I also write nonfiction inspirational and if I have the opportunity to write a Modern Day Fairytale here and there, I’ll jump at the chance. I like to listen to alternative or hard rock when I write, but usually prefer silence when I edit. Go figure.

I love the magic of both the sparkling blue ocean and the deep earthy forest, but if I had to pick one it would be the forest. The whispering of pine trees as they sway in the wind brings me unbelievable peace. I love dogs, pugs in particular and am the proud owner of two-Mimi and Jasmine. I really enjoy dancing. I’ve even taken some ball room dancing lessons, but would still not call myself a talented dancer. Yet I have a blast trying! I’ve been taking kickboxing classes for about a year and a half and I thrive on the energy that brings. I’m also a part time faery queen, just visit the Romantic Times Booklovers convention site to learn more. Last, but definitely not least, I’m a mom. Love it, live it, work hard at it.

I’m published in all of the above and am loving every minute of the ride. Okay, almost every minute. But that’s the nature of the beast, isn’t it? As a matter of fact, that’s the nature of life. The yin and the yang. The good and the bad. There can’t be one without the other. That’s balance.

Grrrr….there’s that word again…Balance. It’s one I ponder and obsess over time and time again. I’m trying to find that right fit, where the “weight” of one part of my life stays even with the other.

You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about, so let me explain…

On one side of my computer I have pictures of my children and family and on the other I have reviews, author quotes and some contest wins. Seems odd, yet both inspire me, each in their own way. I want my family to be proud of me, of who I am, of how I live, of what I do, and of what I accomplish. On the other hand, I also stay motivated by looking at the progress of the work I’ve done and the industry’s recognition of that. Both are motivators, both affect my life and my work.

Here’s my conundrum. Family and work, family and work, family and work. I want to give both their due, but it isn’t always so cut and dried. Wish it were. Some days I really wish it were. My family is so important to me. I want it to stay close, harmonized, healthy, loving and productive. My writing is also important to me. I want it o stay harmonized, healthy and productive as well.

But I still juggle both clumsily-sometimes leaning too heavily toward one or the other and losing a ball or two along the way. And I don’t want that. I don’t want to drop any of the balls. Ever.

That, I’m beginning to believe is where the problem lies. Constant perfection isn’t possible. Perfect balance isn’t possible all day, ever day. It just isn’t realistic to think otherwise. So once again, I’m relearning a lesson I thought I had learned. It’s simply this. As either a writer or simply a human being,  perfection is not all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it’s something that just might crack me up if I continue to believe the notion that I can live up to it.

No, perfection is not the answer and perfect balance is not always possible.

So what’s left?

Well, me of course. Perfectly imperfect me. But that’s not what’s ultimately the most important point of all of this. What is important is what I strive to do as me. I need to strive to be the best family member I can be. The best mom, partner, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, etc. that I can be. The best I can be. Not the most perfect, but the best I can be. This also means that I need to strive to be the best writer I can be. Not perfect, not without flaws, just the best darn writer, write with my blood, guts and soul that I can be.

Perfection is not me. It’s not something I will be able to live up to in a balanced life. But being the best I can be-now that is doable. That is possible. And that is a goal in itself which I feel will bring balance to my world.

So watch out family–watch out world! The best darn family member/author who writes with her blood, guts and soul that I can be is coming your way!

Okay, now I feel ready to start my week.

How about you?

Eden 

Eden Robins

Dark, Dangerous and Decadent Happily-Ever-Afters  www.edenrobins.com  http://www.myspace.com/edenrobins

AFTER SUNDOWN: ILLUMINATION Coming in 2008! BENEATH A CHRISTMAS MOON December 2007   

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Okay, it’s been a while since I blogged…I know…I know.  But I’m here now.  Okay?  Where have I been?  Well, I’ve been close by, but I’ve been totally dysfunctional when it comes to our lovely new website…yeah, you guessed it…I couldn’t figure out how to get in.  And when I’m stumped by something these days, I often just set it aside in favor of something easier.  That’s what happens as you fill your plate too full.  J  Anyway, sorry to have been so neglectful.  I’ll try to do better now that I’ve figured out how to get in to post my blog.  J

Well, as some of the earlier blogs have mentioned, we spent last weekend working at the Chocolate Affaire.  It was a busy, but fun-packed weekend and we had a number of funny events that took place, but one stands out in my mind and I just had to share it with ya.  But before I tell you what happened, I have to make sure you understand what an ice pick moment is…that’s one of those spaces in time where something “icky” happens that is so vivid in your mind that you’re sure it’s going to take an ice pick to remove the memory.

Our ringmaster extraordinaire, Kayla Janz, had her teenage daughter along for the weekend – a beautiful young lady who is just a treasure.  The Kid spent the weekend pretty much joined at the hip to one BMG after another.  She ran the register, bagged books, climbed ladders, stood on tables to hang lights, fetched drinks (non-alcoholic, of course), and ran many and miscellaneous errands…without a single complaint.  What a kid!

Anyway, the funny moment I wanted to share with ya had to do with The Kid and our hunky cover model, C. J. Hollenbach.  Well, C. J. had spent the day in a pirate’s costume for the sheer enjoyment of all of the female fans.  As it began to get late, he took a quick stroll over to the office and grabbed his clothes so they wouldn’t accidentally get locked up for the night, forcing him to hail a cab in his pirate garb.  Upon returning to the tent where we were set up, C. J. continued to sign autographs and have his picture taken with one adoring woman after another.

As we neared the end of our stint on Saturday night, it was getting late and it was cold…and we were all tired.  The crowd had slowed down and we were starting to pack up the books and fold up the tent, so to speak.  As several of us hovered near one of the back corners of the tent, packing up the cash register, we heard a muffled squeal from behind us.  Turning toward the sound, we found The Kid standing board straight with her eyes huge and round and her hand covering her mouth.  Kayla asked what was wrong and The Kid scurried forward into our midst and squeaked out, “CJ’s changing his clothes behind the tent.  Oh my God, he’s putting his pants on!”

What?  A man in his underwear?  What to do?  Why, it’s the Butterscotch Martini Girls to the rescue!!!!   (We’re working on the costume with the big “B” on the front.  Uh…no jokes, please…it stands for Butterscotch!  My story…remember?)

Anyway, I digress.  Isabella, true to form, gave a throaty chuckle and nonchalantly waved her hand at The Kid.  “Oh, Honey,” she said, “don’t worry about that.  By the time you’re our age, it’ll mean nothing to you.  It’s just a guy putting on his pants.”

The rest of us stared at Isabella like she’d lost her mind.  Tina, craning her neck around the corner of the tent, said, “Are you kidding me?  Hell, I’m looking!”  At which point, we realized we were all craning our necks and looking around the corner of the tent.  Just goes to show you one girl’s ice pick moment is another girl’s fantasy.

The bottom line is that the kid recovered, the old broad got an eyeful, and all’s well that ends well.  That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.  Hang on tight now, ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya,

Kayce

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