You're the One That I Haunt in stores today!

"I can resist anything except temptation," said Oscar Wilde. The very nature of temptation itself is part of its allure...forbidden fruit seems sweeter, and some secrets can be delicious. Mae West's take on the situation was similar: "I usually avoid temptation, unless I can't resist.” :-)

When was the last time you were tempted to do something you knew you shouldn't? I'm not talking about sneaking that extra piece of cake or telling a little white lie--I'm talking about a deep desire to do something you knew was really wrong, like have an affair, or take something that didn't belong to you.

No need to confess what the temptation was (please don't!), and no need to confess whether you yielded to it. Just think, for a moment, about the question.

Does the fact that you were tempted to do something you knew was wrong make you a bad person, or is experiencing temptation just a part of our nature as human beings?

Resisting temptation is a big part of the problem that Nicki Styx faces in her latest adventure, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I HAUNT. Her ability to speak to the dead has brought her to the attention of the Devil himself, and he's decided to make her life a living hell by tempting her at every turn. Unfortunately, he knows her every weakness, and as Shakespeare pointed out, “the Devil hath power to form a pleasing shape.” And, in the case of Sammy Divine, a very tempting shape.

Now “in the flesh” as the smokin' hot owner of Divinyls, an indie music store across the street from Nicki's vintage shop, Handbags and Gladrags, Sammy Divine is the original bad boy with a dark side, and he's out to seduce Nicki Styx, one way or another!

Take a look at the dilemma Nicki faces by watching the trailer, and think about how YOU might decide when under the influence of temptation.

Is This What "Birdbrained" Means?

Yes, this is a picture of me with a bird on my head (and one on my shoulder). It appears that the one on my shoulder was whispering in my ear about the one on my head (pure jealousy, I assure you, over all that gorgeous plumage!) LOL

Actually, it's just my favorite exhibit at the local zoo: the Lorikeets. For $1.00, you can buy a teeny little cup of "nectar" and walk into the aviary, where you will immediately be swarmed by some of the most beautiful and friendly little birds on the planet.

Lorikeets are actually small parrots. They're friendly and highly intelligent, and come in virtually every color of the rainbow. Oh, how I'd love to have one - but unfortunately for me, Captain America is convinced that birds are basically just winged carriers for disease, and since we have two cats, I haven't pushed the issue. :-)

Doesn't keep me from enjoying these beauties, though! It was a fun day, and well worth the $1.00 for the nectar.

The giraffes were cool, too - you can climb to an observation post and hand-feed them crackers - and you would not believe how long their tongues are (or how big they are in general). I'd certainly never been that close to one before.

Sometimes it's good be a kid again, if only for a day (although I intend to be one until the day I die! LOL)

NYComiCon 2009

This weekend in the big Apple, a huge three day "popular culture" convention is going on, hosted by the same organizer who puts on BookExpo America, one of the largest book industry tradeshows in the nation.

New York Comic Con is a giant tradeshow that highlights and features the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies and television. It draws high profile guests and celebrities from the comic book, film, and pop culture worlds.

My publisher, Avon HarperCollins has their own booth, and if you look closely at this picture (middle of the screen, slightly to the right) you'll see a six foot high poster of my upcoming book, You're the One That I Haunt!

My editor sent me this picture yesterday, and I was so tickled! Even more tickled to learn that when ComiCon is over, I get to keep the poster! (What I'll do with it remains to be seen - it is, after all, six feet high!) Any suggestions?

The Virtual World of "Handbags and Gladrags"

I love being a novelist, but I make no secret of the fact that I was a computer nerd in another life - I used to do hardware and software installation, network administration, troubleshooting, taught classes in everything from computer basics to Adobe Photoshop. I do my own website (and a couple of others for some very close friends), create a lot of my own graphics and love nothing more than searching the 'net for more. :-) So it should come as no surprise that when a few readers mentioned how much they'd love to actually visit the fictional world I'd created for Nicki Styx in my novels, I started thinking:

What if I could create an imaginary version of Nicki's world, a web page where readers could visit her vintage clothing store, Handbags and Gladrags? Where they could meet imaginary versions of Nicki and her best friend Evan, get some fashion advice and browse some upscale vintage?

With the help of the oh-so-cool site of Meez.com, I've had a lot of fun recreating the virtual world of Nicki Styx (here she is trying to escape my blog zombies, but having no luck - the dead just won't leave her alone, will they?)

At any rate, if you feel like taking a wild flight of fancy for a few minutes, click on this link to visit Handbags and Gladrags! Check out Nicki's "find of the month", and register to win a cool pair of vintage earrings! (Just like Nicki would wear if Nicki.. um... existed.) LOL