And the Book Goes To...

For every time you commented on the blog last week, I put your name on a piece of paper, so the more often you commented, the better your chances.

Without further ado, the winner is MsValerie! Congrats, chick! Gimme your email address and I'll send you an e-copy of A Wolf at Her Door. (Do you prefer and Adobe file or do you have Microsoft Reader? MS Reader is a free program you can download here.)

Thanks so much to the other commenters. I really loved seeing you here last week. Don't be strangers! ;)

Oh, and the item that Paige puts on to drive Adam nuts is a pair of satin gloves. :)

A WOLF AT HER DOOR: Artist unkown

I had copied this picture into my hard drive some time ago for a blog about its artist. I have since lost the name of the artist, which truly pains me. I don't like posting art without giving credit to the person who created it, but I figure some exposure is better than none. (If you are the artist, please contact me and I'll be glad to give you credit and post a link to more of your work.)

Anyway, I thought this image was perfect for A WOLF AT HER DOOR week and Art Friday. This wolf is different from Adam in that he has his wolf head, but the rest of him is human. When Adam changes, he goes completely "to the dogs." Heh heh. Yet, this wolf is slighly dangerous, but clearly possessive. Yeah, baby, that's Adam all over.

Okay, she's obviously Little Red Riding Hood, but work with me here. In my book, Paige never wears a hooded cape, but she does put on one little item that Adam requests she wear especially for him. This item, something women rarely wear anymore, turns him on in a big way.

What do you think this item is?

(Every comment made this week gets you a chance to win a free copy of Wolf. Winner to be announced 9/29.)

A WOLF AT HER DOOR: The Cutting Room Floor

Welcome to Day 4 of A Wolf at Her Door Week on my blog! Every Thursday I do a Thursday 3 list (which is an abbreviated version of the Thursday 13 meme), so today I'm going to list three ideas that never made it into A Wolf at Her Door.

1. I wanted my shapeshifter "world" to be a little different from everyone else's. One of the things I thought of was, besides the full moon, to have extreme danger also provoke my hero into changing into wolf form. This way, when he and Paige were threatened by a mountain lion or pack of real wolves, he could defend her. This was way back when I had planned to make the conflict between them be more about her disbelief that he was a werewolf. I envisioned Paige to be so shocked to see him change that it freaked her out. But then I decided that was a little wimpy. If she was willing to throw away a future with Adam because of that, she didn't deserve him.

2. Another climactic scene I had considered was one involving the rest of Adam's family. I toyed with the idea that they were not amenable to accepting a human woman as part of "the pack," and that when Paige went to his family home/ranch/whatever, to find him (after wimpily freaking out and declaring she couldn't be with him) the family would all be in wolf form and surround her, growling. Of course, Adam would arrive and set them all straight. (My critique partners joked that in that scene he should say to them something along the lines of, "Do you even know who the hell that is? That's my bitch." LMAO.)

3. I also thought maybe mixed marriages were allowed, but had to be sanctioned by a Shifter Council. Maybe you had to get a special license, like those Regency couples who dashed off to Gretna Green. (Or was that outright elopement?) Anyway, that got nixxed, too.

So, question: if you fell in love with a man and found out he was a wolf a few days out of the month and you would have to live a double life, keeping that a secret forever, would you do it?

(All comments this week get you a chance to win a free copy of Wolf. Winner to be announced 9/29.)

A WOLF AT HER DOOR: And the Answer Is...

Welcome to Day 3 of A Wolf at Her Door Week at my blog. Today is the big day! You can actually go buy it!!! Of course, I know some of you will be waiting until next Monday, because that's the day I'm going to pick the winner of the free copy. But that's okay. I'm guilty of the same money-saving strategy, too! The cost of the book is a little more than a gallon of gas these days, but I promise you that you'll have a heck of a lot more fun reading my book than you will driving 25 miles anywhere (your mileage will vary.)

As promised, here are the answers to yesterday's shapeshifter trivia quiz.



1. Today, some people truly believe that they are humans with the souls of animals. What do such people call their belief system? Answer: B. Spiritual therianthropy.

2. In 1992, a poll of Russians found that ____________ of respondents believed that werewolves existed. Answer: D. 80 percent

The werewolf story has long been a staple tale of Russia, where wolves were (and still are, in many places) plentiful.

3. In Celtic folklore, men were often seduced by the selkies, beautiful women who were really... Answer: B. Seals

The selkie turned into a woman by removing her sealskin. If a man stole the skin, the selkie could not transform.

4. In the Amazon, one hears legends of the 'boto', which can transform into a young boy or a handsome man. In animal form, the boto is a... Answer: D. Dolphin

In the Amazon, a dolphin called the 'pink dolphin' can be found. Legends about this creature abound.

5. In Japan, many legends tell of the kitsune, who often appeared in the form of a beautiful woman. The kitsune was a .... Answer: C. Werefox

The kitsune often had many tails. The more tails she had, the older and wiser she was.

6. What is the psychological term for a person who thinks that he is a wolf? A. Lycanthrope

From 'lycos'- wolf and 'anthropos'-man.

7. From what material were werewolf-slaying instruments supposed to be fashioned? Answer: A. Silver

Silver probably got this reputation because of its supposed purity and association with the moon.

8. Quite a few physical signs were taken to be indications that one was a werewolf. Which of the following was NOT a sign that one harbored 'the animal within'? Answer: D. Eyes that relfect red light in the dark

Other signs are an unusually long third finger, tattoos in the shape of a crescent moon, an uncut, clawlike left thumbnail, and tiredness in the morning.

9. One of the common beliefs about werewolves is that if you are bitten by one, you will also become a werewolf. What disease is responsible for this belief? Answer: Rabies

Rabid wolves often foam at the mouth and bite whatever crosses their path. After the bite, a human who contracts rabies may exhibit the same behavior.


10. What do you call a werewolf from the southern United States? Answer: B. Loup garou

There are many Cajun legends and songs about the 'loup garou', which is often said to resemble a rabid dog.

So, how'd you do? (Every comment this week enters you to win a free copy of Wolf, the winner to be announced 9/29.)

A WOLF AT HER DOOR: Test Your Knowledge

Welcome to Day 2 of A Wolf at Her Door Week on my blog. Today I'm presenting a fun quiz to see how much you know about werewolves and other shifters. Answers will be posted tomorrow.

1. Today, some people truly believe that they are humans with the souls of animals. What do such people call their belief system?

A. Lycanthropy
B. Spiritual therianthropy
C. Lycanthrophilia
D. Werephilia

2. In 1992, a poll of Russians found that ____________ of respondents believed that werewolves existed.

A. 10 percent
B. 35 percent
C. 50 percent
D. 80 percent

3. In Celtic folklore, men were often seduced by the selkies, beautiful women who were really...

A. Horses
B. Seals
C. Deer
D. Swans

4. In the Amazon, one hears legends of the 'boto', which can transform into a young boy or a handsome man. In animal form, the boto is a...

A. Jaguar
B. Maned wolf
C. Cougar
D. Dolphin

5. In Japan, many legends tell of the kitsune, who often appeared in the form of a beautiful woman. The kitsune was a ....

A. Wereswan
B. Werecat
C. Werefox
D. Werebadger

6. What is the psychological term for a person who thinks that he is a wolf?

A. Lycanthrope
B. Zooanththrope
C. Lupine
D. Anthrolobos

7. From what material were werewolf-slaying instruments supposed to be fashioned?

A. Silver
B. Platinum
C. Gold
D. Tin

8. Quite a few physical signs were taken to be indications that one was a werewolf. Which of the following was NOT a sign that one harbored 'the animal within'?

A. Eyebrows that meet over the bridge of the nose
B. Sleeping with your mouth open
C. Excessive body hair
D. Eyes that relfect red light in the dark

9. One of the common beliefs about werewolves is that if you are bitten by one, you will also become a werewolf. What disease is responsible for this belief?

10. What do you call a werewolf from the southern United States?
A. Alabama wolf
B. Loup garou
C. Wendigo
D. Shapeshifter

How do you feel you did on the quiz? Have you ever even read a werewolf book before? Just wonderin'. :)

(Every comment made this week gets you a chance to win a free copy of Wolf. Winner to be announced 9/29.)

A WOLF AT HER DOOR: Bring On the Sex!

Whenever I have a new release, I dedicate an entire week to that book and A Wolf at Her Door, the second book in the Be-Wished series, is coming out on Wednesday!

Here's a blurb:

In this second book of the Be-Wished series, Paige gets her wish – a hot night with a sexy alpha male werewolf—and Adam more than fits the bill. But with the quirky wish fairy Davina in charge of the magic, something’s bound to go wrong.

If you haven't read the first Be-Wished book, no worries. While I personally prefer to read series books in sequence, you should not have a problem understanding this book at all if you haven't read All In.

Oh wait. Forget I said that. You should DEFINITELY buy All In (the first Be-Wished book) AND A Wolf at Her Door. Yeah. That's it. Buy them both. :D Buy Hostile Takeover, while you're at it. Heh heh.

Okay, back to the reason we're here today-- A Wolf at Her Door.

I always get a kick out of analyzing the amount of sex that occurs in my various books. Here are the Sex Stats for Wolf.

Number of Sex Scenes: 5

Shortest Sex Scene: 1602 words

Longest Sex Scene: 3801 words

Sex Percentage: 31%

Wow. It's one third sex! I think that's the largest percentage I've ever had. And yet, don't think that it's just a bunch of mindless bonking. It's not. This story got much more serious than Book One of the Be-Wished Series, All In. So perhaps I should describe this as bonking...with heart. LMAO.

Regarding sex scenes, do you prefer them from the female or male point of view? Or does it matter?

(Everyone who comments this week will get a chance to win a free copy of the book. The winner will be announced 9/29.)

Artist: Grant Wood (1891-1942)

Welcome to another Art Friday at my blog. Once a week I devote a post to art in some way, shape, or form. Most often, I showcase a work of art or an artist. Sometimes, I call attention to a museum or product that is art-related.

Today I'm featuring the work of American painter, Grant Wood, the creator of this iconic image, American Gothic (1930.)

In 1930, he noticed a small white house built in Carpenter Gothic architecture in Eldon, Iowa. Wood decided to paint the house along with "the kind of people I fancied should live in that house. He recruited his sister Nan to model the woman, dressing her in a colonial print apron mimicking 19th century Americana. The man is modeled on Wood's dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby. Each element was painted separately; the models sat separately and never stood in front of the house.

Wood entered the painting in a competition at the Art Institute of Chicago. The judges deemed it a "comic valentine," but a museum patron convinced them to award the painting the bronze medal and $300 cash prize. The patron also convinced the Institute to buy the painting, where it remains today. The image soon began to be reproduced in newspapers, however, Wood received a backlash when the image finally appeared in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Iowans were furious at their depiction as "pinched, grim-faced, puritanical Bible-thumpers". One farmwife threatened to bite Wood's ear off. Wood protested that he had not painted a caricature of Iowans but a depiction of Americans. Nan, apparently embarrassed at being depicted as the wife of someone twice her age, began telling people that the painting was of a man and his daughter, a point on which Wood remained silent. (Snipped from Wikipedia)

Now, I don't really care for American Gothic that much. I much prefer his landscapes, such as this one, called Near Sundown (1933). Or the one below it, Haying (1939). I just love the puffy trees. They are so lyrical and otherworldly. And the tiny convoy in the distance...I wonder who is travelling and where they're going.

This one, Young Corn (1931), has a special significance to me personally, but I'll hit on that a week from next Friday. Again, those trees are just so fun to look at, and while that may be corn, I don't notice it as much as that hill. I look at that and I can't help but think that the Earth is pregnant. I want to just rub that swollen belly.

If you'd like to see more of Wood's work, go to this wonderful page called Going Back to Iowa: The World of Grant Wood.

Or this one, The Grant Wood Art Gallery.

Thursday 3: Seen It (A Lot)

I think almost everyone likes to watch movies. Some of us even like watching them more than once. My kids have seen the Simpson's Movie I-don't-want-to-know how many times.

Here are some of my oft-watched favorites. Some of these made the list when I was a teen with a lot more free time and disposable income.

Star Wars (the original with Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher)

Grease (NOT NOT NOT the sequel)

The Sound of Music

Romancing the Stone

Pretty Woman

Shakespeare in Love

Emma (Gwenyth Paltrow)

Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Ten Commandments (the first half)

What movies have you watched over and over?

An Encounter of the Hirsute Kind

The hero of my new release, A Wolf at Her Door, is a werewolf shapeshifter. So, once a month, he goes furry. He gets a tail. He lopes around the wilderness on four legs.

However, when he's in human form, most of the time, he's a normal guy. But last night I got my copies of the published book and was happily reading it with a goofy smile on my face. (Trying to concentrate despite the fact that the rest of the family was watching FRINGE really loudly.) And what do I find? A MISTAKE. Good Lord. My editor and I combed through this sucker many times, but apparently we should have checked it one more time because this gem of a sentence appeared:

The hair on his hairs stood on end...

My first reaction was angry despair, but that was only for a moment. Soon after I was chuckling. The mistake is so silly I can only hope my readers will recognize that and laugh. I like to think of myself as pragmatic, and pragmatically there's nothing I can do about this. So, why waste the energy being upset? In fact, maybe I can turn this into a contest. "Fine the glaring error in Chapter Whatever and win a prize."

Anyway, the point is, my guy is a wolf shifter, but he does NOT have hair on his hairs. *snorts*

But this is a minor glitch in comparision to what my friend RG Alexander is going through with Hurricane Ike. Her book is being released today and she has no internet with which to promote it. So, a few of us are helping her out. Here's the cover. Here's a short blurb:

Twins Hawk and Val are Fianna warriors under the vengeful curse of a scorned goddess. Following the prophecy in the Book of Veils, they search for the one who can help them retrieve the Claíomh Solais before their enemies get the chance. Their quest leads them to Linnea. One touch and there can be no doubt that they have found their match. But will she accept them once she knows the truth?

Since I just finished writing a menage tale, I'm extra-curious to see how others handled it. I hope you give RG a try. (Or even a buy!) :D

Recipe: PB&J Bar Cookies

I love peanut butter and jelly. It's one of the world's best pairings. So, here it is in a bar cookie!

Preheat oven to 350. Line 9" square baking pan with enough foil to overhang sides by 2", coat with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix

1 PACKAGE (17.5 OZ) OATMEAL COOKIE MIX
1/2 CUP BUTTER (ROOM TEMPERATURE)
1 EGG
1/2 CUP CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER
1 TBS. WATER

until large crumbs form. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumbs. Press remainder into pan. Spread 2/3 cup LOW-SUGAR RASPBERRY PRESERVES over crust. Mix 1/3 CUP LIGHTLY SALTED COCKTAIL PEANUTS, COARSELY CHOPPED into reserved crumbs. Sprinkle over preserves. Bake 30 minutes or until golden. Cool in pan on rack. Makes 16 bars.

Pen: Frank Lloyd Wright

I can't believe I never thought of this before, but it's true. I am a pen freak. I blog. Why not blog about pens? DUH!!!

Here is a pen I would love to own. It's design was inspired by the famous Frank Lloyd Wright. He designed a triptych window for the Avery Coonley Playhouse in Riverside, Illinois in 1912.

You can buy it here for a mere $62.

Art Books for Kids

Welcome to another Art Friday at my blog. Today I thought I'd share some very cool books I discovered in Real Simple Family magazine. They're published by Sterling Publishing. They're touchable art books. Remember Pat the Bunny? The book that let you pet the bunny's fur and feel Daddy's scratchy cheek? Well, these books are along those lines.

I thought they were pretty neato. They run for about $10 a piece and they're board books.

The various titles are Pop Warhol's Top, Make Van Gogh's Bed, Comb Mona Lisa's Hair, Feed Matisse's Fish, all by Julie Appel and Amy Guglielmo.

My kids are too old for this type of thing, but if you're an art lover and you have toddlers, you might want to check these out. :)

Thursday 3: Be Trilingual!

There's a popular meme called Thursday 13 in which every Thursday you make a list of thirteen things. I did this for a few months, but I don't have time for thirteen! So, I whittled it down to Thursday 3.

Hasn't everyone at one time or another wanted to be able to say PEEKABOO in another language? Come on, don't be shy. You know you have! LOL

Well, here's your chance to learn.

Dutch: kiekeboe
Swahili: kificho-ficho
Greek: koukou-tzaa

Now, grab a baby and practice your newfound skill!

Question: Whatcha Plannin'?

Tonight I’m looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Saturday, I want to _____!

My answer: Tonight I'm looking forward to watching the movie Juno with my husband. Tomorrow my plans include working an eight hour shift at work and being exhausted.
Saturday I want to have a fantastic time at our cousin's son's bar mitzvah.

Recipe: Pasta Salad with Red Pepper Pesto

I made this recently for a going away party. It went well with the pizza, but not so great with the chips and salsa. LOL.

Anyway, it's from Rachael Ray, one of my favorite TV cooks. When I make this again, I'll omit the green peppers, because I don't really like them. I think olives might be a good substitute.

Pasta Salad with Red Pepper Pesto

Red Pepper Pesto
1 cup drained, packed roasted red peppers
2 small cloves garlic (I always put more garlic than a recipe asks for)
3 oz. pine nuts
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley (a couple of handfuls)
salt and pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (eyeball it)

Salad
1 pound whatever pasta you want (I used fusilli, the corkscrew kind)
1 cup drained marinated mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup Italian hot pepper rings, drained and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 large red onion, chopped

Place a large pot of water on to boil for pasta.

Combine roasted peppers, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, salt and pepper and cheese in a food processor. Turn the processor on and stream in the extra-virgin olive oil until a thick pasty sauce forms. Adust seasoning and transfer sauce to a large bowl.

Add salt to boiling water and cook pasta to al dente firmness (firm to the bite.) Drain and cool under running cold water to stop the cooking process. Add cooked, cooled pasta to the pesto sauce. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss to coat. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste and serve or chill up to 48 hours.

Coming Soon!

*SQUEE* A Wolf at Her Door is on the Coming Soon page at Ellora's Cave. The countdown has begun!

Painting Faces

I'm taking a painting class! You might remember Paulette Insall's work from a post a couple of weeks ago. (Here's her painting "Blessings Abound".) Well, I found out she teaches painting and although I never really thought of myself as a painter, I signed up.

Back in the early eighties, I got a C in my college painting class and have been convinced I stank at it since then. However, a couple of years ago the PTA needed someone to paint a backdrop for photos at their Family Hoedown. I downloaded a picture of the desert with some dramatic red rocks in the background, armed myself with tempera paint and brushes, and attacked a double wide piece of white butcher paper--the kind they use to back bulletin boards. The result came out much much better than I expected. So, maybe I am a painter. :) If I'm not, I will be soon. Maybe I'll even post my paintings.

Thursday 13: Coming Up

There's a popular meme called Thursday 13 in which every Thursday you make a list of thirteen things. I did this for a few months, but I don't have time for thirteen! So, I whittled it down to Thursday 3.

I'm super tired again. So, I'm posting a little lazily. Here are three things coming up that I'm looking forward to:

1. My grandmother (94 yrs. old) likes to treat us all to dim sum once in a while. Dim sum is a parade of small servings of Chinese food. There are not too many restaurants that offer it, but there is a good one in Northridge, CA, which is where we go. The staff push these steam carts around that are filled with food, and you choose which ones you want. There is no menu.

2. My husband's cousin's son is going to be a bar mitzvah. He's such a terrific kid. I haven't been to a bar mitzvah since I was thirteen myself.

3. My book, A Wolf at Her Door, is coming out on September 24. I can't WAIT. I really love this story and it's the second book in my very first series ever.

Another Author I Love-Hate

Stephenie Meyer. Dude, I read her book, The Host, and loved it. Tore through it. Stayed up until 2:30 a.m. one night trying to finish, finally turned out the light, and then first thing the next morning, picked it up and didn't get out of bed until I was DONE.

She's that good.

This is one of the best books I've read all year. I so hate her. I so love her. If you're a reader who also writes, you know the feeling.

Recommendation: The Perfect Gift

I'm tired and I want to go to bed, so this is a drive-by blog post.

I love getting gift cards. I love giving them too. Here's a site where you can give someone a card and they get to choose the vendor! Gifts.com

Rest in Peace, Monster

After four years of swimming and eating, our faithful betta fish, Monster, has died. It's a good thing he was so beautiful when he was alive, because that sort of makes up for the fact that he smelled utterly vile when was floating lifeless in his bowl yesterday. This fish looks like him, except Monster didn't have a black head. We still have the other betta fish, unnamed. He might be happy that Monster's gone, because now he can have the bigger bowl.

There were no services. Only a hurried, nose-pinching trip to the garbage can outside.