Today is a damned impressive day to be an American. I'm not a boisterous patriot, but today I'm flying my flag with pride. Go watch the inauguration, everybody.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Chatting with Sascha on The UnNamed Radio Show for Radio Dentata
Last week I did my first radio interview. Sascha, who does a show called the UnNamed Romance Show for Radio Dentata called me up and we chatted for over an hour. If you've never heard of Radio Dentata, here's a bit about it from their webpage:
"Radio Dentata was founded on the belief that people are more than just one type of music, talk show, opinion, or even sexual position.
"Consequently, the station doesn’t treat listeners as one-dimensional. We erase the labels, bridge the gaps, blur the lines and show the similarities and contradictions. The programming is distinguished by a fearless approach to sex, life, poetry, politics, and music and offers listeners graphic, forthright, and topical entertainment."
Head on over to the page, there's tons of fun stuff there!
Here's a bit about Sascha's Show, The UnNamed Romance Show.
"The inside information from romance author Sascha – Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly. Excerpts of work, Interviews with erotic and romance authors and publishers.PLUS reviews and news… Come listen in and hear the inside dirt on who is doing shit to whom."
You'll want to check out his page, to see what he's up to each Monday.
My interview will be aired soon...
"Radio Dentata was founded on the belief that people are more than just one type of music, talk show, opinion, or even sexual position.
"Consequently, the station doesn’t treat listeners as one-dimensional. We erase the labels, bridge the gaps, blur the lines and show the similarities and contradictions. The programming is distinguished by a fearless approach to sex, life, poetry, politics, and music and offers listeners graphic, forthright, and topical entertainment."
Head on over to the page, there's tons of fun stuff there!
Here's a bit about Sascha's Show, The UnNamed Romance Show.
"The inside information from romance author Sascha – Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly. Excerpts of work, Interviews with erotic and romance authors and publishers.PLUS reviews and news… Come listen in and hear the inside dirt on who is doing shit to whom."
You'll want to check out his page, to see what he's up to each Monday.
My interview will be aired soon...
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Who the heck is Cian Fey?
It's me! Last Monday, January 5, marked my first release under my new pseudonym, Cian Fey. Cian's work is a little darker and edgier than Cindy's, and this first book is a male/male anthology from Total-E-Bound called Naughty Nooners. My story is entitled, Lust in the Afternoon.
Lust in the Afternoon
By Cian Fey
In the Naughty Nooners anthology
Out January 5, 2008 from Total-E-Bound
Genre: m/m erotic romance
Click on the cover for more information.
Monday, January 12, 2009
All About Blog
Blogs. And more blogs. They seem to be popping up everywhere. You can learn about everything from what your local senator did on that so-called vacation to why vitamins may or may not be bad for you. I enjoy the blogs where people talk about their books, why they started to write, why they love it. And I've found some really great books this way.
I also love to visit authors' bloga nad learn what they think about things. Not just their plots and characters, but how they look at life.
Blogs can be very informative.
But sometimes, they can be very mean, and I think that's a terrible misuse of public space.
This weekend I cruised past a blog to see what everyone on the loops was talking about, and Oh! My! God! From a simple anouncement that was no more than a minor news item, more than 200 of the nastiests posts I've ever seen were generated. People said things in public I'm not sure they should even say in private. They bashed others in a way that goes well beyond flaming. And to what purpose?
The few people doing most of the commenting seem to have an axe to grind and they were determined to grind it to death. These are authors who have enjoyed some mild success and feel they need to throw dirt on the roots of their career. They even went so far as to attack someone's personal life. And for what? What exactly did they get out of it?
My grandmother always told me "Be careful who you step on when you;re on the way up. They're the ones who'll catch you when you fall." Someone should have told that to these women, because maybe their new colleagues might wonder if they're next on the chopping block..
The worst part is, this is a very public forum. People will read these comments and take some of them as gospel. I was happy to see many others jump in to refute what was said, but the damage is done. You can't take back words once they're out there in cyberspace.
This blog will be around for a very long time, and people will be reading it as long as the link is there. You never know whose eyes will see what you wrote. It could be the publisher you;ve just submitted to. The agent you want to represent you. Or your current publisher who holds your fate in their hands.
If youl;re unhappy professionally, handle it in a professional manner. If you want to gripe about something, like the price of postage, the economy, or the abundance of alpha males,. have at it. Be sure your blog is entertaining and informative. Or at least entertaining! LOL! But don't use a privilege you've been given to throw dirt on some one or some thing.
Remember, whatever you write, people will remember, and memories can be very long. so think about what impression you want to leave with people.
Okay. Soapbox put away for the day.
I also love to visit authors' bloga nad learn what they think about things. Not just their plots and characters, but how they look at life.
Blogs can be very informative.
But sometimes, they can be very mean, and I think that's a terrible misuse of public space.
This weekend I cruised past a blog to see what everyone on the loops was talking about, and Oh! My! God! From a simple anouncement that was no more than a minor news item, more than 200 of the nastiests posts I've ever seen were generated. People said things in public I'm not sure they should even say in private. They bashed others in a way that goes well beyond flaming. And to what purpose?
The few people doing most of the commenting seem to have an axe to grind and they were determined to grind it to death. These are authors who have enjoyed some mild success and feel they need to throw dirt on the roots of their career. They even went so far as to attack someone's personal life. And for what? What exactly did they get out of it?
My grandmother always told me "Be careful who you step on when you;re on the way up. They're the ones who'll catch you when you fall." Someone should have told that to these women, because maybe their new colleagues might wonder if they're next on the chopping block..
The worst part is, this is a very public forum. People will read these comments and take some of them as gospel. I was happy to see many others jump in to refute what was said, but the damage is done. You can't take back words once they're out there in cyberspace.
This blog will be around for a very long time, and people will be reading it as long as the link is there. You never know whose eyes will see what you wrote. It could be the publisher you;ve just submitted to. The agent you want to represent you. Or your current publisher who holds your fate in their hands.
If youl;re unhappy professionally, handle it in a professional manner. If you want to gripe about something, like the price of postage, the economy, or the abundance of alpha males,. have at it. Be sure your blog is entertaining and informative. Or at least entertaining! LOL! But don't use a privilege you've been given to throw dirt on some one or some thing.
Remember, whatever you write, people will remember, and memories can be very long. so think about what impression you want to leave with people.
Okay. Soapbox put away for the day.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Bank Holiday Blues
Here in UK we have this thing called a Bank Holiday. There's one in May, and another in August. They were originally days when banks and most other businesses were shut -- now banks are probably the only businesses that are shut! Most everything else is open, and usually doing a roaring trade. Supermarkets, garden centres, outlet centres -- you name it, they're heaving with people. The highways are clogged with people heading for or returning from popular resorts. And the weather generally sucks. All in all, a good reason to stay home. If we do get any fine weather, then there's always gardening to do. But this year -- well, it generally sucked...
Anyway, it's a three-day weekend. And yesterday we went to Llandudno (that's in Wales, people) to attend a Mind, Body, Spirit Fair. We have a stall for our cat charity, and I do Tarot readings. I don't make a charge, but ask for donations to the charity. One thing that always strikes me is the number of people with problems who come to readers to find solutions (which we can't give!) they could easily sort out for themselves. Once they would have confided in a friend, a family member, a pastor. Now they ask a stranger. I think it's seriously sad. An example -- a middle-aged woman, seriously overweight, wanted to know how to change her life. Her husband of twenty years (father of her five children) was suspected of having an affair. Should she divorce him? Where would that leave her and the kids?
The card layout was clear -- she needed to make some decisions, some of which would be painful. I told her what the cards said. That was what she was paying for. (If I'd been advising her (I wasn't), I'd have told her to loose weight, get her hair cut and styled, and regain her self-respect. She was a doormat.)
Why do some women let themselves be walked on? This is the 21st century. Do we still cling to the mindset of the nineteenth? (Typified by a Gaelic saying which translates as 'better a lobster than no husband.')
So that was why my Bank Holiday made me blue...
Anyway, it's a three-day weekend. And yesterday we went to Llandudno (that's in Wales, people) to attend a Mind, Body, Spirit Fair. We have a stall for our cat charity, and I do Tarot readings. I don't make a charge, but ask for donations to the charity. One thing that always strikes me is the number of people with problems who come to readers to find solutions (which we can't give!) they could easily sort out for themselves. Once they would have confided in a friend, a family member, a pastor. Now they ask a stranger. I think it's seriously sad. An example -- a middle-aged woman, seriously overweight, wanted to know how to change her life. Her husband of twenty years (father of her five children) was suspected of having an affair. Should she divorce him? Where would that leave her and the kids?
The card layout was clear -- she needed to make some decisions, some of which would be painful. I told her what the cards said. That was what she was paying for. (If I'd been advising her (I wasn't), I'd have told her to loose weight, get her hair cut and styled, and regain her self-respect. She was a doormat.)
Why do some women let themselves be walked on? This is the 21st century. Do we still cling to the mindset of the nineteenth? (Typified by a Gaelic saying which translates as 'better a lobster than no husband.')
So that was why my Bank Holiday made me blue...
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Naughty Nooners for a New Year
Starting around February this year Ellora's Cave will be offering free reads, Naughty Nooners. These shorts will be a great way to try out new authors and genres.
Show and Tell, my Naughty Nooner is a stand stand alone story, set in Washingon DC. I started this story in the car while we were sitting in a giant 4th of July traffic jam, waiting to pay the toll. We sat in that line for hours. Thankfully I had my imagination to keep me company.
SHOW AND TELL by Isabelle Drake
A Naughty Nooner, coming soon from Ellora’s Cave
“Invitation, please.”
Emily handed over the elaborate card Jenn had received in the mail and waited while the bare-chested muscleman checked her friend’s name off the list on his clipboard. Sure, she could’ve used the card Gino had sent her but she didn’t want to leave a trail. “Thank you, Miss McNeil.”
Two steps later she was inside Gino’s large and lavish apartment, instantly becoming one of the mass. Although almost everyone there probably worked for the Smithsonian, Emily didn’t even try to guess who was behind which mask. There would be time later to catch up with old friends.
That particular night she had only one item on her to-do list. Seduce then reject the infamous Randall Kentworth. If she did a thorough enough job, she’d leave him panting, wondering pointlessly who the hot woman in the gold brocade jacket was.
As she slid through the mob, scanning for her prey, something rubbery caressed her waist. She twisted to find a huge cactus staring at her.
“Can I get you a beer?” it shouted, holding up a half full plastic cup.
Emily pulled the plant’s other hand off her waist, still gawking at the insanely large Saguaro cactus, complete with a cluster of yellow flowers and bird’s nest. “A cactus?”
The blue eyes hiding inside the plant blinked and the muffled voice shouted in defense, “Hey, there’s cactuses in the desert.”
Emily grinned. Museum people. Always looking for ways to prove how clever they are. “I’m meeting someone,” she said but then to let him know she appreciated the offer, she patted the tiny wren sitting in the nest.
As the giant plastic cactus melted into the crowd, Emily made her way toward the backyard where Gino always put the keg. Randall would be there, surrounded by an adoring mob. Unbuttoning her jacket as she went, she mused, all I have to do is wait until he’s alone.
Once she was done with him he’d know what it was like to want someone you couldn’t have. Her own hopeless wanting was undoubtedly worse than anything he’d end up with, because she’d watched the object of her desire flirt with every female in his path—with the exception of her. He hadn’t even known she’d existed.
That had mostly been her own fault. She’d been too shy even to be considered coy. She’d been damn invisible.
But that was then.
One thing her term in the Peace Corps had done for her was take away that life-ruining shyness. Who has time for hesitation when trying to find lost medical supplies through an interpreter?
Twelve months might only be a year but because of her time away Emily’s life was spilt into before—when she had been quiet and unassuming—and now, when she was demanding and pushy enough to make up for the time she’d wasted waiting for what she wanted to come and find her.
That was why she was there.
To make up for a mistake of her past.
But was it that she wanted to leave him with a sense of longing or was it that she finally wanted to get a piece of that yummy body?
Either way, she had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
A Naughty Nooner, coming soon from Ellora’s Cave
“Invitation, please.”
Emily handed over the elaborate card Jenn had received in the mail and waited while the bare-chested muscleman checked her friend’s name off the list on his clipboard. Sure, she could’ve used the card Gino had sent her but she didn’t want to leave a trail. “Thank you, Miss McNeil.”
Two steps later she was inside Gino’s large and lavish apartment, instantly becoming one of the mass. Although almost everyone there probably worked for the Smithsonian, Emily didn’t even try to guess who was behind which mask. There would be time later to catch up with old friends.
That particular night she had only one item on her to-do list. Seduce then reject the infamous Randall Kentworth. If she did a thorough enough job, she’d leave him panting, wondering pointlessly who the hot woman in the gold brocade jacket was.
As she slid through the mob, scanning for her prey, something rubbery caressed her waist. She twisted to find a huge cactus staring at her.
“Can I get you a beer?” it shouted, holding up a half full plastic cup.
Emily pulled the plant’s other hand off her waist, still gawking at the insanely large Saguaro cactus, complete with a cluster of yellow flowers and bird’s nest. “A cactus?”
The blue eyes hiding inside the plant blinked and the muffled voice shouted in defense, “Hey, there’s cactuses in the desert.”
Emily grinned. Museum people. Always looking for ways to prove how clever they are. “I’m meeting someone,” she said but then to let him know she appreciated the offer, she patted the tiny wren sitting in the nest.
As the giant plastic cactus melted into the crowd, Emily made her way toward the backyard where Gino always put the keg. Randall would be there, surrounded by an adoring mob. Unbuttoning her jacket as she went, she mused, all I have to do is wait until he’s alone.
Once she was done with him he’d know what it was like to want someone you couldn’t have. Her own hopeless wanting was undoubtedly worse than anything he’d end up with, because she’d watched the object of her desire flirt with every female in his path—with the exception of her. He hadn’t even known she’d existed.
That had mostly been her own fault. She’d been too shy even to be considered coy. She’d been damn invisible.
But that was then.
One thing her term in the Peace Corps had done for her was take away that life-ruining shyness. Who has time for hesitation when trying to find lost medical supplies through an interpreter?
Twelve months might only be a year but because of her time away Emily’s life was spilt into before—when she had been quiet and unassuming—and now, when she was demanding and pushy enough to make up for the time she’d wasted waiting for what she wanted to come and find her.
That was why she was there.
To make up for a mistake of her past.
But was it that she wanted to leave him with a sense of longing or was it that she finally wanted to get a piece of that yummy body?
Either way, she had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
It's All in the Cards!
I learned to use the Tarot many years ago, and I now do readings at charity events, such as for my local Cats Protection branch. Last week, I was doing readings for a Swishing Party (you know, the clothes swap idea?) and the charity was research in the Moebius Syndrome. Look it up. This awful neurological disorder is incredibly rare -- but one of the party organisers has a child who is affected. It made me count my blessings that my son and my grandson were born with no neuroligical problems...
Anyway, the readings went well. And I was thinking which of the cards would 'match up' with the characters I'm writing about. It's an interesting exercise. My current heroes would be The Magician and the King of Coins, and my heroines the High Priestess and Queen of Cups. Imagery and symbolism. Then I thought of my Medicine cards, and wondered which of the animal totems would fit... Could go on for hours with this!
A quick seque onto animals -- I now have four foster-kittens. Three more arrived this afternoon (couriered to me by the adoption centre) -- seems that kitten season has hit with a vengeance! Add to that unusual amounts of relief work (two staff on vacation. one long-term sick, one unfilled position) and I can see that actually WRITING anything is not going to be easy for a while. Oh, well. It'll just have to ferment in my brain until I can get time to write it all down...
I learned to use the Tarot many years ago, and I now do readings at charity events, such as for my local Cats Protection branch. Last week, I was doing readings for a Swishing Party (you know, the clothes swap idea?) and the charity was research in the Moebius Syndrome. Look it up. This awful neurological disorder is incredibly rare -- but one of the party organisers has a child who is affected. It made me count my blessings that my son and my grandson were born with no neuroligical problems...
Anyway, the readings went well. And I was thinking which of the cards would 'match up' with the characters I'm writing about. It's an interesting exercise. My current heroes would be The Magician and the King of Coins, and my heroines the High Priestess and Queen of Cups. Imagery and symbolism. Then I thought of my Medicine cards, and wondered which of the animal totems would fit... Could go on for hours with this!
A quick seque onto animals -- I now have four foster-kittens. Three more arrived this afternoon (couriered to me by the adoption centre) -- seems that kitten season has hit with a vengeance! Add to that unusual amounts of relief work (two staff on vacation. one long-term sick, one unfilled position) and I can see that actually WRITING anything is not going to be easy for a while. Oh, well. It'll just have to ferment in my brain until I can get time to write it all down...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)