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

Book Video for You're the One That I Haunt!

Okay, so I broke down and did my first video trailer! You're the One That I Haunt will be released in less than one month, but you can get the very first "video sneak peek" right here! Watch it and tell me what you think, purty please? :-)

Some Like It Hot, Some Like It "Not"

In the paraphrased words of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, “Pornography itself is hard to define, but I know it when I see it.”

Which leads to an interesting question: What if what one person sees as “pornography”, another person sees as “erotica”? Who’s right? What defines the difference?

Having just read one of the hottest historical romances I’ve picked up in a long time (Anna Campbell’s TEMPT THE DEVIL), I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. This book was a non-stop lesson in how to keep the sexual tension level high throughout an entire book, filled with fantastic love scenes that might make your mom blush, without ever dipping into the realm of what might be deemed “pornography”. How does a writer do that?

For me, it’s three things: tone, language, and emotion.

Tone is where the author decides, beforehand, exactly how explicit they want to be. Are they going to take the reader to the bedroom door and then close it gently in their face, or are they going to set up a camera so the reader can watch the action? :-D You can still write extremely sexy scenes without describing the act itself, after all, but is that what works for the book? Is that what works for the reader of the book?

The second, and most obvious, way to determine whether a book is truly naughty or not is language. What words does the author use to describe those body parts?

I had a fun and interesting discussion with some of my writing buds the other day, regarding what naughty words were okay to use in which situation. And right now I’m going to use a bunch of them to make my point, so cover your eyes if you’re shy. ;-) All the same body part, each a different way of describing it. In fact, I’m going to ask you to rate them and see if your opinion agrees with mine:

1) Penis
2) D*ck (okay, okay, so I couldn’t quite bring myself to trigger the spam filter!)
3) C*ck
4) Purple-helmeted warrior of love (hey, people have written it!)
5) Male member
6) Hardness

Each of these words sets a “tone”, doesn’t it? Some of these words are perfect for pornography, but they’re also perfect for erotica, so I’m back to asking, what’s the difference?

Personally, I think is the answer is emotion. If I’m reading a sex scene, using the naughtier of these words, and I don’t feel an emotional connection to the characters, it’s pornography. If I’m reading a sex scene, using even stronger words than these, but I feel emotionally invested in the characters, it’s erotica. If I’m reading a sex scene that uses very little explicit language and no mental “camera-view”, it’s erotic (without the “a”).

What about you? Does the use of certain words turn you off, regardless, or is it all about the emotion? Which of those words above do you find “pornographic”, and which would you find erotic? (You can use the number instead of the words, if you like!)

Oh, and if you’ve read a book with a more ridicular turn of phrase than “purple-helmeted warrior of love”, I’d love to hear about it! :-)

Read Me Again, Sam

Amid reports of ongoing doom and gloom about the economy, the recession, and the worrisome state of the publishing industry (along with most other industries), it was nice to finally read an upbeat article in the Wall Street Journal this weekend about the state of fiction, how the number of people actually reading these days is on the rise.

It seems the National Endowment for the Arts has released a recent report showing that the percentage of Americans who read fiction has risen about 5% since 2002, and that the fastest growing group is, by far, the 18-24 year olds.

Yay! This means that despite the lure of the Internet, video games, movies, Ipods, text messaging and instant electronic gratification, our nation's young people are taking the time to actually sit down and read a book. It also means that despite rumblings of trouble in the publishing industry, the market for good literature is actually increasing. Happy news for a storyteller who also loves to read. :-)

Many people credit J.K. Rowling for getting kids reading again, and I'd have to agree. The kids who grew up with Harry Potter are clamoring for more, and young adult authors like Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse) are there to feed their teenage hunger. And, as most readers know, once you START reading, it's hard to quit, so these lucky 18-24 year olds have a lifetime of reading ahead of them.

E-book, paperback or hardcover - the delivery method is irrelevant. I'm just glad to know that fiction isn't dead, and the outlook for publishing not as bleak as it seems. According to the author of the article in the WSJ, the best way we, the reader, can help keep this trend going is simple:

Read. Read in public. Read on the subway, read at the coffee shop, read on the bus, in your doctor's waiting room. And when you're done reading, tell somebody about the book you just read, loan it to them, buy them a copy as a gift. Pass on the good news that reading is both cheap and fun. Join a book club or heck, start one! Pay it forward, dear reader, and keep the reading trend going.

A Close Call

I live in an 85 year old bungalow in an older part of town. It's a great old neighborhood - the oak trees planted back in 1925 form an arched canopy over the streets, the houses are well-kept, most of them sporting big front porches, and the neighbors are friendly. I absolutely adore my house, with its creaky hardwood floors and oddly shaped rooms, except for one thing: those old oak trees swarm with squirrels, birds and other assorted critters like the occasional 'possum, raccoon, and unfortunately, mice. Well, occasionally one of those critters will find its way into my attic (we've never found out where), despite our best efforts to keep them out. There's nothing more aggravating to hear one of those little boogers scratching away in the ceiling over your head at about 3 in the morning, let me tell ya.

Anyway, over the years, I've found the only way to keep them under control is to put bars of rat poison at strategic spots in the attic. (Yes, I feel guilty about it, but again - having your house eaten from the inside out and having to worry about a critter falling through the ceiling makes guilt a fact of life.) So last Friday, I heard the tell-tale scratching, and with a sigh, broke out the rat poison, and put two bars in the attic.

Yesterday afternoon, in keeping with my regular routine, I fed my dog, Echo (my best bud, my compadre, my constant companion - here she is with HER constant companion, the cat). When she was through eating, I put her outside, as always. Ten minutes later I walked out the back door and saw her lying in the grass, eating something. I almost did nothing, because what she was eating was green, and for a moment I assumed she was just being a dog and eating the grass.

It was RAT POISON. A chunky green bar of rat poison, obviously one of the ones I'd put in the attic two days earlier. Whatever critter had been in had obviously decided to take the bait, but then took it OUTSIDE to eat it. I have a two story house, so I'm thinking it fell from the roof into the yard, where my dog found it.

Needless to say, I freaked. I called the vet, who immediately wanted to know if I still had the box (which, luckily, I did). When I read her the "instructions to veterinarians" she interrupted me and said, "Get her in here, NOW." My son and I rushed her to the vet, where her stomach was emptied and then filled with charcoal. She was given an antidote, and has to take it twice a day for the next two weeks, as there's still a slight chance of kidney failure. Over $300.00 and two hours later, I brought her home, very grateful that I'd seen her eating that green chunk.

If I hadn't, she would've started vomiting, gone into kidney failure, and died before we ever had a clue what was wrong. I mean, what are the odds of her eating rat poison that was left in the attic, of all places?

Anyway, all's well that ends well, as they say. But if there's one thing I learned yesterday, it's to expect the unexpected, and never take those you love for granted - including your dog.

A New Winner, A New Excerpt, A New Year

Congratulations to January Brown, who just won an autographed Advance Reader Copy of You're the One That I Haunt! (My random number generator just happened to pick a girl named January on January 1st - what are the odds of that? :-) I just love it when serendipity rears its head!) As I told January, her win was obviously meant to be. :-) I still have one more ARC to give away, so if you haven't popped over and Entered the contest yet, there's still time. My next drawing will be January 31, 2009.

To kick off the new year, I've just posted a brand-new EXCERPT from the book I'm working on now - Silent Night, Haunted Night - on my website. Stop by and see what kind of trouble Nicki Styx will be getting into in November of 2009. :-)

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!

It's the last day of 2008, and despite the recession, a horrible year in the stock market, global unrest and tons of gloom and doom, I'm feeling pretty hopeful for the new year.

Why?

Because every day is a new day, whether it's the first day of a new year or (quite simply) the first day of the rest of your life. Every day you're alive, you have a chance to make the world a better place by just doing your part, no matter how small or how large that part may be.

Let someone go ahead of you in the check-out lane at the grocery store. Smile at the person behind the counter and ask how their day is going. Pay someone you don't know a compliment -tell the clerk at the post office how nice they look today, or mention much you like their hair, sweater, manicure or earrings. Offer to pick up some groceries for your elderly neighbor. Walk somebody's dog. Do somebody's dishes. Spend some time with someone who needs a shoulder. Clean out your closet and take the old clothes to a shelter (and don't forget the socks... they always need socks!). Visit someone in the hospital.

Every day is filled with opportunities to make the world just a teeny bit better, one opportunity at a time. You can't fix global warming, but you can put a smile on someone's face. You can't solve homelessness, but you can help keep someone warm. And if, despite all your trying, you have a bad day and end up discouraged, I offer you this tidbit of wisdom from Ralph Waldo Emerson, which has helped me through many a bad day:

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

May 2009 be a year of wonders for you... wonders that you create for yourself by striving to be a better person in a myriad of tiny little ways that no one even notices but you.

Try it. You might be surprised.

Surviving The Aftermath

So a good time was had by everyone, except maybe the dog. :-)

(Okay, so she didn't really mind. Any attention is good attention, in her book!)

We had a really nice Christmas here in Gatorland, even though it was warm and a bit muggy. No chestnuts roasting on an open fire here, and certainly no snow! No getting up at the crack of dawn, either - my youngest is the only one left at home, and he's long outgrown his belief in Santa Claus. My husband and I got up at our normal time and enjoyed a cup of hot coffee before he drove over to get his mother and bring her over to spend the day with us.

I made turkey with all the trimmings, which cooked while we opened our presents, then our daughter and her family came by for a second round of gift-giving. By the time it was all over, mid-afternoon, we were gorged on turkey, overwhelmed in wrapping paper, and (after taking his mom home and helping me with the dishes) my husband was more than ready for a nap (which he rightly deserved, and enjoyed to the hilt!) Never having been a 'napper', I straightened the house and played video games on my computer (my favorite guilty pleasure!).

It started raining, which was the perfect excuse to change into our jammies way too early in the day, and settle in to watch some movies. What did you do for Christmas?

Last Minute Christmas Shopping

I am the only one who's woefully behind in their Christmas shopping?

Two more days until Christmas, and I haven't gotten anything for the hubby yet (I know what to get him, just haven't gotten it.) Still have toys to buy for the family kidlets, still have packages to wrap. Oh, and for some reason, I'm unable to find the needlepoint stockings that I usually hang by the chimney with care, so I think I'm going to have to buy new ones! (I have no idea which box they got packed into last year, and they're not revealing themselves. Maybe the elves took them.)

I did get all my groceries yesterday for Christmas dinner; a turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, broccoli casserole, rolls, pumpkin pie and cheesecake. :-) I even got some mulling spices to put in the apple cider - even if nobody drinks it, it'll make the house smell great!

Anyway, time to put the blog away, get dressed and head out for some shopping! Hopefully, I'll be done by tonight, get the wrapping done tomorrow, and be ready for jolly old Saint Nick on Christmas morning.

Wait a minute... why does HE get all the credit???

The Women

I didn't think I'd like this movie, but I did. The Women, starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett was a very nice surprise, in large part due to Annette Bening and a couple of great cameos by Candace Bergen, Carrie Fisher, and Debi Mazar. Eva Mendez was perfect for her role, as was Debra Messing, and if I hadn't gotten distracted by Meg Ryan's overblown hair and lips, I'd give it a solid five stars. :-) As it is, I give it four stars and a solid thumbs up.

A woman's three best friends find out that her husband is being unfaithful - do they tell her? Sure they do, but not before seeing for themselves that the poor schmuck never stood a chance against a hot tamale like Eva, the perfume girl at Saks. Guided by her mother's advice, Meg decides to let her husband have his little fling, knowing he'll get tired of his spicy and demanding chica pretty quickly. He does, and she thinks she's won, until she finds out the affair is still going on. This is a great story about the power of girlfriends, the power of women, and the power of forgiveness.

Wronged wife Meg Ryan copes with the breakup of her marriage with advice from her friends and her mother, and in the process is transformed from a messy haired mess, submerged in nameless Mom-dom, into what she always wanted to be all along. a chic, gorgeous fashion designer who wows the world with her first collection. (This is the only part of the script that bothered me. It was a bit much, just like Meg's hair and lips.) Anyway, this transformation doesn't happen overnight, and along the way, Annette Bening's character absolutely shines as the best friend, who, in a moment of career panic, agrees to publish the messy details of her best friend's divorce. The schmuck is a muckety-muck on Wall Street, you see, and well... sex sells.

The breakup between the best friends is even worse than the breakup of Meg's marriage. You see, the name of this movie is "The Women", and that's what the movie is all about (the breakup of Meg's marriage is basically a side plot). Annette begs for forgiveness, but Meg cuts her off, just like she has her husband. Annette continues to be a friend behind Meg's back by helping her adolescent daughter cope with her parent's impending divorce. They eventually (of course) get back to being best friends in a great scene where they fight, hug, fight some more, and then do some more hugging. Just like real women. :-)

Meanwhile, the poor schmuck of a husband is always in the wings (though we never meet him). Once he knew he was busted, he broke things off with Eva, and seems truly contrite. He's pining for his wife back, begging for a second chance to get to know the "new" Meg.

Ultimately, just like she gave her friend Annette Bening a second chance at friendship, Meg gives her husband a second chance in their marriage. They're two different people now and we, as viewers, are supposed to believe that this couple is going to live happily ever after, despite his infidelity. Meg is no longer the mousy little mom who was willing to put up with an affair, and her husband has learned that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence.

'd say that the lesson of this movie was that we have to love ourselves before other people can love us. That if we love people, we forgive them, even if they've hurt us badly. Definitely a great chick flick movie (I enjoyed it much more than I did the last Sex In The City), and (shhh....don't tell anybody) but my husband actually enjoyed it, too.

In Search of the Perfect Little Black Dress

I have to go to a Christmas party tonight, and I'm beginning to panic.

My repertoire of party clothes is limited, I'm afraid. I have three floor-length "special occasion" dresses, but they're too dressy for a Christmas cocktail party. I have a couple of cute Christmas sweaters, but they're too casual. I have three "fancy" cocktail dresses, but they're all halter dresses and I'm worried they're a bit too skimpy for a December party, even one in Florida. (Also, I won't know a lot of people at this party, and first impressions are important - I don't want anyone whispering about the "flashy blond in the halter dress".) :-)

Or maybe I do. I'm not sure. LOL

I have business clothes, but they're too business-y. I searched my closet twice, and the main conclusion I've come to is that I need to get rid of some things I haven't worn in years and never will again!

So today, I find myself wishing for the mythical "perfect little black dress". We've all heard of it, often seen it on other women, but I - personally - have yet to find it. You know the one... the black dress that fits you perfectly, covers everything that needs to be covered without looking matronly, shows everything you want to show without being too revealing, a hemline that hits just where it needs to hit, a waistline that flatters and fabric that doesn't wrinkle. Oh, and it has to look great with heels that aren't too high.

Take a look at all the different styles here: http://www.edressme.com/blackdresses.html I did, and I STILL don't see it. I see too short, too tight, too glittery, too sexy, too boring, too asymmetrical, too young, too old. (I know, I know. Right now you're saying "too picky".) LOL

Does the perfect little black dress actually exist, or (like Santa) is it just a fable, told to little girls everywhere? *sigh* Either way, I'm afraid I'm going to have to head to the mall today in search of it. Maybe I'll get a Christmas miracle, and find it. :-) Wish me luck!

Avon Authors Holiday Recipe Ring

Join the Avon Authors for a special Holiday! Some of the Avon Ladies are celebrating the season with recipes for mouthwatering munchies perfect for any dessert table. Go from author to author and find new treats to try. Start with Lorraine Heath's Devilish Divinity and then stop by the Avon Discussion Board to tell which one was your favorite.

Kathryn Caskie's Sinfully Delicious Pecan Tartlets with Praline Topping?
Miranda Neville's Irresistible Mocha Toffee Bars?
Kerrelyn Sparks’ Orange Slice Cookies?
Gayle Callen's Chocolate Bark?

Which would you choose? (I'm leaning towards all of 'em.) :-)

It's a fun idea, with lots of great holiday recipes. Enjoy!

Invest In Yourself, Not Wall Street

My husband has worked in the securities industry for twenty-four years. He's made a living all that time by giving sound financial advice, walking his clients through the the '87 crash, the decline after the Internet bubble, and the 2008 financial crisis, and all the ups and downs in between. He's a very smart guy. :-)

The recent turmoil in the markets prompted him to do something he'd been wanting to do for a long time, which was leave the bureaucracy to the big lending institutions, and focus on what he does best, which is give good advice. :-) So, he went independent, and formed Tampa Asset Management. He resigned from Wachovia Securities, and asked his clients to trust him with the private management their assets, away from corporate pressures, rumors of buy-outs, bail-outs and mergers.

It was a gutsy move, and quite frankly made me a little nervous at first. Resign from his job? Becoming an independently registered investment advisor is a complicated process, and so is starting up your own business in a time of recession. Three full-time employees means salaries, benefits, office space, equipment, all the overhead costs of doing business - all so my husband could do his job as objectively as possible. You see, it was obvious to him that his clients didn't really need to be so dependent on the big banks. If he went independent, he could put their money to work where it would do the most good, in an impartial way, minus commissions. No money-lending institution looming over his shoulder, no wondering what the higher-ups might be up to. He IS the higher-up. Bob Garey, CEO of Tampa Asset Management.

(Sorry, honey... you're only the boss while you're at the office, just to be clear.) :-)

In case you couldn't tell, I'm very proud of my husband, both for achieving his dream of independence, and for truly wanting to do the right thing for his clients, most of whom he's worked with for years, and consider to be his friends.

His new company motto is "Independent, objective investment advice. Invest in yourself, not Wall Street." Check out his website at http://www.tampaasset.com/.

Win An ARC of You're the One That I Haunt!

Advance Reader Copies of the next Nicki Styx tale are now available, and I've got a couple extra to give away!

Be the first to find out what kind of spooky trouble Nicki's got herself into this time, and how she's going to handle Sammy Divine, the horny devil who's hot on her trail!

Read the newest Nicki Styx adventure before everyone else does, and see what happens when Nicki ends up the prize in a sizzling battle between good and evil.

All you have to do is who correctly answer the question "Who does Nicki really love?"

You can find the answer by reading an excerpt, which is HERE.

Then send me an EMAIL with the answer.

(This contest runs for two months, through the end of January 2009, with one winner chosen each month. One entry makes you eligible for both drawings. Entering this contest automatically adds you to my mailing list, but your information will never be shared with anyone else.)

Announcing the Winners of the Haunted Harvest Contest!

Thanks to everyone who entered my November contest! The winning names have been drawn, and here they are!:

A signed copy of WEDDINGS FROM HELL autographed by Jeaniene Frost and Terri Garey goes to AVIS CAUSEY!

A copy of HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost goes to LELLEN STEWART!

A copy of HOLIDAYS ARE HELL, an anthology by Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Vicki Pettersson and Marjorie Liu goes to ROSE PRESSEY!

A copy of NIGHTWALKER by Jocelynn Drake goes to ZARA HEFLIN!

A copy of SWORD OF DARKNESS by Kinley McGregor goes to CHERYL BULONE!

A copy of ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A VAMPIRE by Kerrelyn Sparks goes to JESSICA SMITH!

Avis, Lellen, Rose, Zara, Cheryl and Jessica will also get an assortment of cover flats, bookmarks and other goodies from a variety of other authors!

Congratulations, ghoulfriends!! :-)

Sixth Sense, or Serendipity?

I had a birthday last week, and I gave myself the gift of going to visit my sister in Atlanta for a couple of days.

While sitting on the plane, out of nowhere, I found myself slipping into this odd little daydream that went like this: What if Stephen King was on the same flight, perhaps sitting in first class. Would I have the nerve to go up to him and ask him for his autograph? (I've heard he's reluctant to sign autographs because notoriety makes him uncomfortable.) Btw, I had a basis for my little daydream, because Mr. King lives part of the year in the Tampa area. Anyway, I tried to decide whether I'd trouble him for his signature, and decided that yes, even though I'm not normally bold enough to act like an autograph hound, in his case I'd have to make an exception. You see, while I don't claim to be a fan of every single one of his books, I admire the man himself for being stubborn enough and tough enough to gut it out for many years in this business, and for writing my favorite writing book of all time, On Writing (did I use the word "writing" enough in that sentence?" :-)

Anyway, daydream over, the plane took off and I was on my way to Atlanta. So, that evening, my sister and brother-in-law gave me my present:

A signed, first edition copy of Stephen King's 1994 release, Insomnia.

To summarize, in the morning I'm daydreaming about getting Stephen King's autograph, and that evening I had it. Had I somehow picked up that I was going to get it for my birthday, which sparked the daydream, or was it pure coincidence? Sixth sense, or serendipity? I'm sure I'll never know, but it was a pretty unusual coincidence, don't you think?

Words To Live By

Ah, the writing life... so easy, so rewarding, so laid back and relaxed... you get to lay around in your pj's all day, sipping coffee, eating chocolate, and puttering with your computer. Words flow from your fingertips like water, brilliance and creativity flood your mind like a shower of sparks, royalty checks overflow your mailbox.

And if you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you.

Here, my dears, is what's much closer to reality (except my computer isn't nearly as cool as hers):