Luna anyone?

I hope everyone had a happy Easter and didn't scoff too many eggs!! I'm feeling very out of sorts with this early Easter, as the kids were off for the long weekend, are now back at school, and then will be off again for a fortnight in a couple of weeks time.

Anyway.

So I'm still slogging away on my full length Nocturne. My head is fit to explode with all the different threads I have, but last night a terrible thought occurred to me. Am I writing a Luna instead of a Nocturne??? And if I am, what should I do about it???

All I can do is carry on and see where this all leads me. Much as I love this story I'm finding it very hard getting the words down on the page/screen. A lot of it is because I'm still waiting to hear on the Bite, but I can't put too much blame on the waiting since I've spent the vast majority of my writing life waiting on responses, and that's never stopped me before!

Go Suzy!!!

Fellow Witch, Sara Hantz, has just found out her debut YA novel, The Second Virginity of Suzy Green, has made the New York Public Library list. To quote the NYPL, "This list, now in its 79th year of publication, selects the best of the previous year’s publishing for teenagers, ages 12 to 18. All the titles chosen have been read and reviewed by young adult librarians and recommended for this special publication.”

Hooray! Huge congrats Sara!

Just Because...

I read this report on the BBC News website last night and it gave me the warm and fuzzies, so I thought I'd share.

A dolphin has come to the rescue of two whales which had become stranded on a beach in New Zealand.

Conservation officer Malcolm Smith told the BBC that he and a group of other people had tried in vain for an hour and a half to get the whales to sea.

The pygmy sperm whales had repeatedly beached, and both they and the humans were tired and set to give up, he said.

But then the dolphin appeared, communicated with the whales, and led them to safety.

I thought that was just lovely. The full report can be found here.

Link Lovers

For anyone targeting or interested in Harlequin's Nocturne line, the editors are hosting an online pitch on 23rd April. A thread has been created for discussion and questions here.

Also over on eharlequin, there's been a week long Q&A session with Spice Editor Susan Pezzack Swinwood on all things spicy. I have to say Susan sounds amazing! She also had some interesting things to say about the Spice Briefs line - mainly that once you send in your Brief that will be the last you see of it until it's either rejected or published. No revisions!! That's kind of scary. Take a peek here.

And currently the Nocturne Bites submissions have a turnaround time of just three weeks. Spice Briefs are running at between six and seven months although the editors hope to cut that wait to three months shortly.

Currently Reading...

I'm so glad I found my glasses! I hadn't realised (or maybe had just forgotten - that happens. Frequently. Sigh!) just how much my poor eyes were missing them. Now I can actually read in the evenings after having been on the computer for hours, whereas before my eyes were too sore and achy. Quite scary really to think how I might have been damaging them.

Anyway, my tbr pile beckoned and over the weekend I dived in. I'm now half way through Shelley Munro's Summer in the City of Sails. I love Shelley's sense of humour, I keep giggling out loud at some of her heroine's sayings! And did I mention the hot hero? Not to mention the steamy sex too! (still can't figure out what the villian's up to... hmmm!)

The other book I'm currently reading is Anna Campbell's second novel, Untouched. I remember when Anna was writing this and dropping tantalising hints about her poor tortured hero (Anna writes incredibly tortured heroes!). Phew! Tortured is an understatement. And the love scenes blew me away. I can't wait to find out how this couple manage to find their HEA!

And to celebrate the upcoming release of Shelley's Fancy Free, here's a peek into the minds of her hero and heroine!

He Says, She Says on Inheriting a Condom Company

ALICE BEASLEY says:

The reading of my god-mother’s will shocked me speechless. I assumed I’d inherit money or jewelry. A condom company came way down the bottom of my list of expectations! Who’d have thought? My god-mother offered me a share in a condom company or a small monetary inheritance. My boyfriend, Steven wanted me to take the money and run. Me—I saw possibilities, the answers to making my dreams come true. We fought about it. Embarrassing? Oh, yeah. We were the center of attention and there were quite a few sniggers from the other occupants of the hall.

I think I stepped into an Alice in Wonderland type rabbit hole on arrival for the reading of the will, not a plain old town hall. I caught sight of this man. Tall, dark and sexy. I dubbed him Mr. Dashing, and spellbound, my attention kept wandering to him. Imagine my blush when I discovered I’d have to work with him at the condom company. Things went downhill from there. Steven left Sloan in a huff because I wouldn’t follow his orders and two weird women accosted me shouting anti-condom slogans. Luckily, they didn’t seem violent but they gave me two business cards, one bearing a clown and the other a dog. Goodness knows what they mean. Life in Sloan looks as if it might be interesting, but I’m a bit wary about condoms. After all, it’s not as if I have experience in that arena…

JAMES BATES says:

I can’t believe Alicia expects me to train this girl. And Alicia’s death couldn’t have come at a worse time. Someone is out to sabotage Fancy Free. It’s been one thing after another. Financially, we can’t take much more. I hope the new design goes well because the company sure needs the boost of funds.

Will Alice and James make a good team? Will she make up with Steven? How do they test the condoms? And who is out to destroy Fancy Free?

Read Alice and James story in FANCY FREE by Shelley Munro to discover all the answers. Available from Ellora’s Cave on 7 March 2008.