Less Than A Month Left!

Get this widget!

Along Came A Spider

Little Miss Terri
sat in her chair-ey
eating her curds and whey,
along came a spider
and sat down beside her
and blew Terri Garey away!

Isn't he cute? I guess it's no longer any secret that I have somewhat eclectic taste, but even I had no idea how I'd immediately fall in love with a rhinestone-encrusted, green-eyed spider! Better yet, a rhinestone-encrusted, green-eyed spider trinket box like this guy here (if you lift his little head, his entire body opens up). My spider was a gift from Theresa Mobley, who was the winner of the Win A Free RWA Conference Registration Contest I held last year. Theresa made a point to seek me out at conference and thank me for helping her attend the conference, and this was her very original and very thoughtful thank you gift! I'm so glad I got to meet Theresa and two of her friends, both of whom assured me that the grand prize of a free contest registration couldn't have gone to a nicer person than Theresa - hearing that in itself was a gift. :)

Theresa was sweet enough to privately email some of my friends and find out what she could get me as a thank-you, and they told her that I loved anything spooky or Halloween-related. What they didn't tell her is that I also collect cool little boxes! This spider already has a place of honor in my collection! Theresa and her girlfriend (and a bunch of strangers by the elevator) probably thought I was nuts the way I squealed over this, but one look and I was blown away.

So thank you again, Theresa. Spidey thanks you, too, for giving him a home with someone who thinks he's really cool. :)

The Sisterhood of The Traveling Shoes

This is a reprint of the conference wrapup I posted over on Romantic Inks earlier in the week. I'm putting it up here just in case you missed it (and because I'm too lazy to do another blog entry right now). :)
__________________
I just got back from a whirlwind week in Dallas, where I (like 2000 other crazy, wild, star-struck and sleep-deprived women) attended the RWA Signature of Success conference. I could easily sum it up in three words (i.e., It Was Awesome!!), but I thought you guys might like to hear a little more detail than that.

There were workshops and signings, free goodies, free books, chapter parties, publisher parties, hallway reunions, drinks in the bar, breakfast with editors, lunch with agents, and a final blowout award ceremony filled with excited, happy women decked out in gorgeous evening gowns. And chocolate. Did I mention the chocolate? It was everywhere. The elevator chats raised the eyebrows of any non-writing hotel guests who overheard them (“he’s an doctor and she’s a sports photographer and he agrees to get her pregnant not knowing that she’s already had a least one secret baby with his arch-rival, a hunky surgeon who dumped her for their marriage therapist…”). I came away exhausted and happy, stuffed full of new ideas, writing tips, industry tidbits, and of course… chocolate. But do you know what I came away with that struck me the most? It was the incredible sense of camaraderie that comes from being among people who all have the same dream, the instant affinity between people who’ve never met before, the cheerfulness and good will that surrounded me, and the amazing graciousness of so many “big-name” authors. (I was also amazed at how often the talk turned to shoes! How many pairs everyone packed, how many were cute, how many were excruciating, who was wearing what, what size they were and where they came from. While I heard a lot of “What do you write?”, I also heard a lot of “Where’d you get those shoes?” Instant bonding, girlfriends! Instant bonding! LOL)

“But Terri, (you say), enough with the shoes. Give us details; names, dates, places! Does La Nora really have a husky voice? Does Sherrilyn Kenyon only wear black? Is Susan Elizabeth Phillips really as nice as people say she is? Why does J.R.Ward wear sunglasses at night?”

Want the real scoop? Let me give you a few little tidbits about some of your favorite authors as I experienced them:

Julia Quinn is as genuine and down-to-earth as any person you’ll ever meet. Julia’s RITA acceptance speech was the most joyful, heartfelt thing I’d heard in years, and she had us all laughing and smiling right along with her.

Teresa Medeiros never stops smiling, and knows how to pay a compliment. She made her way across a crowded room just to say hello, and in doing so, made my night.

Jacquie D’Alessandro has eyes that sparkle with fun and a mega-watt smile that lights up a room. Her little alligator purse was adorable – it looked like a real alligator (as in green, four legs, a tail, and a mouth full of teeth)!

Kathryn Caskie not only looks like a beauty queen, she’s beautiful on the inside, too, and knows how to make a newbie author feel at ease when she’s sitting at a table full of industry bigwigs. Talking with her about dogs and kids kept me from dropping salmon all over my dress.

Julie Ann Long has a impish, mischievous quality that makes you wish she lived next door to you so you could gab over a glass of wine on a regular basis. Laughing with her while sitting at a table full of industry bigwigs nearly caused me to drop salmon all over my dress.

Sophia Nash would look glamorous in a potato sack. (Not that she’d wear one!)

Elizabeth Boyle is outspoken, warm and highly intelligent. She used to work for Microsoft, and believe me, when Elizbo speaks, people listen.

Gayle Callen instantly makes you feel like you’ve known her for years. There’s absolutely nothing intimidating about chatting with someone about whether it’s a good idea to wear white pants to an early morning breakfast. Or whether it’s a good idea to wear white pants at all. LOL

Anna Campbell is upbeat and bubbly, with a fabulous “Aussie” accent. It’s always a party when Anna’s around, and you want it to go on forever just so she’ll keep talking.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips really is as nice as people say she is, and then some! She’s gracious and warm and kind. I want to be her when I grow up!

Sherrilyn Kenyon obviously likes to make a statement, and while I’m not quite sure what wearing a swan on her head during the literacy signing was supposed to be a statement of, it certainly got people talking!

Nora Roberts definitely has a smoky voice, and she’s much more approachable than one might think. When she’s sitting at a table in the lounge area, the crowd parts around her like Moses at the Red Sea — everyone whispering, staring, and afraid to speak. Yet she’s nothing but polite and friendly to anyone who does, and must’ve posed for a gajillion pictures.

J.R. Ward does indeed wear sunglasses at night. Why? The only reason I can figure is because, baby, when you’re cool, the sun’s always shinin’! And did you know that J.R. is also Jessica Bird? Jessica won a RITA for Best Short Contemporary with her Silhouette Special Edition, “From The First”.

There were more people and more details, of course; sharing a cab with Toni Blake, riding the Avon bus with Suzanne Enoch, reminiscing with Robyn DeHart, admiring Kathryn Smith’s adorable party dress. I know I’ve left out a lot, and I know I sound like a star-struck fan girl, but honestly, I’m still reeling from the whirlwind of the last few days.

Any questions about any of your favorite authors? Just ask. If I don’t know the answer, I can probably make something up. :)

Photos from the 2007 RWA Conference

Ok, I promised I'd post a couple of pictures of me in a cowboy hat and light-up feather boa, so here they are! I'm having a fabulously good time, in case you were wondering!

These were taken at the RWAOnline "Ropin' Romance" party, and the feather boas were given out to everyone who served on the volunteer committee. Just wish you could see the little blinky lights better!

I've posted a lot more pictures on the PHOTO GALLERY section of my website, if anyone's interested. Wanna know what Anna Campbell, Tawny Weber, Stacey Kayne, C.L. Wilson, Toni Blake, Caridad Ferrar, Elizabeth Boyle and other well-known authors look like? Pop on over and take a look!

Christina Hogrebe, Agent Extraordinaire

I am incredibly fortunate enough to be represented by one of the finest literary agencies ever, the Jane Rotrosen Agency. At Rotrosen, author representation is a team effort, and when I call or email anyone there, I know I'm speaking with or dealing with true professionals in every sense of the word. Support, enthusiasm, industry savvy, editorial input, advice, hand-holding, friendship, laughter - it's all there.

But let me give you an example of how Christina Hogrebe (in the black dress - isn't she gorgeous?) went above and beyond the call of duty for me the other day.

Christina and I decided to go on a culinary adventure this past Friday by visiting a Tex-Asian fusion restaurant (recommended by Rachel Ray), called Fuse. Tres' chic, no? We hopped in a cab and dined on Chili Scented Edamame, assorted sushi, chicken and steak while we talked about life, love, business and all things in between. I had another appointment back at the hotel at 1:30, so we thought we had plenty of time to catch another cab and make it back, but when we walked out of the restaurant, it was pouring down rain. It was right about this time that I realized that I had NO IDEA which meeting room I was supposed to go to once I made it back to the hotel (somewhere along the line I'd lost the email that held that particular detail.)

We called a cab and were informed that it would be there in less than ten minutes, so we waited. And waited. And waited. Now time is getting short, it's pouring down rain, and I have an important meeting to get to and no way of finding out where it is short of running through the halls of the Hyatt, looking for a sign.

So what does Christina do? She goes outside (in the rain), and does her best to hail a cab, telling me to stay inside and dry so I'll look nice for my meeting. But this is Dallas, not NYC, and cabs aren't as plentiful as one might think (perhaps they'll melt if they get wet?). Christina sees one a block away, and starts in that direction, gets halfway there before the cab we called finally shows up. Once inside, a very damp Christina whips out her trusty cell phone and starts making calls, trying desperately to find out the details of where I'm supposed to be. Office? Check. HarperCollins main number? Check. Marketing department? Check. Voicemail? Dead end. By this time, we're back at the hotel, and almost out of options. I honestly believe Christina would've run through the halls like a madwoman with me, searching for the meeting room, except that I took pity on her dampness and sent her off for a well-deserved break.

The good news is that I found the meeting room with nary a minute to spare, but it never would have happened if it weren't for Christina, willing to stand in the rain to snag us a cab.

That, my friend, is a good agent.

Guest Blogging Today at Romantic Inks

I've got tons of stuff to say about the RWA convention, but I decided to spill some of the beans over at Romantic Inks, where I'm today's guest blogger. Pop on over if you'd like to read a little "dish" on some of your favorite authors!

A Quick Hello From The Road

How could I let Friday the 13th go by without doing a blog entry? I'm still in Dallas, attending the RWA conference, and it's been a total blast. I've seen so many of my friends, met so many new ones, had a great time at some parties and soaked up some industry info in workshops. (I now finally understand how all the different Amazon features work, and how much clout the big booksellers like Borders, BAMM and Barnes & Noble have over your actual publishing career). I can't wait to post some pictures, but that will have to wait until I get home and can upload them from my camera. (Tune in this weekend if you'd like to see me in a light-up featherboa and cowboy hat - who says I ain't fashionable?)

This may be an unlucky day for some, but so far my Friday the 13th has been a great one. I was given a fabulous thank-you gift by Theresa Mobley, who won a free registration to the conference through one of my website contests. It's an absolutely gorgeous trinket box, in the form of a bejeweled spider! I love it! I'll post a picture of it, too. Thanks, Theresa!!!

Anyway, I'm off to have lunch with my agent, then tonight is the big HarperCollins dinner party. Tempted though I may be, I might have to leave the light-up featherboa behind. It just doesn't go with my dress. :)

Terri Does Dallas :)

As of tomorrow morning (early), I'll be off to the "Signature Of Success" conference in Dallas, Texas. It will be a dizzying round of meetings, workshops and parties, for which I haven't even begun to pack. I'll be having tea with local booksellers, breakfast with my editor, lunch with my agent, mixing with other authors, meeting new people and hanging out with old friends. I can't wait! My agent and I are going to check out a Tex-Asian restaurant recommended by food-diva Rachel Ray, I'll be attending a dessert reception for finalists in the Golden Heart contest, a publisher party at a place with the cool name of Hotel ZaZa, and an agency party at Tucker's. In between all this I'll be attending as many workshops and publisher "spotlights" as I can. Oh, and I'm also on the planning committee for my online chapter, RWAOnline, so I get to be silly and hand out awards at our "Ropin' Romance" party on Wednesday night. Yeehaw!

In addition to all this, I'll be cheering on five of my best buds as they vie for coveted Golden Heart awards (which is RWA's version of the Oscar), given for the best "as-yet-unpublished" manuscripts of the year. Carla, Beth, Anna, Kim and Sheila all deserve one of those beautiful golden heart necklaces, and I can't wait to see who gets one! (Well, Carla already has one, but who can ever have too much jewelry?)

All of this makes me remember the very first RWA conference I went to back in 2001, in New Orleans. I didn't know a soul. A single soul. I didn't know anything about publishing, period, other than what kind of books I liked to read. All I knew was that I wanted to be a writer, and if I was going to accomplish that goal, I needed to educate myself on the industry. I needed to take some workshops, soak up some knowledge, learn the ropes and the whos and the hows and the whats of what it took to get published. I didn't know my POV* from my HEA* or my GMC* from my TMI* (don't you just hate acronyms? They make you feel so stupid). I didn't know how to plot, or how to write a query letter or what the heck a synopsis was (other than a noun that meant a "summary").

Now, six years later, my first novel is less than two months away from showing up on the shelves of major bookstores everywhere. I'm going to be able to walk into Borders, Barnes&Noble, Books-A-Million, Chapters... heck, even Wal-Mart and Target... and see my work on the shelves. It's mindboggling. Right now, I have three books under contract, and several others in the works. I'm truly blessed.

The moral here is that if you want something bad enough, go out and get it. Don't wait for it to come to you. Put in the time, put in the effort, grit your teeth, and go for it. It ain't gonna happen otherwise.

See you when I get back from Dallas!

*Acronyms explained:
POV = Point of view (a character's viewpoint)
HEA = Happily ever after (necessary for romance, not necessary for non-romance)
GMC = Goals, motivation, conflict (always necessary, regardless of genre)
TMI = Too much information (never necessary, also known as "telling" instead of "showing")

Winners of the "Wedding Stories From Hell" Contest!

Well, I thought I'd attended a few bad weddings in my day, but you guys take the (wedding) cake! I had a hard time choosing the winner of the worst/best "wedding from hell" story, until TIANNA sent in this one:

When I was 25, my best friend’s wedding was a fiasco. Her brother-in-law tried to french kiss me in front of my husband who had a fit and threatened to use his military training to do major damage.

The bride and groom waltzed across the dance floor gracefully, until he dipped her deeply and promptly dropped her. Afterward, the groom got drunk and urinated in a potted plant on the edge of the dance floor and his pants fell around his ankles. Afterward, everyone had a blast telling the bride of his insufficiencies.

The mother of the bride spent hours before the ceremony wrapping rice in lace so all one had to do was untie the ribbon and throw the rice. Many people chose to throw little rice missiles at the couple, giving the bride a black eye. She fell against the groom when hit with the rice, pushed him down the steps of the hotel and he broke his leg. They spent their wedding night in the hospital and their dream trip, a honeymoon in Hawaii, was cancelled.

TIANNA is the winner of an autographed ARC of DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY, and has my thanks for making me laugh so hard my stomach hurt! But there were a couple of other really good stories, too, so I've decided to award both OLIVIA and SHEILA with autographed cover flats and other goodies from me and fellow Avon authors Julia Quinn, Jenna Peterson and Kerrelyn Sparks.

Olivia's story about about an unfortunately cake-cutting incident made me cringe (talk about adding insult to injury!):

Posed with knife in hand, the bride and groom smiled at each other while the photographer angled for that perfect shot. The cake was a glorious creation with four tiers towering over a bubbly water fountain. Three more tiers of cake stood on either side with miniature bridesmaids and groomsmen lined up on bridges reaching from the main cake. Real flowers adorned the sides and floated in the fountain.

The groom moved, slipped, and fell into the table.

The guests watched in horror as the top tiers of the cake seemed to slowly shift off the towering pillars, slide into one of the side cakes and crash to the floor.

I was not a wedding guest, but the caterer who had made the cake, too. Then the brides mother had the gall to blame us that the cake was set up incorrectly and demanded a refund.

While SHEILA'S sharing of her not-so-intimate honeymoon experience made me giggle for days!

My husband-to-be and I were poor as poor could be. My father offered to set up his camper at a nice state park. At about 3:00 in the afternoon on a bright Florida day, we arrived at our beautiful honeymoon spot in a car clearly marked with "just married". Other campers were enjoying the afternoon and the park was full. We raced inside and consummated our vows only to discover my father hadn't put down the stabilizers. So the camper had shaken from side to side. When we walked outside, the entire campground clapped.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered for sharing your wedding stories from hell! Tianna, Olivia and Sheila - your goodies are in the mail!

Calling All Spirits...

Have you ever wondered what the spirits themselves might think of seances? If spirits truly exist, what makes us think they're so eager to talk to us?

Personally, I don't plan on hanging around after my life is over - I believe there's someplace/someone/something else waiting for me, and once my earthly life is done, I'm on to bigger and better things. Whatever "unfinished business" I may have here, it'll have to remain unfinished. The people I love will hopefully know that they were loved, because I try to show them that now, while I'm here.

Seances have been around a long time - there's even mention of one in the Bible. In the first book of Samuel, Ch. 28, the king of the Israelites, Saul, consulted a woman known as the "Witch of Endor" to call up the ghost of the recently departed prophet, Samuel. He wanted advice on the war against the Philistines, and unfortunately for Saul, received only a prediction of his own downfall. Which happened, by the way.

History is full of famous people who were fascinated by the idea of communicating with the dead: Mary Todd Lincoln, Harry Houdini, and Thomas Edison, to name just a few. Personally, I think it's not only selfish, but dangerous to hold seances. Those who have passed on should be left to rest in peace, not nagged at by relatives who crave one last word. And by dangerous, I believe you should always be careful when opening a door to the unknown - who knows who, or what, might step through it?

So, how about you? Ever attended a seance? Do you believe they could actually work?

The Boo-Boo That Comes Back To Bite You

When I was eleven years old, I was hit by a car. I was riding my bike home from guitar lessons at the local rec center, balancing the guitar case on my handlebars (we think we can do anything at that age, don't we?). I almost made it. About a block from the house, I saw a car coming, and we reached a fork in the road at the same instant. Would the car fork right, or would the car fork left? If so, which way should I go?

Needless to say, I made the wrong choice. I steered my bike directly in front of the oncoming car - my fault entirely. The next thing I knew, I woke up in somebody's front yard, with my head in my mom's lap. (As an aside, this was one of what my family calls a "Zelda moment"; from down the block, my mom heard the screech of tires and the sound of an impact, and ran out of the house calling my name, knowing that I'd been in an accident. She was the first person on the scene.)

I was very lucky. Aside from being knocked unconscious and having some serious bruising along my left side from the impact, I was okay. Or so I thought.

Now, umpteen years later, my doctor feels that the recent trouble I've been having with my left shoulder is the residual effect of that accident. A little over a month ago, I began having pain when I lifted my arm. It quickly progressed to pain when I pushed, pulled, or lifted anything with that arm. He calls it "impingement", and believes I may have had a small tear in the muscles of the shoulder that never healed, but never bothered me until now. The tear may have gotten larger, or the muscle become inflamed. So now it's x-rays and MRI's, cortisone shots or arthroscopic surgery, physical therapy or whatever.

The good news? I'm going to get an hour-long massage today, doctor's orders. WOO-HOO!!

Andy Warhol Was Right, Kinda

Andy Warhol had a famous quote, which goes: "In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes." And while I'm hardly famous, I did get FIVE minutes in the local paper last Friday, which means Andy was at least 1/3 right. :) Anyway, since this is my hometown newspaper, it was a pretty big deal for me. So here's the article, and the photo that ran with it:

5 Minutes With Terri Garey, Tampa Novelist

Published: Jun 22, 2007

Tampa native Terri Garey has raised three children and worked with computers. But what she really wanted was to write novels. Years of effort will pay off Aug. 28, when Avon Books publishes "Dead Girls Are Easy." The novel stars Nikki Styx, a woman who finds she can see and hear the dead after she has a near-death experience. There are also a romance (with her doctor) and a murder mystery. It's funny and creepy.
___________

It says in your autobiography you were into "The Twilight Zone" and "Dark Shadows" as a kid, and also you had a crush on Rod Serling. A crush?
He was a pretty handsome guy! He had that dark hair, and I've always had a thing for the dark-haired guys. I liked all those shows - "Shock Theater" on Friday nights and "Creature Feature" on Saturday afternoons with Dr. Paul Bearer. I just absolutely loved him and the sheer campiness of what he did. I think that had a huge influence on me.
I really loved the idea that you could be scary and also make people laugh at the same time.

Which is what you do with your book.
That's good to hear because that was my goal.

At what point did you decide, "Hey, I want to write a
novel?"
I've always loved to write and always loved to read. It wasn't until about six years ago that I really got serious. I had more time because the kids had grown up.
I had an unfinished novel under the bed, and my husband said, "You should take it out and finish it." So I did. It was horrible.

So I wrote three more, and really started studying the publishing industry and participating in writing conferences and writing contests. I sent out my novels and got a nice fat stack of rejection slips. But I kept trying.

Which book is "Dead Girls Are Easy" for you?
Five. And I have since written the sequel ("Where the Ghouls Are," to be released May 1, 2008).

Why the interest in the afterlife and dead people?
Well, I hope you won't think I'm crazy, but my family has had a paranormal experience. We lived in a haunted house.

I don't think you're crazy.
No, you think I'm insane!

Before we bought our house, we were renting a house [in Palma Ceia]. My stepdaughter came to me one night, and she looked freaked out. I asked her what was wrong, and she said she had gone to the bathroom and while she was in there the bathroom door opened and the figure of a man appeared outside the door.

I asked her, "Why didn't you scream?" And she said it wasn't scary like a horror movie. The man just stood there and then sort of faded away. I asked a neighbor about the history of the house and found out there had been a murder-suicide there.
That was enough to convince me. We moved out a few months later. That was just too weird for me.

Kevin Walker/Tampa Tribune

Your Mission, Should You Decide To Accept It...

My husband is a serial love note writer (I know, I know... you hate me). He leaves love notes stuck to my computer screen, stuck to the mirror in the bathroom, in the drawer where I keep my hair scrunchies, in my car, on the refrigerator - wherever he thinks I might find them after he's left for work.

It doesn't take him long, and as you can see, he doesn't always say much. It's the fact that he does it that makes it special.

When my kids were little, I'd do the same for them - I'd stick a little love note in their lunchbox (back when they weren't embarrassed to actually bring lunch from home), even though I knew that they (being boys) would roll their eyes and scrunch it up so their friends wouldn't see it. I got a secret pleasure in imagining that moment when they found the note and read it, knowing that even though they thought their mom was nuts, they couldn't help but know I put it there out of love.

So what I'm challenging you to do today is to think about those people you love the most; your spouse, your kids, your best friend, your sister, your mom. Then take a minute, maybe two, and write them a teeny little love note. Hand it to them, mail it to them, put it where they'll find it when you're not around - just write it.

Such a teeny little thing. A teeny little thing that could mean so much. Do it!

A New Season Begins

Two of my favorite shows had their season premieres this week, FINALLY providing a welcome break from reality shows like American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, and America's Got Talent (ok, I may watch AGT because I adore Sharon Osbourne and I have a soft spot for The Hof, but in general, I'm not a fan of these types of shows). DEAD ZONE has always been one of my favorites - I love the concept, and I love Anthony Michael Hall. I did not, however, love the premiere episode. *SPOILER ALERT* It was so.... not-DEAD-ZONE-like, and they killed off Walt! Walt, the sexy. Walt, the handsome. Walt, the good dad, the faithful husband, the all-American hero, the all-around-good-guy who you wish lived next door just so you could watch him mow his lawn, Walt. And not only did they kill him, they ended the episode with this totally sappy scene where Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall), "sees" Walt's final moments, and gets to relay his dying last words to Walt's pregnant wife. "Ti amo, Sarah." Lifetime movie, anyone? It was far, far too melodramatic and unnecessary. And did I mention they killed Walt?!?

Then, last night was THE CLOSER, with Kyra Sedgewick, who if I didn't love both her and her character, I'd totally hate for having great hair, and being happily married to Kevin Bacon all these years. (Kevin Bacon is yet another cute, nice guy I wish lived next door so I could watch him mow his lawn, or practice guitar in his garage, or something.) Anyway, THE CLOSER came much, much closer to hitting the mark with their premiere, aside from the extremely graphic opening scenes. I mean, I like cop dramas as much as anyone, but I do NOT want to see, up-close and personal, a ten yr. old girl in her jammies who's been stabbed in the heart and had her throat slit for good measure. It was, in a word, overkill (excuse the pun). But I was happy to see that Brenda Leigh Johnson, Kyra's character, had not lost her moxie over the summer, and that the show's producers have decided to deepen her character even further. I'm looking forward to seeing how things work out between her and her boyfriend, Fitz, and watching her kill her suspects with kindness just before she moves in to wring their confessions from their lying, murderous lips.

Gee, I sound a bit bloodthirsty after all, don't I?

What's A Widget?

Is this cool or what? My publisher made this awesome countdown clock (otherwise known as a "widget") that keeps track of the days, hours, minutes and seconds until dead girls are easy hits the streets!

I've never been obsessive-compulsive, but I have a feeling I'll be checking my widget over and over (and over, and over...) GAH!!!

Get this widget!

Little Five Points, Georgia

A few years ago, while visiting my sister, she took me to a weirdly wonderful area of Atlanta called Little Five Points. (That's her on the left, with her arm in the air, as we pose in front of one of the many psychedelic murals that adorn the streets of Little Five Points.) L5P, known as "Little Five" to the locals, is the "Haight Ashbury" of Atlanta - an eclectic center of liberal thought and cultural diversity, a collection of not-quite-typical businesses run and frequented by not-quite-typical people, surrounded by beautiful, gracious old neighborhoods full of Victorian homes.

Oddly enough, or perhaps not so oddly, I felt right at home. This is an area where free expression is in the air, blending with the scent of sandalwood incense, fresh-brewed coffee and unemptied dumpsters. An area where young people with blue hair and nose rings chat with chubby tourists in socks and sandals; where dreadlocked rastas play steel drums for tips; where happy families and bored teenagers wander in and out of kitschy stores like The Junkman's Daughter (right) and cool bars like the Vortex are packed to the gills on Friday and Saturday nights (the skull below is the entrance to the Vortex).
"Wow," I thought to myself. "What a great setting for a story!" If these walls could talk, and all that. And that's how the idea for Dead Girls Are Easy was born.

The idea was this: What if someone who lived and worked here, a free spirit who believed in "live and let live", found out that some spirits weren't as free as hers? What if a Goth girl who'd always found the dark side of life to be cool and intriguing, suddenly discovered that the dark side really existed? What if she "died" and came back with the ability to see and hear the dead? How would becoming an unwilling "ghoulfriend" to the dead change her, without forcing her to change who she really was?

I guess the big question my main character, Nicki Styx, now has to ask herself is this: In the age-old battle between good and evil, can you do the right thing without assuming the missionary position? :)

Simple Pleasures

I joke about keeping my blog interesting, saying "nobody wants to read about what I had for breakfast". Well...um... wanna know what I had for lunch? :)

A peanut butter and banana sandwich. (Or as Elvis would've have said, a peanut butter and 'nanner sandwich - it was his favorite, and he liked them fried. How do you know these things, Terri? I have no idea. Consider me a fountain of useless knowledge.) Anyway, when I broke from writing today to fix myself lunch, alas, the cupboard was pretty bare. (That's what happens when you're on a short deadline - piled up laundry, dust bunnies and empty cupboards.)

But there was the jar of peanut butter, and there was the banana. It was sublime. I haven't had one of these since I was a kid, and I'd totally forgotten how good they were. Forget the frying pan, though - Elvis was on drugs, remember? :)

It made me think about other things that make me happy, things that are so simple I often overlook them or take them for granted, like:

1) Finding the perfect outfit, on sale. :)

2) Laughing with someone over a glass of wine.

3) A spontaneous hug or kiss from a certain two-and-a-half year old.

4) Waking in the middle of the night, snuggled next to my husband, and falling right back asleep feeling loved and safe.
5) The way my dog greets me every morning with a happy whine and a goofy doggy grin.
6) Hearing the wind in the trees.
7) Watching the bright red cardinal who visits my bird feeder.

Think about it. What are your simple pleasures?

Another Contract, Another Bear!

This is my dear friend, Mona Risk, and her new friend, Sergei. Does Mona look happy or what?

Mona found out last month that her touching story about a Belarussian general out to save the child victims of the Chernobyl disaster, entitled TO LOVE A HERO, will be published by Cerridwen Press! Continuing the tradition established a few years ago by my friends at the Writers Playground, Mona now finds herself the new owner of a custom-made Build-A-Bear (modeled after her hero, natch) and a gorgeous fountain pen engraved with her title and the date the book sold.

Mona writes medical romances in exotic European settings, and she knows of what she speaks! She's a former chemist herself, has lived and traveled all over Europe, and has nine doctors in her immediate family! She's also a delightful person, and I'm so happy her dream of writing has finally come true.

Congratulations, Mona!

June Contest - Wedding Stories From Hell

As I mentioned last week, I've been asked to participate in a ghoulishly themed anthology entitled "WEDDINGS FROM HELL"(Avon Books, May 2008).

Fellow authors Maggie Shayne, Kathryn Smith, Jeaniene Frost and I will put together four fiendish tales of paranormal pandemonium centered around (you guessed it!) big, fat supernatural weddings. :)

In keeping with that theme, my June 2007 contest is called "Wedding Stories From Hell"!

Leave me a comment here on my blog, or send me a private email by clicking on the happy couple, and tell me a story about the worst wedding you've ever attended; the ugliest bridesmaid dress you've ever seen (or had to wear), the most embarrassing wedding toast you've ever heard, the biggest Bridezilla you'v ever had to put up with, the drunken groomsman who groped you at the reception - whatever wedding horror you've had to endure! The winner will win a signed ARC of Dead Girls Are Easy, and I'll feature the top three stories on my blog and my website.

Good luck, and I can't wait to hear about your wedding stories from hell!

These Ain't Your Mama's Paper Dolls

It was a rainy weekend here in Gatorland, and while I did manage to get some writing done (really! I did!), I also killed an hour or so creating this ghoulishly delightful pair, who shall henceforth be known, affectionately, as Boris and Natasha Gravesley.

Are they cute or what?!? It's hard to see in the photo, but they're incredibly 3-dimensional, cut from a pattern onto heavy card stock, and glued into place (the detail on the back is just as detailed as the front, and they're rounded, not flat). I'm a very visual person, and I'm using them as inspiration for my current work-in-progress, an anthology of paranormal tales entitled WEDDINGS FROM HELL. (I usually put together a collage, but this weird little couple was just too good to be true.)

I wish I could take credit for the artistic genius that went into their creation, but alas, all I can take credit for is stumbling upon an awesome website called RAVENSBLIGHT. Here you'll find over 300 paintings and photographs on display, free paper toys,free music, free PC games, and a few other dark goodies, all created by a like-minded (as in weirdly twisted) guy named Ray O'Bannon. I plan to make more of the paper toys in the future, and I've already downloaded some great music for my next Halloween party.

Boris and Natasha's wedding must've been a scream. :) Can't you just see them on top of a gothic-themed wedding cake?