Six Line Sunday

In keeping with the trend of Six Line Sunday - here's my six lines from my novel, Stranger on the Shore.

“Darn, it’s getting cold.” Jordan shivered and zipped her sweatshirt.  She hated storms, hated thunder and lightning most of all.  Grabbing at some papers that flew across the deck as the wind picked up, a movement caught the corner of her eye. Something washed up on the shore. Something big. A body?

Are you stuck on your work in progress? Have writer's block?

Here's a place to brainstorm. I've found if I start writing what I'm stuck on, I often come up with ideas to further my writing.
In fact, it happened just this morning. I was replying to Ginger Simpson's blog in a comment to my comment. Actually her blog was about questions for her. I had asked if she plots or just writes. She commented back that she just writes until her character stops speaking to her. In a previous comment she gave examples of how to unblock oneself.
Since I write the same way and my characters have stopped speaking to me - This is the work that I plotted and have had trouble with for over a year. I had already used the examples she provided in her comment and still was stuck. But as I wrote and explained I was trying to find a way to keep the ex wife of my hero living in his home and thought about her breaking her leg and needing surgery and staying off of it for at least six weeks,  more ideas came to me. I figured he couldn't turn her away. She had given up her job and apartment in NY - oh and she's also pregnant, albeit from another man. She's also a spoiled little rich girl and I came up with the idea of Patrick calling her parents to come and get her. Now how did I get out of that one? Simple, they're on an extended cruise and won't be back for several months. Looks as though Patrick is stuck with her.
So what is this going to do to the relationship he just started with his new school secretary (he's a principal) who lives across the street. Not to mention his five year old daughter who took to her mother like ants on cookie crumbs as soon as she saw her. Now mind you, the five year old didn't remember her mother, she left when Emma was an infant.
There's more that I can go into, but I don't want to give the whole story away. Besides, that's not the point of this blog. 
If you have a problem with writer's block and need to brainstorm, here's the place to do it. Leave a comment about your story, where it's blocked and where you want it to go. Together and with help from others, maybe we can get you going again.

Be Good to Your Elf - by Elizabeth Coldwell

But Are Elves Erotic?

So how can an elf be sexy? Aren’t you more likely to come across as silly? That’s what Maddie, the heroine of my MuseItHOT! story Be Good To Your Elf, thought when she first pulled on the costume she was expected to wear in Santa’s Grotto. The tights might be flattering to a girl (or a guy) with good legs, but the hat with the bell on it?

It’s true that if you were choosing a costume to wear for a spot of sexy roleplaying, one of Santa’s elves might not come too high on your list. High fantasy elves are a different matter. The films in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy presented them as athletic, armour-clad warriors fighting against unimaginable evil. Casting Orlando Bloom as Legolas the elf provided eye candy for female viewers who might not otherwise be persuaded to sit through several hours of epic battles, Hobbits in peril and talking trees. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if a character like that persuaded you to unleash your inner elf.

Santa’s elves, however, don’t usually come with heroic overtones. We’ve become much more used to them as comic relief in a story, sitting at an assembly line in Santa’s Workshop putting together Christmas toys. Look at Dudley Moore, who helped to define the concept of the comedy elf in our minds when he played Patch in Santa Claus. Or, more recently, Will Ferrell as Buddy, the human raised by elves at the North Pole in Elf. Not exactly handsome or heroic characters, you might think. But in real life, Dudley Moore often described himself as a ‘sex thimble’, in reference to his diminutive stature, and attracted a string of beautiful wives with his looks, wit and charm (and possibly his bank balance). And good-natured Buddy may initially come across as a loser, but he wins the heart of Zooey Deschanel – who, it has to be said, looks pretty saucy in her elf attire. Looking at it in that light, slipping into tights and a tunic doesn’t necessarily mean you’re no longer going to be regarded as a potential bedmate.

Maddie initially manages to overcome her selfconsciousness about dressing as an elf because she reckons she won’t bump into anyone she knows, all her friends having gone home for the holidays. It also helps that she very quickly meeets Tyler, a divorced dad who’s also working at the grotto and who is all man beneath his brightly coloured costume. And when she relaxes, immersing herself in the magic of Christmas, it no longer matters how she’s dressed. She and Tyler make an erotic connection, and soon fate is presenting her with the opportunity to spend the holidays in his loving arms.

So while vampires may seem more mysterious, pirates more dashing and Vikings more dominant, don’t overlook the charm of the humble elf. After all, wouldn’t you want to spend time with someone who hands out all the best presents?

Six line Sunday

In keeping with the trend of Six Line Sunday - here's my six lines from my novel, Double the Trouble.
Kate Wesley is working in her new florist shop. Her first customer, Emma, a bride, left a short time before and left her car keys. Kate ran after her when she discovered them, but Emma was gone.

“Where’s Emma?” The tall, blond, muscular man yelled, before Kate had a chance to ask if she could help him.


Kate didn’t like his tone or the deep scowl that caused his eyebrows to almost meet above his icy blue eyes. “Excuse me.” Who did he think he was stomping in here like this? She took a step toward him.

Welcome, Lindsay Below

Fairytales enchant the mind as they are read or told. They promise a sense of magic, of adventure, and of satisfaction when the hero wins the day. In the romance genre, the fairytale structure is especially coveted, for when it comes to romance, who doesn’t want to read of a happily ever after?

Unveiling His Princess, out now from Liquid Silver Books, is what I like to call a true fairytale romance. For one, it’s set in a fictional past where magic and fairytales do exist. For another, it’s based on the Brothers Grimm tale “Princess Mouseskin”. While Natalia’s troubles differ somewhat from the original tale, in essence she has the same problem. Her stepsister steals the man she is betrothed to marry -- but Bennett is completely unaware that the “Natalia” introduced to him is not the same from his arranged marriage.

What is Natalia to do? Fortunately, she has the help of her fairy godmother and the assurance that she alone can arrest the prince’s attentions.

Here’s the blurb to the book:

When Natalia’s horrid stepsister locks in her a closet, steals her identity, and sets out to marry Prince Bennett in her place, Natalia nearly gives up hope. Luckily, she has a fairy godmother willing to guide her steps. Dressed in nothing but a mouse-skin pelt and assured that Bennett will recognize her even though they’ve never met; she sets out for his palace.

Prince Bennett knows that he must marry his princess, but when he meets her, something seems amiss. He cannot reconcile the lively, veiled beauty he consorts with at night with the waspish princess he meets during the day. And to make matters worse, he can barely fight off his attraction to a fur-clad scullery maid. Whatever will he do?

Excerpt from Unveiling His Princess:

“Antonia is gone.”

Natalia’s gaze flittered over his tall, red-garbed form and then retreated to her sturdy shoes. “I know, Father,” she whispered.

“She left a note, stating her intentions. And--Natalia, she took with her your lady’s maids, your jewelry, your clothes, even every last one of your handkerchiefs.”

Natalia let out her breath slowly. She had expected as much. It would not do for Natalia to turn up with some form of proof that she was the rightful princess. She stifled a smile. At least she had one form of revenge; Antonia was much too stork-like in structure to be able to comfortably wear her garments. Although Claudette, her (former) lady’s maid, would be able to make the alterations, it would take at least a day for her to cut Natalia’s dresses down to size.

Lifting her head, she asked, “What would you have me do, Father?”

He stroked his goatee as he studied her, finally nodding to himself as he made a decision. “You must follow her.”

“But, Father, I will have no proof of my identity--”

“You will not need proof.” As Natalia stared, her breath seemed to freeze in her chest. Whatever could he mean? “You will not be going as yourself, Natalia.”

Her mouth dropped open in affront. “Surely you do not expect me to attend as Antonia?”

“Indeed not. You will attend as a common peasant.”

The moments lengthened. Natalia’s ears rung. She could not possibly have heard right. “I beg your pardon?”

“You will attend as a peasant,” he announced. “You will present yourself to Prince Bennett barefoot, in nothing more than a mouse-skin pelt. You will wear no adornments in your hair, on your fingers, or around your neck. You will wear your hair loose, and you will not powder or perfume your skin. You will, by all means, make yourself as ordinary as possible.”

Shaking her head, Natalia protested, “Father, I cannot! It is not befitting of a princess--”

Besides, she would be competing with Antonia’s beauty. If she could not hope to compare while dressed in her finery, how could she aspire to gain Prince Bennett’s interest while dressed in rags?

Again, her conscience nagged, did she want to? The prince might be a hideous, hunchbacked hog. From what she could recall from the one portrait he had sent along, he was handsome enough, but it could have been a false likeness.

“A princess,” her father boomed, “is more than the clothes you wear, Natalia, more than the jewels which adorn your fingers. It is an attitude, a manner of speech and of bearing. Antonia will never understand that. You will present yourself to Prince Bennett in nothing more than a mouse-skin, and he will know you for who you truly are.”

As she struggled to maintain her composure, Natalia began to quiver. “But, Father,” she whispered. “Prince Bennett has never even seen me. How is he to know who I am?”

He wouldn’t. And once he saw Antonia, how could she hope to compare? Natalia was comely, but she didn’t approach Antonia’s cold beauty. If not for her stepsister’s cruel heart, Natalia might have been willing to concede that Antonia was more a princess than she was. The king had always said Natalia’s kindness was her crowning glory--but how was she to show it without her usual raiment? Prince Bennett would glance once at Antonia, see her beauty, and wed her before Natalia had any say in the matter at all.

“He will know,” the king said sternly.

L. K. Below writes romance and speculative fiction. Under her full name, Lindsay Below, she publishes young adult novels. Visit her online at www.lbelow.net.

Winter Doldrums

Just what are the winter doldrums? According to Dictionary.com - a doldrum is – a noun ( used with a plural verb )

1. a state of inactivity or stagnation, as in business or art: August is a time of doldrums for many enterprises.
2. the doldrums,
a. a belt of calms and light baffling winds north of the equator between the northern and southern trade winds in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
b. the weather prevailing in this area.
3. a dull, listless, depressed mood; low spirits.
And according to World English Dictionary - a doldrum is:doldrums (ˈdɒldrəmz) — n
1. a depressed or bored state of mind
2. a state of inactivity or stagnation
3. a. a belt of light winds or calms along the equator
b. the weather conditions experienced in this belt, formerly a hazard to sailing vessels

January, of course, qualifies for one of the months in which the doldrums sets in. I've read where many people suffer from the winter doldrums, some very severely. Maybe it's the lack of sunshine (we're talking about the north, where the colder climates prevail, by the way. I know the sun shines all the time in the south, in the warmer climates).

 I used to suffer from the winter doldrums sometimes. I mean seriously, let's face it. Christmas is over, the tree is down, the warm glow of cheery lights has been removed and all that's left are dreary days and snow. Lots and lots of snow.

Okay, so far this January we've been lucky. Here it is the 5th and besides being cold (only 27 for a high today), we've not had much snow. I have a feeling that’s going to be remedied very soon. Right now we’re getting flurries and there’s even a light coating on the ground. In fact, the sun is out. Yay! We’ve actually had several sunny days so far this year. And the end of December was unseasonably mild going up to almost 60 degrees. That’s unheard of for December around here.

I’ve noticed the last couple of years, I’ve not suffered from the winter doldrums. Maybe it’s my age and the fact I no longer have to go out in the cold and snowy weather if I don’t want to. I can stay in my nice warm house and write or sleep or do whatever I want.

That’s a nice place to be in life. And although I look forward to Spring and the warmer temperatures so I can go out and walk, I’m content to stay inside for now and watch it snow. Life is good.

The fourth of January - already?

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Well here it is, the fourth of January, already. I haven't the slightest idea where the other days have gone. Right after Christmas, my husband decided to build a model railroad.  Why? I have no idea. But since he's retired, he spends the better part of the day on his computer and the latter part watching TV, seldom getting out of his chair. So, I figured this would be a good hobby for him, get him moving. He was into photography, but since he developed emphysema, he can't go out and take pictures much anymore. Not that he did all that much to begin with - mostly (after spending a lot of money on camera equipment) he  read about it. I do have to admit the pictures he did take were excellent.

Anyway, he found some websites, found a layout he liked and I encouraged him to order it. While we were waiting for the track to be delivered, we found some hobbyshops and train shops in the area. So, off we went to the store and he bought a train. It wasn't in either of our plans to buy a train, he just wanted to check out the shop. But, it was on sale and he couldn't pass up the deal.

Of course once we got it home, we discovered it wasn't the scale he wanted. The track he purchased was for HO scale and the train was O scale. Much larger. It was, as I said, an excellent deal because the carton was crushed and marked down considerably. So now, we had a decision to make - take it back or cancel the track. Upon further research, we discovered the O scale accessories were very expensive. Not that HO was cheap by any means, but a lot less expensive. So I suggested we take it back.
But like every young boy (I know he's a grown man), my husband had fallen in love with this set and said he can have two scales. Of course he was right. I've seen several layouts with two scales. So we kept the train. Sunday, my son came over and took him to the Home Depot to purchase plywood and other wood to build the train table. Today is Tuesday and he still hasn't started it. So far he's been doing a lot of reading. Today the track arrived and I thought it might motivate him. Well, with the track came a book and yep, he's still reading. I'm beginning to think I should have just got him some books. It certainly would have been cheaper.
I guess he'll get to it one of these days, but gees, we're not getting any younger. You'd think he'd want it finished in his lifetime.