Missing: One Cobra

I am really curious as to how a zoo can lose a snake. But then again, I'm following it all. Even on Twitter, which I'm not even a part of. Never really liked the snake pit...er  hosue, but I find it fascinating that not only did they make this public, but that some enterprising soul made a twitter account for it. It's pretty neat, and if you don't know the story, check this one out.

New York's most exciting reptilian adventure ever continues into its fifth day today, as Bronx Zoo officials report that they're still not exactly sure where the zoo's poisonous Egyptian cobra, missing since Friday, has slithered off to. (Though a look at the obligatory hilarious fake Twitter feed can't hurt.)

In a statement released today, management didn't sound as concerned about the situation as Metro would hope. As Bronx Zoo director Jim Breheny explained:
We understand the interest in this story and that everyone wants us to find the missing snake. Right now, it’s the snake’s game. At this point, it’s just like fishing; you put the hook in the water and wait. Our best strategy is patience, allowing her time to come out of hiding. We remain confident that the snake is contained within the Reptile House.


OK! That is not reassuring at all. Clearly, vigilance is needed! Some tips for avoiding this serpentine fugitive:


According to Wikipedia, the Egyptian cobra "typically makes its home in dry to moist savanna and semi-desert regions with at least some water and vegetation." The only savanna-ish places we can think of are Central Park and Prospect Park. Avoid them!


"The cobra may also be found in oases, agricultural grounds, hills with sparse vegetation, and grasslands." Avoid baseball fields, local watering holes and urban farming experiments. Also avoid Murray Hill, Clinton Hill, Lennox Hill, Vinegar Hill, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Forest Hills.


"These cobras are not afraid of humans and often enter houses." Not reassuring! "They are attracted to the human villages by chickens and rats that are attracted by garbage." Uh oh. Attracted to areas with rats? That's the last straw. Time to panic! Everybody leave immediately, and don't come back until this thing is found!

Time Travel and Promo

In the last week I've done much research into promotion. I've learned that I A) Need a time machine to keep up with myself and B) a ghost writer to do the many blogs on various topics to grab readers interests.

Since I have nether, I'll have to do it the old fashioned way. I have one thing in my favor, I do have other books coming out this year! So instead of being a one book a year author, I can be a 4 books a year author! So by always having a book out, I can at least keep my name out there on a variety of stories, and not the same one over and over again.

Anyone else? I'm always open to suggestions!

5 star Review

Technically, that's 5 steaming cups of coffee from Coffee Time Romance Reviews. It's so nice to see lovely reviews like this. I do read all the reviews that pop up in my google alerts (or are posted on B&N [0] and Amazon [1]) and try to take into account that A) not eveyone will like what you write and B) sometimes even a so-so review has a positive spin to it for the next book in the works.

But this one understood all I wanted to convey in Wickedly Wanton and I'm so thrilled!

Read the whole review here.
I was rather surprised by the depth of emotion Kristabel Reed conveyed regarding a situation some would find to lack any. Wickedly Wanton is all the more thrilling for the era it is set in. If the author had chose modern times this story would lose its steam but in a Regency setting the scandal is what makes the story all the more thrilling. I found the characters all interesting in their own way despite the roller coaster of feelings they each inspired throughout the story. I highly recommend Wickedly Wanton for everyone because even if you find the Regency Era not to your liking Kristabel Reed just may turn your head.

Meta tags?

In doing a little research for what I need to increase traffic to my blog I came across this term. WTF? Luckily, google also led me to a site that told me how to add them in. The question is, what sorts of keywords should I use?

Yup...afraid of spam. I admit that.

How does one increase blog traffic? Get the word out about my books? Things they didn't cover in Basic Blogging for Dummies. Maybe it's in the more advanced version.

Friday Recipe

In honor of the absolutely miserable weather we've had this week, soup! Sausage soup to be exact. Yum.

Ingredients

1 pound Italian sausage 2 onions, chopped 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice 6 cups chicken broth 2 teaspoons dried basil 2 cups bow tie pasta 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped carrots 1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage

Directions
In a soup pot, cook sausage over medium heat until no pink remains.
Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, or until onions are soft.
Add tomatoes, chicken broth, cabbage, and basil. Bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni, and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Season with garlic salt. Serve. Eat. Enjoy!

e-Book sale!

Until the end of the month at All Romance e-Books all Ravenous Romance books are 25% off, including my full, Wickedly Wanton, including my newest story in the Valentine's Anthology.

Anthologies are great ways to find new authors, so check out all Ravenous's anthologies. They all have cool themes like Green Love (environmental of course) and the Merry Sexmas anthology, and the DILF Anthology

In only a couple hours I've plotted my new Regency Ménage story. This will also have the subheading of Regency Ménage Tale but that's more a theme than anything in common with Wickedly Wanton.

Seduction of a Lady: Regency Ménage Tale takes place after the Battle of Waterloo with the return of two intrepid soldiers, Braxton and Ethan, who happen to spot the feisty heroine in a shop. Thus begins the seduction of her.

That might sound better if I had a name for her, but that's on the agenda for today. Yes, I already have a few thousand words written but that's because I had to get chapter one on paper. It begged me to.

e-Publishers how I love you

OK, so I don't actually know what it's like to work with a print publisher, and given the genre I tend to write in, doubt very much I'll ever have that opportunity. I don't bemoan it, I'm very happy where I am right now. In 10 years? Who knows, but at this moment, I'm not in the future.

Back on track here, I recently had a conversation (and by that I mean an email one...is it still called a conversation? Correspondence? I'm not sure) with my editor at Ravenous about my next book. I was going to do a contemporary menage with the same characters from Killer Valentine, moving them along in both their romance and sexual exploration as well as in their jobs and what everything had to do with each other.

After this conversation/correspondence I'm changing tracks and writing another Regency menage. The deadline has been pushed back to May 31, 2011 from April 1, and I'm now eagerly plotting the story.

So why do I *heart* e-pubs? Because of the ready conversations, the ease with which I can talk with them, the fact that 2 weeks before my deadline I can change tracks and write something totally different for 8 weeks later and they're perfectly fine with it.

In case you missed it

Yesterday was the first offical day of Spring. Now, if you live in northeastern America, you may have thought that Friday was the first day because of the 70+ degree weather. Sunday 3/20/11 was a much chillier day. not very spring like in my eyes.

It was also the first day of Autumn for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere. I wonder what the temps were like in Australia?

Yesterday was also:
Kiss Your Fiancé Day
National Agriculture Day
Proposal Day
Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day

I get the coorlation between 1 and 3 but not so much where #2 fits on the list. Must have been there first and the rest grew up around it. #4 is easy: It's Mr. Roger's birthday. Anyone else think he was creepy?

And, according to Todayin History: On March 20, 1934, Mildrid "Babe" Didrikson pitches one inning of exhibition baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics in a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. She started the first inning, and allowed just one walk and no hits. Though Didrickson was not the first woman to play baseball with major league ballplayers, she had attained national-hero status with an unprecedented performance at the 1932 Olympics.

Take that overpaid MLB pitchers of today! Fitting for Women's History Month!

Lastly, yesterday was also Tunisia: Independence Day (55th anniversary of independence) Will they have a new Independance Day after the protests?

Today, for those interested, is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Always important. It's also Timothy Dalton's birthday. Timothy Dalton...yum.

Friday Recipe

I love broccoli...and cheese. So naturally broccoli cheese soup is a favorite. And even though it's getting warmer, well some days are warmer than -20 wind chill, soup is great for a cold winter's night.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup water

Directions
1.In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2.Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.
3.In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.

Prep Time:
10 MinCook Time:
30 MinReady In:
40 Min

St. Patrick's Day

How many blogs are currently deovted to it today? Don't even want to go there. But for those of you who are Irish, happy day.

Plot vs sex

How much plot should a ménage contemporary romance have? I have a very heavy plot in my newest ménage contemporary but wonder if I should have less plot and more sex? Trying for equal amounts just doesn’t work, soemthings gotta give and I’m afraid to choose.

Sacrifice plot for sex?

Forgo sex for more overall plot and emotional growth?

Emotional growth! Something else to weave in. Very important in the overall story I want to tell.

Today in history

I hadn't planned on doing a post about this but yesterday's bit about National Pi Day got me to wondering what other obscure holidays or this day in history events were happening. Nope, not going to use them for a story, but wondered how to make them a story.

The difference is taking an obscure event: Maine: Admission Day (March 15, 1820) and changing it so it no longer resembles the actual event but is more along what I write.

So let's see, admission day could be admitting your secret sexual desires. I'm thinking that'll make a great anthology, actually. Ten stories that involve people admitting their secret sexual desires. Must give this more thought...

Pi Day

Not pie, but 3.14 etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum...

But that doesn't mean we have to celebrate a mathematical term. Oh, no (especially not in my house!) No, today we celebrate National Pi Day with pie. (Piday.org doesn't work but some of the links do.)

Now the question isn’t what's our favorite pie...but how would you use it in a story?

Friday Recipe

In honor of Mardi Gras (this last Tuesday) I think it's only appropiate that I post a recipe for Jambalaya

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

8 ounces kielbasa, diced

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup diced celery

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 cups uncooked white rice

4 cups chicken stock

3 bay leaves

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions
1.Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Saute chicken and kielbasa until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Season with cayenne, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, or until onion is tender and translucent. Add rice, then stir in chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce.

Spring

If it hasn't exactly sprung, it's darn close. And I don't mean because Sunday is Daylight Savings and you shouldn't forget to set those clocks ahead. Spring ahead and all that.

But this weather is gorgeous! Okay, so on a normal summer's day 50 isn't something to embrace, but that's a summer's day...not a late winter's week with sunshine and 50 degree temps. So nice! And inspirational, too. Warm weather makes me want to sit on the porch and write.

Plots!

Thanks to the reading Friday night, and subsequent Chinese dinner, I now have 2 more concepts I'm working out. They're not more than concepts, vague ideas for future stories, but ones I can't wait to start writing. One is a series of stories set around a single theme and the other is a toss up between a menage and just m/f couple. Haven't decided yet.

I love new plots!

My first reading

Last Friday night I had my first reading. In front of people...and frankly that one drink I had may not have been enough. Actually, it wasn't bad and I rather enjoyed it.

The first Friday of every month features erotic readings at the Happy Ending Lounge. It's a small dimly lighted bar with great drinks and friendly bartenders. Plus it's within walking distance of a fabulous Chinese restaurant. I'd love to go back, and just might later in the summer.

Until then, check out next month's line up!

Quote

A friend sent me this quote I wanted to share from Norman Vincent Peale-

Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.

Friday Recipe

Ingredients

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 (11 ounce) can condensed cream of Cheddar cheese soup 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions

Rinse chicken, and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place in slow cooker.

In a medium bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup and cream of Cheddar cheese soup.
Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir in sour cream just before serving.

Celebrities

How little do I care about celebrities and their personal problems? Please get Charlie Sheen off the screen. I don't care-I've never watched his show and don't think he's all that funny. However, I do feel bad for the rest of the cast and crew of his show who are at the pathetic drug-induced whim of a raving drug addict. The mid-east is changing daily and all any news agency can talk about is him? Talk about skewed priorities.