Jennifer McKenzie
Romance--Boy meets girl. Romantic Suspense--Boy meets girl with dead bodies.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
The Silly Things I Do
Well, I made some decisions that may bite me in the ass. I'm not sure what happened. Maybe it's because my characters all went out for drinks and didn't invite me.The meanies.
Maybe it's because I'm avoiding opening up the work in progress and having the cursor blink at me. Whatever the reason, I made two moves that I KNEW were crazy, but I did them anyway.
First move. I sent my erotic romance (under my pen name) to Loose Id Publishing which is a step up from the places I've been. They use a bigger printer (distribution wise, not size wise. LOL) and have bigger sales. So, they're tougher. Am I ready? I have no idea.
Second move. I sent my Advance Reader Copy of "Heart Of The Storm" to a well known review blog. I'm not saying who until I see if she reviews it. I sent it fully expecting her to ignore me, say "Um no way" or "Thanks for your sub, but I'm busy with REAL authors." LOL. She didn't. She said "Thank you. I'll take a look at it."
Um WHAT?
Okay, so those are the silly things I've done for the last week. I wasn't even going to mention Loose Id until I knew what the answer was going to be. But I couldn't pass up an opportunity to reveal my flaws to you all yet again.
What silly things do YOU do?
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Sounds Of Silence
My characters have been quiet. Too quiet. Usually, they won't shut up. But right now, they seem to have all taken a vacation. What's THAT about.I opened up "Buried Illusions" (aka THE BOOK THAT WILL NOT DIE) and Jessica and Travis were very apathetic about their own story. That's been a problem with them. Neither of those characters have ever been willing to stand up and shout for attention. They're stubborn.
Kevin in "Eye Of The Storm" seems to be taking a friggin' nap. His counterpart, Serena, is pretty pissed at him since he decided to check out in the middle of their first sex scene. She's pouting.
The entourage in "Embers Of Fire" have all gone on a cruise deciding that I'm too dark and they don't want to deal with the angst I had in store for them.
As a result, I'm not getting much done.
For me, characters are the reason for the plot, not the other way around. I don't get "ideas". I get annoying people in my head who argue with me or natter at me until I get it written.
Right now, everyone has checked out of the space in my head and I just know they're all somewhere quiet having margaritas.
*Sigh*
Well, except for Thomas. After all, a recovering alcoholic guardian angel can't drink. Maybe he's having lemonade.
Those buggers just don't stick around.
We're off to Shanty Creek, the McKenzie Valhalla, to enjoy what's left of summer. Doesn't it seem as if it's going FAST this year?
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Thirteen Places I'd Love To See
After reading Matthew Reilly's "Seven Deadly Wonders", (see yesterday's post) it made me think about places I'd never been and I'd love to see. And of course, I don't have to be reasonable about it.
So, here they are...
Thirteen Places I'd Love To See
1. The Alexandria Library
Before it was destroyed by the romans. Maybe somewhere around the birth of Christ.
2. The Temple of Jerusalem
Just after it was rebuilt by Nebuchadnezzar.
3. Stonehenge
As it was being built. I'd love to know how it really happened.
4. The Great Pyramids
These I'd love to see today or in the past. Seeing them sometime in the nineteen century might be more interesting because you could really explore them then.
5. The Statue of Zeus
Once touted as one of the most spectacular sites in the ancient world, it's existence is myth and legend. I'd love to see if it's true.
6. The Hanging Gardens Of Babylon
Another site of the ancient world that has fallen into myth.
7. Atlantis
Well, since I'm not being reasonable....why not?
8. The Louve
I've always wanted to visit the art held at the Louve. This one doesn't require time travel.
9. The Russian Amber Room
Another myth. It's a fascinating possibility that this room, made completely of Amber stone, was made and spirited away. I first read about it in Elizabeth Lowell's "Amber Beach". I love that stuff.
10. The Lighthouse of Alexandria
From its description, it seems it was HUGE. I'd love to have seen it.
11. Rome
About 50 B.C. It was a bustling place, but without the world domination factor.
12. England
Here I'd love to visit during Roman rule. They did have a period of tranquility (albeit short) before Boadiccia and the destruction that followed. I'd also love to visit England during the beginning of King Alfred's reign.
13. The Via Delorosa
Before it got it's famous name in honor of Christ. I'd love to see Jerusalem in Jesus's time. See, not LIVE there.
Any completely unreasonable place you've wanted to see?
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Whiskey Wednesday. I READ a book. Really read it.
As a author, one of the things I miss is the ability to just read a book. I'm not dissecting it to see what the author was trying to do or not do. I'm not wondering how I would twist that plot.
For many reasons, I've been "blah". Only two things have lifted me out of my little funk. One is this book. I bought it based on the blurb. I'd never heard of Matthew Reilly but apparently he's really big. I sat down, hoping to read an action adventure with some interesting history thrown in and he got me.
He sucked me right into the book. The grammar didn't matter. The Point Of View/show vs. tell/plausibility didn't matter. The internal editor went on vacation. What a freakin relief. The book's premise is that the Great Pyramid at Giza had a solid gold capstone. This capstone has a purpose other than being a pretty decoration. It saves the world from massive devastation from a natural phenomenon. Reilly puts forth brilliant ideas and details them with READABLE step by step instructions. In other words, he didn't lose me with the details. If there were errors, I didn't notice. The story was compelling complete with strong, sympathetic characters and a great twisted ending.
I read it in one sitting.
This, of course, has me searching for his other books. It's rare that I find a book that draws me in this way. Robert Ludlum did it with the Bourne books (which are darker and more thoughtful than the blockbuster movies but I love the movies too) and Terry Brooks did it with the Shannara series.
So, I'm raising a shot of whiskey to you, Matthew Reilly. For a guy who is thirty-three and has six best sellers (one written by the time he was nineteen) it looks like you've just begun.
You can find the book HERE
and Matthew Reilly HERE
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
When Is Too Much Too Much?
Jen's definition of Blogger--1. A person who actually enjoys visiting other people's blogs and who blogs as often as possible, including promotion, rants and boring children's photographs.
What is it about blogs? They're opinions, diaries, individual personal newspapers. Yet I find myself going through withdrawals without them. Then, of course, there is the new epidemic sweeping the blogging community (aka Pajama Media) Blogger Depression. You can view the details of this new disease HERE.
Yesterday, I went on strike. I didn't want to do mommy stuff and I didn't want to do writer stuff. I wasn't very productive. But in my rare moment on mind numbing T.V., I caught a show on Sundance channel called "Blogger Wars". This documentary depicts the power of Bloggers in the political landscape. Who knew?
Frankly, I'm not a big follower of political blogs or their pundits. Though I enjoy a good "Flame War" (and it's mixed enjoyment.) I haven't been one to jump headlong into the fray. Well, not often. I do see that blogs have power.
Note this post on DEAR AUTHOR which spawned intense discussion about an author's responsibility to his readers on several forums. Influential writer blogs drawn in thousands of hits (which doesn't sound like much compared to the million hits certain political blogs receive, but writer blogs are aimed at a smaller audience), blogs such as Miss Snark (who is semi-retired) and Agent blogs.
What is this power, this connection? Whoever named the internet "The World Wide Web" was dead on. It's a web of power lines connecting me to you and you to your favorite author, politician or celebrity news. Just look at the popularity of the YouTube debates last night on CNN?
But it IS a web. I'm caught in it as helplessly as any fly. Technologically challenged all my life, I cringe at the fact that I don't want to live without my high speed internet. Once, my internet life consisted of email and shopping on Amazon. Now, it has expanded so much that I miss it when I'm gone.
I'm afraid this fly is happy to be part of the web. Does that make me crazy? Okay, maybe THAT doesn't make me nuts....never mind.
Monday, July 23, 2007
"On Again" by Jenna Allen
Jenna Allen aka Jenna Bayley-Burke is one of the first people I ever met in the online writing community. She's one of those talented writers who seems to know what a reader wants. And this one is a Phaze book which means it's pretty hot. Check it out.
On Again by Jenna Allen available NOW!Phaze, HeatSheet, Force Series
Paul Bentley is a NARC, his estranged wife Kayla is a drug counselor trying to keep others from running afoul of the law. The stress of the job breaks their marriage, but can the passion that remains help Paul and Kayla get back "on again"?
EXCERPT
"Kay? I'm lonely.""Better to be lonely alone." Her lip trembled and she prayed it didn't show in her voice.
"Yeah. Look, I know I agreed to leave you alone. I know there's no going back. You're better off without me dragging you down. But I was thinking, maybe I could come over? We could open a bottle of wine and try and talk again."
"You never dragged me down when you were here. It was losing you and having to see you still here that hurt." Her stomach twisted and she inched lower in the tub, letting the water soothe her wounds."I feel like I should take that hurt away, you know? I want to hold you and let you know none of it had anything to do with you. I didn't want any of it to touch you."
"I don't live in a bubble, Paul." She took a deep breath for courage. "You don't want to change. You just don't want to be lonely right now. And on again, off again is not good for either one of us."
"We haven't tried on again. Let me come over. I'll bring a bottle of your favorite wine and you can mess up my head. And then once I get it together we can mess up our bed. It's been way too long, Kayla."
"We can talk on the phone." Her eyes felt heavy, tears threatening. She wanted him, the old him, here in the worst way. But she didn't think she had it in her to tell him to leave again.
The phone clicked in her ear. She called his name a few times before giving up and setting the phone on the ground. She closed her eyes, trying not to think of him, but it was too late. His image loomed in her mind, teasing her.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
The Legacy We Chose
I was thinking about this yesterday as I rushed to clean my house for company. What are my children going to take away from their experience with me? Will they remember that we'd go out for ice cream or sing Gretchen Wilson's "There Goes The Neighborhood" while driving? Or will they remember that every time company came over, I was a nutcase.
That's what I took away from living with my Mom. When company was on its way, my mother was frantic as she dusted, scoured and mopped our home. Everything had to look perfect. We had to portray the sedate well behaved middle class family that seemed to be all the rage in the 70's. At least, for my Mom it was all the rage. I hated company.
Frankly, I still do. Because I have a compulsion to do the same thing when people are coming to visit. Not the whole sedate, well behaved thing. That's expecting too much of a mouthy wife of a redneck, but the frantic cleaning. The worst part is that I don't have the basics.
My Mom was (and is) as stringent housecleaner. Her garden is stellar. Her floors are shiny and her closets are organized. I am not (and never have been) a very good house keeper. (In my defense, and as a complete aside, I will say that when I lived by myself, my house was CLEAN. It's picking up after others that I'm not so good at) As a result, when I go on these little rampages, the whirlwind is a little edgier and a lot more frustrating. And my kids get caught in the big wind.
Me and the boys have an ongoing battle. When I clean, every single mess they make AS I'm cleaning becomes a little bit more annoying. They find my preoccupation with carpet cleaner and the vacuum very disruptive to their expectations. (I swear they view me as a cruise director) And THEY'RE BOYS!!!!
They leave dirty clothes on the floor. Sand from the beach is as common as the dust on my furniture and they do not have the concept of "Don't step on the floor. It's wet." I won't even discuss the three dogs.
So, I wondered. Is this the legacy I'm leaving my children? This frantic bullshit of running around with a bottle of 409 and wielding the vacuum like an avenging cleaning demon? Will my children practice this neurotic behavior or worse, expect their spouse to practice it?
This is one of those little quirks in my behavior that I don't like much. I will say that it's much improved from my younger days. Though frantic, I am less crazy than I used to be about this. But as I scrub and spray, I know those eyes are watching me. And I have no control over what they do with that information.
I'm hoping the ice cream, the singing, and the bedtime stories outweigh the crazy stuff I do. This isn't a trait from my mother that I point to and say "Isn't that wonderful?"
Friday, July 20, 2007
I've Been Waiting For This One
Safety is an illusion.
When the world crumbles into chaos, only a chosen few can afford the luxury of life in towers built to soar far above the pollution and destruction on the ground.
Life up in the air is full of beautiful things and beautiful people. What happens when you’re not one of them? What happens when everything you believed about the world turns out to be a lie?
You fall. Or you learn how to fly...
Click here for Drollerie Press's bookshop.
Click here to buy Falling directly from Mobipocket.
Immi is one of my favorite Divas and I've been waiting for this release for a while. Keep an eye on this author. She's one of the up and coming new authors that will make a splash.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Thirteen Things I Hate About.........
MAMMOGRAMS!!!!!
I wasn't going to put that in my title. But in honor of my wonderful experiences for the last two weeks and because I didn't get my Whiskey Wednesday up (due to an obsession with Windows Movie Maker) I decided to share all the reasons I HATE mammograms. (I'm ignoring the positives here. I don't need reminding that they help prevent deaths from breast cancer. I know that. But I'm not doing 13 things I LOVE about mammograms. That might get weird.)
Sooooooo, here we go.
1. No Deoderant
In order to have an accurate reading, a woman must go "au natural". Which is fine if you're a sweet smelling female, not a stay at home mom/wookie.
2. The Boob positioning
No matter how professional a radiologist can be, there is still the moment that I have to present my nipple for the little dot sticker thing and let him/her lift my breast into position.
3. The Breath Holding
"Now, hold your breath and don't move." Yeah, and don't think about the fact that I may have cancer or my friggin boob is being mashed to death.
4. The Mashing
This is one of those things I can't describe. For me, because I'm a *ahem* "big" woman, the mashing is pretty uncomfortable. I understand from the less endowed that this is universal. These machines are sophisticated with attachments that make it more like a food processor than a piece of medical equipment. Yet, mashing a woman's boob is the only way to do this? Please.
5. The Inaccuracy
Now this is personal for me. Every time I have a mammogram (or a papsmear for that matter) I always have "something". In this case, it was a "dense spot". Sooooo after having my boobs smashed eight times at eight different angles, I went back in for ANOTHER smashing. At least it was only my left one this time. THEN an ultrasound after that. All to be told, "I don't see anything." Um Okay.
6. The Time Away From Writing
I could have been plugging away at my latest wip (quit laughing) and getting my word count up (I mean it. Stop laughing!) or editing one of them to clean them up (You're going to hurt yourself if you keep laughing that way.).
7. The Worry
Don't get me wrong. Not MY worry. My husband's and friend's worry. Honestly, I didn't worry. Well not until the VERY end. Every time I thought "My mother has had it three times." Or "A dense spot. That's it. I'm dying." I just reminded myself that worry was stupid. My husband was WORRIED though.
8. The Waiting
Do I really need to rant about doctor's offices?
9. The Mashing
Sorry, I hate the mashing. It deserved a repeat. So. Much. Mashing.
10. The Reality
Having mammograms means facing reality. I ain't young anymore. If the grey hair wasn't a reality check for me, this is. It means that from now on, the clock is ticking. The trick is to ignore it. Kind of like I do when I'm writing and I "only have an hour before I have to pick up the kids." Ignore the clock. It will chime when it's time.
11. The Hospital Gowns
They open in the front and, if you're skinny (and I'm not), the thing falls off your shoulders. If you're me, it doesn't tie. I think it's some test to see if we can read a magazine while holding the two open parts over our boobies.
12. The Cold Squeezy Stuff
Now this isn't necessarily part of a regular mammogram, but if you're me, THEN you get the added fun of a boob ultrasound. This involves the cold stuff they spread over the area. If you've ever seen your baby on a sonogram, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, consider yourself lucky. That stuff is cold and sticky. And when you're not wearing deodorant......
13. The Not Being Able To Breathe
This may be unique to me, but as I was getting that lovely ultrasound, that worry I'd been so good at keeping under wraps, swamped me. Suddenly, I couldn't breath. The room was too close. The technician was too close. I wanted out of there BAD. I was panicked. Mind you, I was absolutely still, but that lack of deodorant was a real problem at that moment. I started thinking "Oh my God. What if it's worse than they think? What if I have to do chemo? I'm a lousy housekeeper NOW. I can't do anything if I'm sick on chemo." You know, a million miles an hour and getting nowhere. The hamster wheel of misery.
Just about the time I thought I was going to sit up and bolt, gown and all, the tech finished and said "I didn't see anything." My first thought was "What the *&%&* does that mean?" He showed the radiologist and gave me a clean bill of health.
I fled out the door as fast as my legs would carry me. AFTER I put my shirt back on. LOL.
So, while I'm grateful for new technology and so on, I still HATE mammograms.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
My VERY First Book Trailer......
Edited and tweaked it. Thanks to all the folks who gave me opinions. Here we go again. LOL.My Website
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Name:: Jennifer McKenzie Location:: California
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