Man, this day couldn't really get much better. I got my new cover art for my October release 'Big Money' today! Yahoo. I love it.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
New Cover Art
Man, this day couldn't really get much better. I got my new cover art for my October release 'Big Money' today! Yahoo. I love it.
Jumping for Joy
Today has been a great day. Not only did I find a several NEW toys (blogged about on my LJ site), on top of the fun little web-toy I spoke about below. But as of this afternoon COMPUTER GAMES is #11 (with a bullet) on Chippewa's publisher page of Fictionwise! It entered the chart at like #99, and stayed low for a while, but yesterday it had jumped up to #16 which takes quite a few sales, and then today when I checked it was at #11! (doing happy dance while I type).
And a HUGE congratulations to Bianca D'Arc whose RARE VINTAGE is #1 on the publisher best-seller list, and Number NINE on the OVERALL erotica best-sellers for Fictionwise! (That's out of well-over 2000 total books). AND to KAY Derwydd whose THE LEGACY is Number 2 on Chippewa's best-seller list, and number EIGHTEEN (out of that 2000something) erotica best-seller! Bianca's KISS ME DEADLY, and ONE AND ONLY, are numbers 4 & 5 on Chippewa's area too.
WAY TO GO LADIES.
I still haven't busted into the top 100 of the overall catagory yet, but I'ma MOVIN ON UP! A huge, and hearty THANK YOU to all who've purchased Computer Games at Fictionwise, and anywhere else.
And a HUGE congratulations to Bianca D'Arc whose RARE VINTAGE is #1 on the publisher best-seller list, and Number NINE on the OVERALL erotica best-sellers for Fictionwise! (That's out of well-over 2000 total books). AND to KAY Derwydd whose THE LEGACY is Number 2 on Chippewa's best-seller list, and number EIGHTEEN (out of that 2000something) erotica best-seller! Bianca's KISS ME DEADLY, and ONE AND ONLY, are numbers 4 & 5 on Chippewa's area too.
WAY TO GO LADIES.
I still haven't busted into the top 100 of the overall catagory yet, but I'ma MOVIN ON UP! A huge, and hearty THANK YOU to all who've purchased Computer Games at Fictionwise, and anywhere else.
More Cool Stuff
Oh yes. More cool learning curves this morning already. Take a look at my side bar under Published Work
I found the flickr banner while cruising the blogs this morning at the Reveling in Romance Blog site, and investigated the link at the bottom on how to create your own. It wasn't very complicated (just a little), and so much fun to look at when finished, and easy to install in to my website, and the blog here.
Okay, shake your head. It's okay. I know a lot of new authors are overwhelmed by all the prospects for marketing, and various ways to use them, and that's normal, and perfectly understandable. You see, it starts out slow.
Pre-publication:
You barely even think about marketing. You see ads and promos on line from other authors and react basically the way the 'normal' viewing public as readers do. Either you like it, or you don't. It effects you in the same manner... with just a little bit of sub-conscious memory compiling how that possibly might be of use to you and storing it way back in some dusty rarely used file in your memory for future use--if you can ever find it when you want it at that time, because this memory file is seriously crammed in the vast recesses of some memory black hole that you think you can find, but really never will again when you want it.
First book:
You know vaguely that you'll have to do some promotion. You've seen others doing things, and think it's cool, but wow, you could never do some of that stuff. This is the OMG this is too overwhelming stage. Now you start to remember all the things you've seen in the past as a reader, and struggling writer... yep, here's where you try to find that damned file you've shoved in the black-hole of your memory. Good luck finding that.
Still, you know you DID have it once, so now you set out to figure these things out again. At this point it's still pretty slow. Now mind you, I'm writing this from MY perspective to a certain degree, and back when I had my first novel published Internet marketing was WAY less complicated, and WAY less abundant. It's quite likely that you, starting where you're at now if this is your first novel have a much greater degree of savvy in these regards as those of us that started out even five or six years ago with our first pubbed works.
Even so, you'll do what's considered the 'normal' things here. Blogging, website, groups etc... Some of the more complicated things will most likely be a bit beyond your mental ability to cope with all of the changes. Unless, of course, you are just that talented, and I know there are a few of you who are.
Second book and on: This is a fun time. You are much more settled in and comfortable with your abilities and budding career, and have quite a bit of the basic marketing knowledge so ingrained now that you no longer have to bother with that stupid file you can never find. Now it's second nature and permanently etched in some auto-response part of your brain.
Now you begin to find an entirely new world opening up. Neat, creative tricks. Fantastic new ways to promote. Since you're more secure in other areas of your craft, you now are more likely to have the mental ability to absorb more of the possibilities than you had before and you are off and running.
There is no finish line though.
Ooops, did I neglect to tell you that at first? You never stop finding new things. You never stop getting excited over being able to create something fun... at least God I hope you never do. How boring would life be if it suddenly held no new challenges, or surprises?
Godspeed on your journey as a writer, and here's to many more challenges and surprises on the path ahead.
I found the flickr banner while cruising the blogs this morning at the Reveling in Romance Blog site, and investigated the link at the bottom on how to create your own. It wasn't very complicated (just a little), and so much fun to look at when finished, and easy to install in to my website, and the blog here.
Okay, shake your head. It's okay. I know a lot of new authors are overwhelmed by all the prospects for marketing, and various ways to use them, and that's normal, and perfectly understandable. You see, it starts out slow.
Pre-publication:
You barely even think about marketing. You see ads and promos on line from other authors and react basically the way the 'normal' viewing public as readers do. Either you like it, or you don't. It effects you in the same manner... with just a little bit of sub-conscious memory compiling how that possibly might be of use to you and storing it way back in some dusty rarely used file in your memory for future use--if you can ever find it when you want it at that time, because this memory file is seriously crammed in the vast recesses of some memory black hole that you think you can find, but really never will again when you want it.
First book:
You know vaguely that you'll have to do some promotion. You've seen others doing things, and think it's cool, but wow, you could never do some of that stuff. This is the OMG this is too overwhelming stage. Now you start to remember all the things you've seen in the past as a reader, and struggling writer... yep, here's where you try to find that damned file you've shoved in the black-hole of your memory. Good luck finding that.
Still, you know you DID have it once, so now you set out to figure these things out again. At this point it's still pretty slow. Now mind you, I'm writing this from MY perspective to a certain degree, and back when I had my first novel published Internet marketing was WAY less complicated, and WAY less abundant. It's quite likely that you, starting where you're at now if this is your first novel have a much greater degree of savvy in these regards as those of us that started out even five or six years ago with our first pubbed works.
Even so, you'll do what's considered the 'normal' things here. Blogging, website, groups etc... Some of the more complicated things will most likely be a bit beyond your mental ability to cope with all of the changes. Unless, of course, you are just that talented, and I know there are a few of you who are.
Second book and on: This is a fun time. You are much more settled in and comfortable with your abilities and budding career, and have quite a bit of the basic marketing knowledge so ingrained now that you no longer have to bother with that stupid file you can never find. Now it's second nature and permanently etched in some auto-response part of your brain.
Now you begin to find an entirely new world opening up. Neat, creative tricks. Fantastic new ways to promote. Since you're more secure in other areas of your craft, you now are more likely to have the mental ability to absorb more of the possibilities than you had before and you are off and running.
There is no finish line though.
Ooops, did I neglect to tell you that at first? You never stop finding new things. You never stop getting excited over being able to create something fun... at least God I hope you never do. How boring would life be if it suddenly held no new challenges, or surprises?
Godspeed on your journey as a writer, and here's to many more challenges and surprises on the path ahead.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Big Money Commerical Trailer
Yes, yes, I made another one. I'm tellin' ya though, it's not my fault. It's all Kay and Cupnjava's fault. They got me started on this. LOL Oh heck, who am I kidding? It's just way too much fun. It's positively sinful.
Here's the link to the video clip: http://www.tparrington.com/moneytrailer.html
Here's the link to the video clip: http://www.tparrington.com/moneytrailer.html
Big Money Commerical Trailer
Yes, yes, I made another one. I'm tellin' ya though, it's not my fault. It's all Kay and Cupnjava's fault. They got me started on this. LOL Oh heck, who am I kidding? It's just way too much fun. It's positively sinful.
Here's the link to the video clip: http://www.tparrington.com/moneytrailer.html
Here's the link to the video clip: http://www.tparrington.com/moneytrailer.html
Monday, September 25, 2006
Having Way Too Much Fun
Thanks to Kay, and then Cupnjava, I've found a new form of self-induced torture. To think this little movie maker was on my computer all this time and I never even knew it until Kay said, it comes free with Windows. Okay... so I looked. Couldn't find it. Screamed and kicked at the injustice of it all, because I couldn't play like all the other kiddies, then found it.
They did not make it easy to find, but it was there.
So here is my new movie trailer for HELL'S OWN.
Sorry it will not embed in here for some reason... so here's my website link to it http://www.tparrington.com/trailer.html
They did not make it easy to find, but it was there.
So here is my new movie trailer for HELL'S OWN.
Sorry it will not embed in here for some reason... so here's my website link to it http://www.tparrington.com/trailer.html
Sunday, September 24, 2006
The Kitty has Spoken
Well, you see, I had a little conversation with office kitty number 2 today, and it seems she's a bit miffed at having been left out of the office pictures. So I had to appease her sensibilities. You know how cats are. They figure that having once been considered royalty entitles them to have their every whim indulged. This is Heidi. She is not my personal assistant--I'm hers.
And just so you don't begin to wonder if I have a human family or not, since all I've posted on this blog have been pics of animals. My daughter and two grandchildren (yes, grandchildren, no old folks cracks now. LOL) came to visit the other day. This is my daughter Nicole, and Alexis and Dominic.
New Banner
Check out my new animated banner for my '07 release Hell's Own. It took a while to tweak it, and it could probably use a little more tweaking lol. Let me know what you think.
Treasure Hunt's first review
Congratulations to one of my favorite authors on his very first review for his debut novel Treasure Hunt. Reviewer's Choice has this to say about the 'hunt':
Treasure Hunt
J.H. Bogran
Chippewa Sept
ISBN 1933400161
Suspense
***1/2
Blurb:
Twenty years after going to prison for hijacking a plane, Bill Porter is ready to get out, but knows that the F.B.I. will be watching him and take his money the moment he tries to claim it. He therefore uses the 'net to contact master thief, the Falcon, a man of unquestionable honor despite his profession. The Falcon agrees to retrieve the money and deliver it to Bill's daughter, for a cut. However, once the Falcon has to rescue Jamie Porter from lowlife crooks, he acquires a partner in his daring deeds. With danger dogging their heels, the pair races to South America where they will have the fight of their lives on their hands. Along the way, they might also fall in love.
Review:
If you are in the market for a good, old-fashioned adventure story, you're in luck. This is what you want. The suspense is compelling, from the opening hijack scene to the end. Though it might seem somewhat disconcerting to root for a thief, you won't be able to not want the Falcon to come out on top.
!!!Way to go, Jose! You go, boy.
Treasure Hunt
J.H. Bogran
Chippewa Sept
ISBN 1933400161
Suspense
***1/2
Blurb:
Twenty years after going to prison for hijacking a plane, Bill Porter is ready to get out, but knows that the F.B.I. will be watching him and take his money the moment he tries to claim it. He therefore uses the 'net to contact master thief, the Falcon, a man of unquestionable honor despite his profession. The Falcon agrees to retrieve the money and deliver it to Bill's daughter, for a cut. However, once the Falcon has to rescue Jamie Porter from lowlife crooks, he acquires a partner in his daring deeds. With danger dogging their heels, the pair races to South America where they will have the fight of their lives on their hands. Along the way, they might also fall in love.
Review:
If you are in the market for a good, old-fashioned adventure story, you're in luck. This is what you want. The suspense is compelling, from the opening hijack scene to the end. Though it might seem somewhat disconcerting to root for a thief, you won't be able to not want the Falcon to come out on top.
!!!Way to go, Jose! You go, boy.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The Name Game
Yes, I'm still stuck on this. I need your help. I have decided to go with a pen name for my new excursion into homoerotica, and I'd love it if you'd help me decide on a new name. I've listed some of the possibilities that I have come up with below. Please consider them and let me know which one you like, or would grab your attention on a cover, or even if it's 'none of the above.' A couple of them I really like, but I'm afraid they're a little too cutsie. On the other hand, to me they evoke a little humor, and anyone who has read anything I've written knows that very often there is going to be humor, no matter how black, and dark the story. How do names with obvious 'humorous' bents strike you? Silly, or cool?
Here's my list so far, please also feel free to make your own suggestions:
Izzy Dead (kind of a play on a much loved old Monty Python skit)
Isaiah Demon
Izzy Shadows
Shadow Tyme (really kind of like this one, but along with a couple others, not sure if it is too 'cute'.)
Isaiah Shadows
Rayn Shadows.
T. L. Chevre (that word has nothing to do with chills, or shivers, but it sounds like it does. LOL... then again, it actually means 'goat' in French, so I'm not sure it's a good choice overall.)
I haven't even decided if I want it to be a masculine or feminine name (as you can tell by the list. LOL)
Here's my list so far, please also feel free to make your own suggestions:
Izzy Dead (kind of a play on a much loved old Monty Python skit)
Isaiah Demon
Izzy Shadows
Shadow Tyme (really kind of like this one, but along with a couple others, not sure if it is too 'cute'.)
Isaiah Shadows
Rayn Shadows.
T. L. Chevre (that word has nothing to do with chills, or shivers, but it sounds like it does. LOL... then again, it actually means 'goat' in French, so I'm not sure it's a good choice overall.)
I haven't even decided if I want it to be a masculine or feminine name (as you can tell by the list. LOL)
Monday, September 18, 2006
Where I do IT.
No I don't to that here. Inspired by a post on the Erotic Romance Writer forum on picturing our workspace I decided to share with all of you bloggers where I work as well. Yep, this is my crowded, messy, lived in office. But hey--I have one great big 'perk'...
...my own assistant to make sure everything is puuurfect--
Sunday, September 17, 2006
THE POWER OF TWO
The Power of Two
by Mychael Black & Shayne Carmichael
As a vampire Master, Dominic has been eyeing his old friend, Griffith for quite a well. But being a Master in his own right, Grif resisted the notion of Dominic controlling him in any way. With startling skill, Dominic sets out to change that refusal. He has his own deep interest in him, born of watching Grif's submission at the hand of another Master. Even though Dominic can't help but toy with his old friend, in truth, he wants him only an an equal. But how to convince Grif without letting his guard down is Dominic's biggest issue.
Aware of some of that interest but not the reason for it, Grif has his own secret. His trust had been violated by his own vampire Master, and since that night, he's refused to let another dominate him. And he'd swore to himself that no one ever would.
Get your copy of The Power of Two at Phaze today!
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Well, I Gone and Done It
Contented sigh.
I've finally gone and done it. I started yet another genre, and have finished my first short story in it. It's a hottie, and a fun read. Now I have to decide something on a more serious note.
Do I develope yet another pen name to cover this genre?
What say ye who hold many pens? Does it truly help to divide your genres? Do your readers cross-over anyway? If they do, do you find it is still appreciated that you keep your works seperated?
Does it help having different pen names if you let everyone know it's still you?
Do you feel it weakens your marketing ability to have so many different pen-names, where you could be building one on a stronger level using all your tools to create that one rather than several?
Whew, okay lots of questions for a Saturday morning, but something that is very important to me at this time. So I truly appreciate any and all help, and suggestions.
I've finally gone and done it. I started yet another genre, and have finished my first short story in it. It's a hottie, and a fun read. Now I have to decide something on a more serious note.
Do I develope yet another pen name to cover this genre?
What say ye who hold many pens? Does it truly help to divide your genres? Do your readers cross-over anyway? If they do, do you find it is still appreciated that you keep your works seperated?
Does it help having different pen names if you let everyone know it's still you?
Do you feel it weakens your marketing ability to have so many different pen-names, where you could be building one on a stronger level using all your tools to create that one rather than several?
Whew, okay lots of questions for a Saturday morning, but something that is very important to me at this time. So I truly appreciate any and all help, and suggestions.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
PREACH IN CHURCH...
...Not in your novel.
If someone were to ask me what I considered the biggest mistake new authors make, my answer would have nothing to do with format. To be sure there are usually plenty of those mistakes as well, but the biggest mistake so many make, in my opinion, is the desire to use a novel as a platform to spew their views to the world.
Now, before you scream that a good book with a solid concept of what’s wrong with society is a wonderful thing, hold off, I agree. It’s the way that it is carried out that’s important. It’s too easy to simply load your dialogues with a main character standing up and giving lengthy speeches concerning the ills of the world, and how he would solve them. I’ve seen it--it’s not a pretty thing.
Using that same concept and creating a plot line that ‘shows’ the ills of the world is a novel, taking that concept and giving long speeches is a political debate.
Take the movie ‘Enemy Of The State’, with Will Smith and Gene Hackman. In this movie the concern over the government’s ability to spy on average people in their homes and being connected to their lives through computers is the concept that connects to the fear that most people harbor in the new age of technology that we exist in. Rather than have Gene Hackman stand in front of the camera and give a long detailed speech about how it’s an unknown but common occurrence that everyone is spied on and how… they SHOW it by having a regular guy, Will Smith, have his life invaded without his knowledge, having to be saved by Gene Hackman.
Same thing with ‘The Matrix’, another movie about how the average person has the wool pulled over their eyes by a controlling government, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun if Lawrence Fishburne had stood up and told us rather than have Neo discover it, and how to defeat it.
Let the plot preach, then you can concentrate on simply telling the story.
Happy Writing.
If someone were to ask me what I considered the biggest mistake new authors make, my answer would have nothing to do with format. To be sure there are usually plenty of those mistakes as well, but the biggest mistake so many make, in my opinion, is the desire to use a novel as a platform to spew their views to the world.
Now, before you scream that a good book with a solid concept of what’s wrong with society is a wonderful thing, hold off, I agree. It’s the way that it is carried out that’s important. It’s too easy to simply load your dialogues with a main character standing up and giving lengthy speeches concerning the ills of the world, and how he would solve them. I’ve seen it--it’s not a pretty thing.
Using that same concept and creating a plot line that ‘shows’ the ills of the world is a novel, taking that concept and giving long speeches is a political debate.
Take the movie ‘Enemy Of The State’, with Will Smith and Gene Hackman. In this movie the concern over the government’s ability to spy on average people in their homes and being connected to their lives through computers is the concept that connects to the fear that most people harbor in the new age of technology that we exist in. Rather than have Gene Hackman stand in front of the camera and give a long detailed speech about how it’s an unknown but common occurrence that everyone is spied on and how… they SHOW it by having a regular guy, Will Smith, have his life invaded without his knowledge, having to be saved by Gene Hackman.
Same thing with ‘The Matrix’, another movie about how the average person has the wool pulled over their eyes by a controlling government, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun if Lawrence Fishburne had stood up and told us rather than have Neo discover it, and how to defeat it.
Let the plot preach, then you can concentrate on simply telling the story.
Happy Writing.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Well, it's official. The contracts are signed, and my two novel length releases from Chippewa next year will be, DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, and MARRIED TO A ROCK STAR.
I did have one rejected, but in all fairness it deserved it. LOL I have another one subbed and am crossing my fingers for that third release for 2007, I'll let you know when, and if that comes about.
For now, a little advanced teaser for the duo to come:
Coming in 2007 from Chippewa Publishing
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, by Tami Parrington
(previously print published by Flying Dolphin Press)
Dark Side Of The Moon by Tami Parrington is the story of Kia Lambert, an idealistic and newly hired female assistant to the massively famous and popular musician Gabriel Evans. But when the musician's fabulous life starts to crumble apart, all Kia's imagined solutions fall to ruin and she must ultimately learn that sometimes one must allow a loved one to fall and fail. Dark Side Of The Moon is commended as a powerful and entertaining saga of transcendence, bitter wisdom, and learning to accept harsh realities.
(I just had to come back in here before anyone picked up on what looked like my extreme ego at saying Dark Side is commended as... lol, this blurb was extracted directly from a wonderful review by Midwestern Book Reviews for the print version of the novel.)
EXCERPT:
Pulling up outside the red brick building she got a cold chill. She parked the car in the back of the lot to avoid notice and walked sheepishly toward the doors. Suddenly she felt so out of place. ‘How on EARTH did you pull that off?’ her sister’s words screamed in her head. How indeed, and how would she continue to pull it off?
Kia turned quickly and pushed back through the doors and headed for her car. This was crazy. She didn’t belong here, she would get hung for her crimes if he found out the truth and in minutes the entire Internet world and all her friends would know the scam she had attempted and she wouldn’t have any friends ever again. Except her sister, she would always have Syl.
That thought stopped her. She couldn’t let Syl down. For all her prodding and sarcastic admonitions, Syl was rooting for her to pull this off. Deep down, Syl believed she could. Deep down, Syl thought she was a goddess for whom all things were possible and she’d be damned if she’d let her little sister down.
She raged through the doors like a bull and punched the little button on the wall for the elevator. “Watch out Gabriel Evans cause Kia Lambert is on her way, and your life is never gonna be the same.”
©Tami Parrington
MARRIED TO A ROCK STAR
(Previously print published under the title of The Road To Paradise)
Karen Meade is a rural farm widow and she and her two teenaged children have a new neighbor—Isaiah Highland, who is anything but the farm type. He is a rock-star looking for peace, starving for privacy, and he has found them both, and a whole lot more.
Karen and her children soon find themselves swept away into a world far removed from their little farm. A world of fame, fortune, and betrayal. Isaiah and Karen come from separate worlds. Worlds that are bound to collide. When they do, they must choose between their own versions of paradise, and each other.
EXCERPT:
Karen squinted her eyes at the sunlight that woke her, as she lay across the bed sideways with Isaiah draped across her. She looked around and saw her negligee hanging from the end post and smiled, pushing him off as she slipped to the floor.
As she dressed she saw him stir and quietly slipped into the bathroom to finish without waking him. She made her way down to the kitchen to get her coffee, hoping she had beat Mona to the kitchen so she could start the coffee herself, making it a little less strong. Karen had informed the overbearing housekeeper repeatedly that her coffee needed its own set of shoes, because it could easily walk by itself.
Mona considered her coffee robust—Karen considered it deadly.
Besides, after yesterday, she deeply desired a peaceful cup of coffee before the house became over-run with people making calls and arguing about business.
Karen heard the voice before she rounded the corner from the stairs to the kitchen. Derek’s angry voice; must be on the phone, she thought, since she didn’t hear any answers to his statements. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, walking into the kitchen with an amazing calm in spite of the anger inside.
“Good morning, Derek.”
He nodded as she passed the table and took a cup from the cabinet above the sink, making a show of looking at the clock over the table as she turned back to him. “Oh my, it’s 7 a.m.?”
Karen picked up the pot of coffee; damn she hadn’t beaten Mona to the kitchen either.
She looked up at Derek to see if her point had sunk in but he simply waved her off and continued on about percentages and splits, turning his back to avoid her pointed stare. She had to fight to hold back the laughter when he whipped around as the line went dead while she held the button down on the phone base.
“What the hell?” His astonished look turned into fury as he briefly thought about choking her.
“It’s 7 a.m., Derek. I thought I made myself pretty clear yesterday, when I said business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.” She couldn’t believe she was speaking so calmly when her knees felt like gelatin and her stomach was consumed with sick butterflies.
“You can’t do that!”
“I just did. Problem? Take it up with Isaiah.” She smiled and lifted her cup in salute.
“You can just bet your ass I will.” He began to move for the stairs but she hurried to block him.
“At nine. And not upstairs.”
“Why you little,” Derek held back the words that begged to escape. This was a power struggle she would ultimately lose, but not if he played the wrong hand.
“Fine…Nine.” He stopped at the front door. “…And not upstairs. But he is going to hear about this.”
The door slammed behind him and Karen heard tires squeal in the drive. She let out her breath in one giant whoosh and then yawned as she sat down at the table. She had to give Mona’s coffee credit for one thing; it would wake a body up.
©Tami Parrington
I did have one rejected, but in all fairness it deserved it. LOL I have another one subbed and am crossing my fingers for that third release for 2007, I'll let you know when, and if that comes about.
For now, a little advanced teaser for the duo to come:
Coming in 2007 from Chippewa Publishing
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, by Tami Parrington
(previously print published by Flying Dolphin Press)
Dark Side Of The Moon by Tami Parrington is the story of Kia Lambert, an idealistic and newly hired female assistant to the massively famous and popular musician Gabriel Evans. But when the musician's fabulous life starts to crumble apart, all Kia's imagined solutions fall to ruin and she must ultimately learn that sometimes one must allow a loved one to fall and fail. Dark Side Of The Moon is commended as a powerful and entertaining saga of transcendence, bitter wisdom, and learning to accept harsh realities.
(I just had to come back in here before anyone picked up on what looked like my extreme ego at saying Dark Side is commended as... lol, this blurb was extracted directly from a wonderful review by Midwestern Book Reviews for the print version of the novel.)
EXCERPT:
Pulling up outside the red brick building she got a cold chill. She parked the car in the back of the lot to avoid notice and walked sheepishly toward the doors. Suddenly she felt so out of place. ‘How on EARTH did you pull that off?’ her sister’s words screamed in her head. How indeed, and how would she continue to pull it off?
Kia turned quickly and pushed back through the doors and headed for her car. This was crazy. She didn’t belong here, she would get hung for her crimes if he found out the truth and in minutes the entire Internet world and all her friends would know the scam she had attempted and she wouldn’t have any friends ever again. Except her sister, she would always have Syl.
That thought stopped her. She couldn’t let Syl down. For all her prodding and sarcastic admonitions, Syl was rooting for her to pull this off. Deep down, Syl believed she could. Deep down, Syl thought she was a goddess for whom all things were possible and she’d be damned if she’d let her little sister down.
She raged through the doors like a bull and punched the little button on the wall for the elevator. “Watch out Gabriel Evans cause Kia Lambert is on her way, and your life is never gonna be the same.”
©Tami Parrington
MARRIED TO A ROCK STAR
(Previously print published under the title of The Road To Paradise)
Karen Meade is a rural farm widow and she and her two teenaged children have a new neighbor—Isaiah Highland, who is anything but the farm type. He is a rock-star looking for peace, starving for privacy, and he has found them both, and a whole lot more.
Karen and her children soon find themselves swept away into a world far removed from their little farm. A world of fame, fortune, and betrayal. Isaiah and Karen come from separate worlds. Worlds that are bound to collide. When they do, they must choose between their own versions of paradise, and each other.
EXCERPT:
Karen squinted her eyes at the sunlight that woke her, as she lay across the bed sideways with Isaiah draped across her. She looked around and saw her negligee hanging from the end post and smiled, pushing him off as she slipped to the floor.
As she dressed she saw him stir and quietly slipped into the bathroom to finish without waking him. She made her way down to the kitchen to get her coffee, hoping she had beat Mona to the kitchen so she could start the coffee herself, making it a little less strong. Karen had informed the overbearing housekeeper repeatedly that her coffee needed its own set of shoes, because it could easily walk by itself.
Mona considered her coffee robust—Karen considered it deadly.
Besides, after yesterday, she deeply desired a peaceful cup of coffee before the house became over-run with people making calls and arguing about business.
Karen heard the voice before she rounded the corner from the stairs to the kitchen. Derek’s angry voice; must be on the phone, she thought, since she didn’t hear any answers to his statements. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, walking into the kitchen with an amazing calm in spite of the anger inside.
“Good morning, Derek.”
He nodded as she passed the table and took a cup from the cabinet above the sink, making a show of looking at the clock over the table as she turned back to him. “Oh my, it’s 7 a.m.?”
Karen picked up the pot of coffee; damn she hadn’t beaten Mona to the kitchen either.
She looked up at Derek to see if her point had sunk in but he simply waved her off and continued on about percentages and splits, turning his back to avoid her pointed stare. She had to fight to hold back the laughter when he whipped around as the line went dead while she held the button down on the phone base.
“What the hell?” His astonished look turned into fury as he briefly thought about choking her.
“It’s 7 a.m., Derek. I thought I made myself pretty clear yesterday, when I said business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.” She couldn’t believe she was speaking so calmly when her knees felt like gelatin and her stomach was consumed with sick butterflies.
“You can’t do that!”
“I just did. Problem? Take it up with Isaiah.” She smiled and lifted her cup in salute.
“You can just bet your ass I will.” He began to move for the stairs but she hurried to block him.
“At nine. And not upstairs.”
“Why you little,” Derek held back the words that begged to escape. This was a power struggle she would ultimately lose, but not if he played the wrong hand.
“Fine…Nine.” He stopped at the front door. “…And not upstairs. But he is going to hear about this.”
The door slammed behind him and Karen heard tires squeal in the drive. She let out her breath in one giant whoosh and then yawned as she sat down at the table. She had to give Mona’s coffee credit for one thing; it would wake a body up.
©Tami Parrington
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Art Vs Craft--The Twin Sides Of Talent
When I was young, I gleefully applied words to paper, telling a story for all who would read.
My parents and friends all enjoyed the benefits of my vast desire to tell stories. Perhaps spurred by the common comment from those much older than myself that said, ‘you can’t make a living at that’, when asked the typical childhood question, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ the answer, ‘A writer’, never occurred to me. However, it might have been more due to the fact that I never really considered it an option.
People choose to study law, medicine, or typing, writers do not choose to write, they simply can’t ‘not write’. It’s as inherent as breathing, and just as necessary to life.
So, I write. I have a gift, and regardless of your personal beliefs of spirituality, it’s a gift from somewhere, I believe from God. It’s inside me. Some people can, some people can’t, it’s a simple fact. Just as two people can tell the exact same joke, using the exact same words, and one will be funny, the other not… it’s a talent, a rhythm that comes from somewhere deep inside, and that can not be learned, or studied. It is a gift.
As an adult, having made the conscious decision to make writing my ‘career’ rather than just a cute hobby that I do well, I’ve discovered something very important… something that escapes the ‘pure art’ devotee. There is a twin side to the talent that is deep inside. There really is the side you have to study for. Without the proper training, the art of writing carries less impact. There are innumerable aspects to the career of writing, and the craft of story telling.
On several occasions I’ve had the great fortune to hear a fellow writer expound upon the delightful idea that good writing is its own benefit, grammar and rules have nothing to do with whether, or not, a writer is a ‘good writer’. When you first hear that statement, it’s possible you might nod and agree. After all, a good story is a good story, and if the person telling the story has a talent inside, a few misplaced words, or errant punctuation won’t really matter.
I disagree. While I agree that proper grammar, and punctuation have nothing at all to do with the talent of the writer, they have everything to do with how the story being told is understood, as well as how pleasant it is to read. No matter how enjoyable a story is, if it’s a chore to get through it because of all the distractions of misspelled words, and bad grammar, it’s unlikely that the reader will want to read anything else by that author.
I don’t believe it’s absolutely necessary that a writer carry a heavy degree in language arts. Although it may be helpful, it’s not necessary. What is necessary is the commitment to a constantly evolving craft.
A good writer goes a step beyond the art, and learns all there is to know about the skill. He, or she, constantly looks for ways to improve the way they write. Books and articles abound for those earnest in seeking the proper way to use grammar punctuation. Volumes are written on the style elements of all types of writing, and the rules of each genre are there for the asking, one simply has to look for it.
As for spelling, dictionaries are a writer’s best friend, and spell check, of course. The modern technologies that exist today make proper spelling such an easy task, that it’s nearly a sin for any writer to ignore such elementary things. That’s not to say that typos and misprints do not occur. They do, with stunning evasiveness. However, it’s fairly easy to tell the difference between an article written with diligence, and one simply pounded out without care.
An article with an error in it is not as distracting as an article where entire sentences are badly planned, or filled with misspelled words. A book with a few errors is, although a bit distracting, still not a reason to throw away an entire piece, but if every page is full of confused language and bad spelling, no one will be able to read it, no matter how compelling the story.
A writer with the talent inside them owes it to themselves, as well as to their readers, to study diligently to create the best possible rendition of his, or her work. Then both the talent, and the craft can shine through and be recognized.
The first step, is accepting that there are two sides to the story. The second step is embracing them both
My parents and friends all enjoyed the benefits of my vast desire to tell stories. Perhaps spurred by the common comment from those much older than myself that said, ‘you can’t make a living at that’, when asked the typical childhood question, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ the answer, ‘A writer’, never occurred to me. However, it might have been more due to the fact that I never really considered it an option.
People choose to study law, medicine, or typing, writers do not choose to write, they simply can’t ‘not write’. It’s as inherent as breathing, and just as necessary to life.
So, I write. I have a gift, and regardless of your personal beliefs of spirituality, it’s a gift from somewhere, I believe from God. It’s inside me. Some people can, some people can’t, it’s a simple fact. Just as two people can tell the exact same joke, using the exact same words, and one will be funny, the other not… it’s a talent, a rhythm that comes from somewhere deep inside, and that can not be learned, or studied. It is a gift.
As an adult, having made the conscious decision to make writing my ‘career’ rather than just a cute hobby that I do well, I’ve discovered something very important… something that escapes the ‘pure art’ devotee. There is a twin side to the talent that is deep inside. There really is the side you have to study for. Without the proper training, the art of writing carries less impact. There are innumerable aspects to the career of writing, and the craft of story telling.
On several occasions I’ve had the great fortune to hear a fellow writer expound upon the delightful idea that good writing is its own benefit, grammar and rules have nothing to do with whether, or not, a writer is a ‘good writer’. When you first hear that statement, it’s possible you might nod and agree. After all, a good story is a good story, and if the person telling the story has a talent inside, a few misplaced words, or errant punctuation won’t really matter.
I disagree. While I agree that proper grammar, and punctuation have nothing at all to do with the talent of the writer, they have everything to do with how the story being told is understood, as well as how pleasant it is to read. No matter how enjoyable a story is, if it’s a chore to get through it because of all the distractions of misspelled words, and bad grammar, it’s unlikely that the reader will want to read anything else by that author.
I don’t believe it’s absolutely necessary that a writer carry a heavy degree in language arts. Although it may be helpful, it’s not necessary. What is necessary is the commitment to a constantly evolving craft.
A good writer goes a step beyond the art, and learns all there is to know about the skill. He, or she, constantly looks for ways to improve the way they write. Books and articles abound for those earnest in seeking the proper way to use grammar punctuation. Volumes are written on the style elements of all types of writing, and the rules of each genre are there for the asking, one simply has to look for it.
As for spelling, dictionaries are a writer’s best friend, and spell check, of course. The modern technologies that exist today make proper spelling such an easy task, that it’s nearly a sin for any writer to ignore such elementary things. That’s not to say that typos and misprints do not occur. They do, with stunning evasiveness. However, it’s fairly easy to tell the difference between an article written with diligence, and one simply pounded out without care.
An article with an error in it is not as distracting as an article where entire sentences are badly planned, or filled with misspelled words. A book with a few errors is, although a bit distracting, still not a reason to throw away an entire piece, but if every page is full of confused language and bad spelling, no one will be able to read it, no matter how compelling the story.
A writer with the talent inside them owes it to themselves, as well as to their readers, to study diligently to create the best possible rendition of his, or her work. Then both the talent, and the craft can shine through and be recognized.
The first step, is accepting that there are two sides to the story. The second step is embracing them both
What Fate Allows--by Tammy Lee
My short story What Fate Allows (written as Tammy Lee) is not up, and available at Memoware (click HERE to go to file site) as both PDF and DOC file. (I suggest anyone using a PC to download it as a PDF file.) IT'S FREE.
Blurb: Human nature takes a decided twist when the whims of fate and destiny arrive.
Your future happens to you...
“I can make him.”
“No you can’t.”
In a crowded bistro, a reed thin form in brilliant red dress crossed one slender leg and dangled a stilettoed foot with graceful confidence. She glared at across the table at her adversary who raised a skeptical brow.
“Just you watch,” the woman in the red dress said as she stood, smoothed the silky material over her hips and leered at the woman still sitting serenely opposite her.“Don’t look at me like that,” red dress said. The other simply chuckled.
The red-dressed woman swirled around and flew off in a huff.
Still at the table the matronly woman sat back, and straightened a brooch on her sensible dress collar. “Just you watch,” she mimicked with a roll of her eyes. The pin carrying the symbol of destiny embossed in radiant gold on a luminous, swirling blue background shimmied on the material as the dowdy figure faded into ether.
The sky above New York City swirled in shades of blue and ominous gray. Kevin Drake looked up and pulled the collar of his slicker tighter around his neck and clenched his workout bag tighter to his side. “Damned luck!” he grumbled as he hurried across a busy intersection.
At the opposite corner he stopped and studied the building that reached into the heavens. Clouds tumbled around its peak and for a moment Kevin wondered if the God’s themselves held offices on the upper floors.
“Hey!” A perky voice made him jump, and then look over his shoulder to smile at Jennifer Trip’s vivacious face that brought hope to his dismal mood.“Ready for the opportunity of a lifetime?”
He was never ready. Opportunity my ass, he thought. It’s just one more rejection, one more opportunity to be told he wasn’t good enough, one more opportunity to lose. He grabbed a flyer off a wall billboard and leered at the picture of a flying spirit leaping through the air and a man couching a dead woman in his arms beneath. ‘Opportunity Of A Lifetime’ was destined to be the toast of Broadway. How could it fail? With Anthony Jerrod producing it was practically guaranteed box office gold, and a future Tony winner without a doubt.
Thunder cracked the sky as Kevin opened the sparkling clean glass doors that lead into a pristine reception. He waited for Jennifer to bounce through before trudging in after her. Behind a long marble counter a woman in an expensive classic cut business suit looked up over her horn-rimmed glasses at him as he approached. Her hair pulled back in a tight bun made her features appear shaper than they probably were otherwise. Kevin’s mouth quivered in a weak smile. She glared back at him waiting… maybe not.
Blurb: Human nature takes a decided twist when the whims of fate and destiny arrive.
Excerpt:
Your future happens to you...
...that's fate.
How you handle what happens...
...that's character.
What fate and character create together...
…that’s destiny.
When fate and destiny get together electricity fills the air, and life is never quite the same again…ever.
“I can make him.”
“No you can’t.”
In a crowded bistro, a reed thin form in brilliant red dress crossed one slender leg and dangled a stilettoed foot with graceful confidence. She glared at across the table at her adversary who raised a skeptical brow.
“Just you watch,” the woman in the red dress said as she stood, smoothed the silky material over her hips and leered at the woman still sitting serenely opposite her.“Don’t look at me like that,” red dress said. The other simply chuckled.
The red-dressed woman swirled around and flew off in a huff.
Still at the table the matronly woman sat back, and straightened a brooch on her sensible dress collar. “Just you watch,” she mimicked with a roll of her eyes. The pin carrying the symbol of destiny embossed in radiant gold on a luminous, swirling blue background shimmied on the material as the dowdy figure faded into ether.
The sky above New York City swirled in shades of blue and ominous gray. Kevin Drake looked up and pulled the collar of his slicker tighter around his neck and clenched his workout bag tighter to his side. “Damned luck!” he grumbled as he hurried across a busy intersection.
At the opposite corner he stopped and studied the building that reached into the heavens. Clouds tumbled around its peak and for a moment Kevin wondered if the God’s themselves held offices on the upper floors.
“Hey!” A perky voice made him jump, and then look over his shoulder to smile at Jennifer Trip’s vivacious face that brought hope to his dismal mood.“Ready for the opportunity of a lifetime?”
He was never ready. Opportunity my ass, he thought. It’s just one more rejection, one more opportunity to be told he wasn’t good enough, one more opportunity to lose. He grabbed a flyer off a wall billboard and leered at the picture of a flying spirit leaping through the air and a man couching a dead woman in his arms beneath. ‘Opportunity Of A Lifetime’ was destined to be the toast of Broadway. How could it fail? With Anthony Jerrod producing it was practically guaranteed box office gold, and a future Tony winner without a doubt.
Thunder cracked the sky as Kevin opened the sparkling clean glass doors that lead into a pristine reception. He waited for Jennifer to bounce through before trudging in after her. Behind a long marble counter a woman in an expensive classic cut business suit looked up over her horn-rimmed glasses at him as he approached. Her hair pulled back in a tight bun made her features appear shaper than they probably were otherwise. Kevin’s mouth quivered in a weak smile. She glared back at him waiting… maybe not.
Friday, September 08, 2006
THE LEGACY-by Kay Derwydd
Mychael Potter is an angel on a mission... literally. Cast out of Heaven as one of Lucifer's followers, he is on a quest to redeem his soul and regain his standing in Heaven. His task? To play pawn to a prophecy. He is sent to live as a mortal sorcerer in order to prevent the descendant of Cain from becoming a vampire. In order to fulfill this task, he must become a vampire himself. Aided by periodic visits from the Archangel Michael, he waits for the time to come in which he will meet the man he has sworn to protect.
Morgan Adamson lives as a bachelor in London, content to work and hang out with his best friend Alec. Having ended a relationship with a woman two years ago, he's not ready for another one. Then he meets Ashley Porter. When Ashley saves him from a possibly gruesome fate at the hands of a vampire, Morgan realizes there's more to Ashley than meets the eye. Now faced with the news that his life is in danger, Morgan must rely on the roguish sorcerer while coming to terms with the fact that he's falling in love with him.
Author: Kay Derwydd
Editor: Ricki Marking-Camuto
Artist: Djinn
Proofreader: Tami Parrington
Length: Novel (30,000 words and up)
Genre: Fantasy Category: Vampire
Rating: Indian Summer (May contain one or more of the following: explicit sex scenes, multiple partners, strong language, toy play, kink)
GET YOUR COPY TODAY! http://ladyaibell.com/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=140
*** EXCERPT:
"Dude, you look like hell."
Morgan grumbled and buried himself lower in the recliner's plush cushions. Alec raised an eyebrow at him quizzically.
"You didn't sleep much, did you?" he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
"No."
Alec sighed. "Morgan, what's wrong?"
"If I tell you, you've got to promise me that you won't say a fucking word to my parents." When Alec set his cup down on the coffee table slowly, Morgan knew he had his cousin's attention. "I think I met someone," he said quietly as he stared into his own mug, the black coffee cold and untouched.
"And?" Alec prodded. "Who is she?"
Morgan sighed again. "That's the catch, Alec-it's not 'she.'" Alec's eyes grew wide as saucers and Morgan couldn't help but laugh. "I know, I know. I've sat up all night anticipating some smartass remark from you."
Alec sat in stunned silence.
"No comment?" Morgan asked with a sheepish grin.
"W-well," Alec stammered, "I honestly don't know what to say. How did you meet him?"
Morgan knew he couldn't even begin to explain that one truthfully. "I met him at the new nightclub down the street."
"Does he feel the same?"
"Well," Morgan said, remembering the gaze which had held him so mesmerized the night before, "he doesn't know how I feel. To be honest, Alec, I don't even know how I feel." He looked up and met his cousin's hazel gaze.
"Well, how do you feel when you're around him? Or have you really been near enough to him?"
"Not exactly. I saw him at the club, from the other side of the room," Morgan explained, telling only half the truth. "But he hasn't left my thoughts since. I see his face everywhere. I hear his voice when I'm awake, when I'm asleep. My God, Alec, I'm obsessed with another man and I've never even been with one."
Alec nodded. "I know. Look, Morgan, I honestly don't know what to tell you. Do you know anything about him?" Morgan looked back down into his coffee. "His name is Ashley."
"Do you think you love him?" "How can I love someone without even knowing them?"
Alec grinned. "Love at first sight?"
Morgan groaned and closed his eyes.
"What does he look like?"
Now there was a question he could answer truthfully. Morgan smiled and without opening his eyes, he said, "he's the most beautiful person I've ever seen. He's taller than me and slender. He has white hair down to his waist. He's young, maybe my age or a little younger. But his eyes, Alec; my God, his eyes are mesmerizing. They're the color of the clouds, the palest gray."
"Hm," Alec mused. "Sounds to me like someone has fallen in love." Morgan opened his eyes and narrowed his gaze.
"I don't know what it is," he said, "but it's driving me crazy. I can't get him out of my head and I don't know how to find him."
"What do you want, Morgan? What do you really want?" Morgan looked his cousin in the eye.
"I want Ashley."
(c) Kay Derwydd
I Have ANOTHER New Home
Oh don't worry, I will always be here. Blogger is such a great tool for communication and friendship, but the methods of communion available to authors now on the Internet are nothing short of AMAZING.
COFFEE TIME ROMANCE has taken me into their heart. They've given me a new place to play. Unlike website, or blog, having a section on a forum is a way to get a little more indepth, and personal with readers and writers wishing to communicate with an author, and I heartily thank the good folks at CoffeeTime for their generosity.
So to get more indepth insights to my available works, some freebies, and down-to-earth coffee-klatching, stop by my forum at CoffeeTime here.
COFFEE TIME ROMANCE has taken me into their heart. They've given me a new place to play. Unlike website, or blog, having a section on a forum is a way to get a little more indepth, and personal with readers and writers wishing to communicate with an author, and I heartily thank the good folks at CoffeeTime for their generosity.
So to get more indepth insights to my available works, some freebies, and down-to-earth coffee-klatching, stop by my forum at CoffeeTime here.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
New Review for Computer Games
Latin Lady gave COMPUTER GAMES a really nice review on her blog. Thanks Lady! Read the review here.
Who's Legit?
A recent post by the wonderful ladies over at Writer's Beware brought an interesting thought to mind.
I've often heard writers proclaim, oh so-and-so has to be legit, they rejected me.
Hey, that SOUNDS logical. After all, would a scammer reject ANYONE?
YES.
I truly believe the 'good' scammers (what an oxymoron that is) have learned to smell a writer who may be 'too slick'. Someone with enough experience behind them that they would be able to recognize a scam when confronted with it in full frontal.
I believe those scam agencies do reject such writers on account of they hope to avoid scrimmages--it does catch up with them though.
So beware, it is tough sometimes to know the good from the bad from the ugly--but a rejection letter isn't always a sign of the good.
I've often heard writers proclaim, oh so-and-so has to be legit, they rejected me.
Hey, that SOUNDS logical. After all, would a scammer reject ANYONE?
YES.
I truly believe the 'good' scammers (what an oxymoron that is) have learned to smell a writer who may be 'too slick'. Someone with enough experience behind them that they would be able to recognize a scam when confronted with it in full frontal.
I believe those scam agencies do reject such writers on account of they hope to avoid scrimmages--it does catch up with them though.
So beware, it is tough sometimes to know the good from the bad from the ugly--but a rejection letter isn't always a sign of the good.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT HTML I LEARNED FROM BLOGGER
Okay, that's not 100% true. It sure has given me cause to boost my abilities though just to sharpen my abilities to adjust the template of my site here to what I want it to look like.
Are you intimidated by HTML? Don't worry, I have been too in the past, and the image of those letters probably will haunt me to some degree until my dying day. It's an imposing language, and it is a language all its own, known mostly to the inhabitants of techno-geekville (that was said in a loving way, all you techno-geeks out there, I worship you).
I don't think there's any way to be fluent in any language if you don't speak it all the time, in every aspect of your life. Can you just imagine a true geek's dinner-table converstation?
"Please <> the < / center > bowl to the < align=" left"> please."
Oh well, I imagine it would sound even more mind-boggling that that. I guess who I'd really worship if they were allowed to see the light of day, are the spouses of such mind-blowing wonders.
Still, it is possible to break the code, or at least bend it to the non-geeks will. My first hint at how to figure out ways to create something you want: CHEAT.
That's right--cheat. Go find a similar site. It helps if they're on the same host if the host, (ahem, like blogspot) has their own templates and you're using one as a base pattern, but it's not completely necessary. Anyway, if you've found something you like--for instance I wanted to place my own banner at the top of this page instead of just words--right click on the site you found with such a display, and then click on 'view code'. Scan the massive array of confusing mumbo-jumbo and garbled web-speak to find the area you think holds the magic key. Copy that to a work page (word page if you use word, or the like) and using whatever skills you have at your disposal for code, attempt to tweak it to your own. I use a book of HTML that helps me cheat by looking up certain tags and how to use them so I don't have to remember it all.
It's important to 1) make these code blips first on a seperate page so you don't do something stupid, like update the site, by accident with an incomplete, or bad code. Most important is a second 'cheat' that you must have in place... a dummy site. I use my old blog as my test page. So number 2) is once you have the code you think is good to go, apply it to the same area as the viewed code on the other site, and save the changes... if it works out well with the dummy site, and no worlds collide, and nothing crashes, you're good to go with your main site.
In fact, sometimes it's just a simple little thing. When I re-dated this blog with my banner, I had to change the template I was using because that particular one simply REFUSED to allow me to put a banner up on top, lol... I showed it--delete, replace--done. LOL. But along with the new design I got a center alignment to EVERYTHING on the page, and I hated that. I'd seen a different blog that used the same template as I use as my base, and it did not have that cursed 'center' alignment so... yep, I cheated. I opened the view source window, and it was such a simple little thing. Right up at the top it had 'alignment=left', where mine had 'center'... run back to my blog, open the template, and type in 'left' to replace the 'center', and viola! It worked.
Never say die, and don't let the bastard win... wasn't that a line in a movie somewhere?
It's true though...
Hey, it works, and the world won't explode after all, even if you're not a techno-God.
Are you intimidated by HTML? Don't worry, I have been too in the past, and the image of those letters probably will haunt me to some degree until my dying day. It's an imposing language, and it is a language all its own, known mostly to the inhabitants of techno-geekville (that was said in a loving way, all you techno-geeks out there, I worship you).
I don't think there's any way to be fluent in any language if you don't speak it all the time, in every aspect of your life. Can you just imagine a true geek's dinner-table converstation?
"Please <> the < / center > bowl to the < align=" left"> please."
Oh well, I imagine it would sound even more mind-boggling that that. I guess who I'd really worship if they were allowed to see the light of day, are the spouses of such mind-blowing wonders.
Still, it is possible to break the code, or at least bend it to the non-geeks will. My first hint at how to figure out ways to create something you want: CHEAT.
That's right--cheat. Go find a similar site. It helps if they're on the same host if the host, (ahem, like blogspot) has their own templates and you're using one as a base pattern, but it's not completely necessary. Anyway, if you've found something you like--for instance I wanted to place my own banner at the top of this page instead of just words--right click on the site you found with such a display, and then click on 'view code'. Scan the massive array of confusing mumbo-jumbo and garbled web-speak to find the area you think holds the magic key. Copy that to a work page (word page if you use word, or the like) and using whatever skills you have at your disposal for code, attempt to tweak it to your own. I use a book of HTML that helps me cheat by looking up certain tags and how to use them so I don't have to remember it all.
It's important to 1) make these code blips first on a seperate page so you don't do something stupid, like update the site, by accident with an incomplete, or bad code. Most important is a second 'cheat' that you must have in place... a dummy site. I use my old blog as my test page. So number 2) is once you have the code you think is good to go, apply it to the same area as the viewed code on the other site, and save the changes... if it works out well with the dummy site, and no worlds collide, and nothing crashes, you're good to go with your main site.
In fact, sometimes it's just a simple little thing. When I re-dated this blog with my banner, I had to change the template I was using because that particular one simply REFUSED to allow me to put a banner up on top, lol... I showed it--delete, replace--done. LOL. But along with the new design I got a center alignment to EVERYTHING on the page, and I hated that. I'd seen a different blog that used the same template as I use as my base, and it did not have that cursed 'center' alignment so... yep, I cheated. I opened the view source window, and it was such a simple little thing. Right up at the top it had 'alignment=left', where mine had 'center'... run back to my blog, open the template, and type in 'left' to replace the 'center', and viola! It worked.
Never say die, and don't let the bastard win... wasn't that a line in a movie somewhere?
It's true though...
Hey, it works, and the world won't explode after all, even if you're not a techno-God.
I Thought You Might All Get A Kick Out Of This
10 things (men) don't know about women, by Allysa Milano:
1. Women are innately self-conscious. This is not a choice; it's a genderwide condition. On a bad day, I look in the mirror and see my ten-pound-heavier alter ego. Her name is Bertha. On a really bad day, Bertha sees her two-hundred-pound-heavier alter ego. Her name is Brian Dennehy.
2. Women produce half the world's food but own only 1 percent of its farmland. So we're fine with you picking up the tab. And after about three thousand dinners at Nobu, we should be even
3. Women like porn, too. We just hate it when you hide the porn.
4. Women remember everything . Don't believe me? Ask your girlfriend where you met. She won't tell you it was at a party. She'll say it was a Thursday, she had just come from dinner, where she ate a veggie burger, and she was wearing her friend Cathy's pink top, which was big on her because Cathy is a big girl. You were wearing a blue button-down, drinking a Jack and Coke with two straws, and talking to Bill, that mutual friend. She waved and you gave her the "what's up" nod. This still infuriates her. ("How could you give me the nod?")
5. An eyelash curler, while mean and ferocious looking, is not a weapon.
6. No matter how much your woman loves you, there are going to be three to seven days each month when she wants you dead. (She may even quietly fantasize about turning her eyelash curler against you.) You have two options: Tie yourself to a tree and wait out the storm, or stock up at Tiffany's, toss a blue box or two into the wind, and hope for the best. We recommend the latter. (The key chain doesn't count.)
7. We think it's weird when you watch sports and concentrate to help your team.
8. "Hey, Melissa, who's the boss?" Not a good pickup line. "Hey, Phoebe, where'd you park your broomstick?" Not a good pickup line. "Hey, Alyssa, you look 250 pounds lighter than Brian Dennehy in that dress." Surprisingly good pickup line.
9. Women hear better than men. That's before you even factor in listening skills and attention spans. Come to think of it, I should have listed this one first because I'm sure I've lost you by now.
10. You may be surprised to know that women were responsible for inventing all of the following: the circular saw, the signal flare, the space suit, the bulletproof vest, and the windshield wiper. You're welcome.
© 2006 by Hearst Communications Inc
1. Women are innately self-conscious. This is not a choice; it's a genderwide condition. On a bad day, I look in the mirror and see my ten-pound-heavier alter ego. Her name is Bertha. On a really bad day, Bertha sees her two-hundred-pound-heavier alter ego. Her name is Brian Dennehy.
2. Women produce half the world's food but own only 1 percent of its farmland. So we're fine with you picking up the tab. And after about three thousand dinners at Nobu, we should be even
3. Women like porn, too. We just hate it when you hide the porn.
4. Women remember everything . Don't believe me? Ask your girlfriend where you met. She won't tell you it was at a party. She'll say it was a Thursday, she had just come from dinner, where she ate a veggie burger, and she was wearing her friend Cathy's pink top, which was big on her because Cathy is a big girl. You were wearing a blue button-down, drinking a Jack and Coke with two straws, and talking to Bill, that mutual friend. She waved and you gave her the "what's up" nod. This still infuriates her. ("How could you give me the nod?")
5. An eyelash curler, while mean and ferocious looking, is not a weapon.
6. No matter how much your woman loves you, there are going to be three to seven days each month when she wants you dead. (She may even quietly fantasize about turning her eyelash curler against you.) You have two options: Tie yourself to a tree and wait out the storm, or stock up at Tiffany's, toss a blue box or two into the wind, and hope for the best. We recommend the latter. (The key chain doesn't count.)
7. We think it's weird when you watch sports and concentrate to help your team.
8. "Hey, Melissa, who's the boss?" Not a good pickup line. "Hey, Phoebe, where'd you park your broomstick?" Not a good pickup line. "Hey, Alyssa, you look 250 pounds lighter than Brian Dennehy in that dress." Surprisingly good pickup line.
9. Women hear better than men. That's before you even factor in listening skills and attention spans. Come to think of it, I should have listed this one first because I'm sure I've lost you by now.
10. You may be surprised to know that women were responsible for inventing all of the following: the circular saw, the signal flare, the space suit, the bulletproof vest, and the windshield wiper. You're welcome.
© 2006 by Hearst Communications Inc
CHAT IT UP TONIGHT WITH ELLA SCOPILO
Come chat at Ella's 'Naughty Hump Day' in the Lady Aibell chat room.The chat will be from 8pm to 9 pm CENTRAL time.TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT. lolCome join the fun. These chats are always a blast and a half.
Chat link: http://ladyaibell. com/bookstore/ information. php?info_ id=22
No registration necessary, simply type in a chat name, and enter. If a box pops up for password, click on the ‘enter without password’ box and you’re in.
Chat link: http://ladyaibell. com/bookstore/ information. php?info_ id=22
No registration necessary, simply type in a chat name, and enter. If a box pops up for password, click on the ‘enter without password’ box and you’re in.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
FANTASTIC DREAMS GIVES COMPUTER GAMES 4 1/2 DRAGONS!
Yep, that's right, another review has hit the air, and Pamela Kinney of Fantastic Dreams has given COMPUTER GAMES 4 1/2 Dragons!
Monday, September 04, 2006
Big Thanks, and Hearty Hugs
We had a blast last night in the Lady Aibell chatroom. The turn out was fantastic--thanks everybody! We didn't end up leaving until after MIDNIGHT! Wow. So nice to see new faces, and finally get to talk in 'real time' with some old friends. I love the energy and connection of a live chat.
As much as I love, love, LOVE live chats, I have to admit that e-groups are great, and sweeping up in popularity, with good reason, there's no specific time frame to be there. Your messages will be around for eons to come so anyone coming back even weeks later will still be able to find what you posted. That's a great benefit to all involved, so in keeping with the times, I've started an author/reader group of my very own.
Come join the fun at my new yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tamiparrington/
Join and post your blurbs and excerpts, and take part in the crazy world of Tami Parrington and her Chippewa, and Lady Aibell cohorts. We’ll have lots of reading for you, and contests, announcements for awesome chats, and great groups so stop in, sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and chat awhile.
I want to thank all the wonderful people who have made my 'coming back' to the world of authordom (okay, not a word, I'm hoofing it here) so much fun, and so successful. I love you all, and you are much appreciated.
Tami
As much as I love, love, LOVE live chats, I have to admit that e-groups are great, and sweeping up in popularity, with good reason, there's no specific time frame to be there. Your messages will be around for eons to come so anyone coming back even weeks later will still be able to find what you posted. That's a great benefit to all involved, so in keeping with the times, I've started an author/reader group of my very own.
Come join the fun at my new yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tamiparrington/
Join and post your blurbs and excerpts, and take part in the crazy world of Tami Parrington and her Chippewa, and Lady Aibell cohorts. We’ll have lots of reading for you, and contests, announcements for awesome chats, and great groups so stop in, sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and chat awhile.
I want to thank all the wonderful people who have made my 'coming back' to the world of authordom (okay, not a word, I'm hoofing it here) so much fun, and so successful. I love you all, and you are much appreciated.
Tami
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Don't Forget To Mark Your Calendars--Great Prizes Await
Mark your calendars and come chat with the editors of Lady Aibell on September 03, 2006 from 7 pm to 9 pm (central time) at the Lady Aibell Press website here: http://www.ladyaibell.com/ in our live chat room.
Get to know us, our company, and what we’re looking for first hand.
No registration necessary, simply type in a chat name, and enter. If a box pops up for password, click on the ‘enter without password’ box and you’re in.
I have several prizes to give away, one of which is this cool new promo mug for my novella 'Computer Games'
Get to know us, our company, and what we’re looking for first hand.
No registration necessary, simply type in a chat name, and enter. If a box pops up for password, click on the ‘enter without password’ box and you’re in.
I have several prizes to give away, one of which is this cool new promo mug for my novella 'Computer Games'
Computer Games Gets Its First Review!
Sonya Vaughn is a soon-to-be published author, and successful freelance writer, who also runs a successful blog, and has decided to 'give something back' to her loyal fans, and her blogger friends, while attempting to stretch the seams of e-publishing success just a tad by reviewing new releases.
Her humor, and wit are completely engaged while doing the reviews, and her aim is to give the plot line a humorous skew in an attempt to condense a story into a few short words. I'm proud that Computer Games was her very first official review, check it out here. (And while you're at it, click on the link provided after the review, and check out Computer Games too!)
Her humor, and wit are completely engaged while doing the reviews, and her aim is to give the plot line a humorous skew in an attempt to condense a story into a few short words. I'm proud that Computer Games was her very first official review, check it out here. (And while you're at it, click on the link provided after the review, and check out Computer Games too!)
Even Erotica Has Its Fuzzy Grays
Many writers moan about the shady lines between genres, and how its sometimes hard to distinguish between them. But if you really get down to it, it isn't all that difficult. You just have to find the central theme, and that's what the main genre is. The problem often times is the fact that so many novels now are written with attached subgenres. I'm not complaining, I like it, but it does make things a little harder to seperate.
While on a message board the other day, I came across a group of ladies trying to make yet another important distinction, and not being able to come up with any answers.
What is the difference between Romantica, and Erotica?
It's a question I've been asked before, so I gave these ladies my take on the subject as already formed by those previous inqueries:
Romantica is erotica with all the elements of a romance story as its core. Sounds simple, right? You're all going 'pshaw, I could have told you that, so what's the difference between that and erotica?'
Well, think of it as the difference between romance, and say to use any example, a horror story. Horror stories certainly may have relationships in them. They may have serious love issues in them, but their main story line is the horror aspect, not the romance. Same thing with erotica and romantica.
Erotica may, and considering it's nature often does have relationship issues in it, but that isn't really the main core of the story. Something else, be it suspense, horror, whatever, is the main pulse of the story that also includes lots of sex.
In romantica, the main focus of the story is the romance... with lots of sex. There may be other elements in it, as most writing now days has sub-genres attached to it, but those elements do not fuel the main plot of the story, the relationship does... so it's a romance novel, with no closed doors.
And that's it in a nutshell. The same way you decide with non-erotic genres is the way you can figure it out in erotic genres.
While on a message board the other day, I came across a group of ladies trying to make yet another important distinction, and not being able to come up with any answers.
What is the difference between Romantica, and Erotica?
It's a question I've been asked before, so I gave these ladies my take on the subject as already formed by those previous inqueries:
Romantica is erotica with all the elements of a romance story as its core. Sounds simple, right? You're all going 'pshaw, I could have told you that, so what's the difference between that and erotica?'
Well, think of it as the difference between romance, and say to use any example, a horror story. Horror stories certainly may have relationships in them. They may have serious love issues in them, but their main story line is the horror aspect, not the romance. Same thing with erotica and romantica.
Erotica may, and considering it's nature often does have relationship issues in it, but that isn't really the main core of the story. Something else, be it suspense, horror, whatever, is the main pulse of the story that also includes lots of sex.
In romantica, the main focus of the story is the romance... with lots of sex. There may be other elements in it, as most writing now days has sub-genres attached to it, but those elements do not fuel the main plot of the story, the relationship does... so it's a romance novel, with no closed doors.
And that's it in a nutshell. The same way you decide with non-erotic genres is the way you can figure it out in erotic genres.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Writer's Get Thee UNBOXED Now
Whether you have a new release just out, have a release coming out in the future, or are a seasoned vet with several releases under your belt... Writer's Unboxed is the place to be today. Today is an interview with Theresa Meyers, of Blue Moon Communications spilling all her guts on the nitty gritty, and the down and dirty of marketing your books. In the interview she not only talks about the 'whys' of having to do so much of the marketing yourself, no matter who your publisher is, but the all important HOWS of such things as branding, lists, and how to manage the costs of promotion.
Toys For Big Girls and Boys.
No, no, get your mind out of the gutter! I'm talking about writing related 'toys'.
Toys, especially of the electronic nature have become such a mainstay in our society. So much so that there are everyday things now that we couldn't envision ourselves doing without even though just a relatively short time ago, no one could imagine every having such luxuries.
Is there any one thing you use on a regular basis in your writing that you would feel lost without?
Without the probably general answer of a computer, which is most likely universal to writers now. What else do you have that you find indespensible?
For me it’s my Alphasmart. It gives me mobility. Many folks use laptops for that purpose, but I have carpel tunnel, and the laptop flat box with inlaid keyboard aggravates that to no end. (Picture sleeping with arms wrapped in ice) The Alphasmart has an actual keyboard shape that I can place in a way that I’ve become accustomed to doing to relieve stress on my wrists. I have to do the same thing to my desk top computer’s keyboard.
Laptops also are still relatively expensive. At least compared to the Alphasmarts. Although I’ll grant that they do a lot more, and are very worthwhile if you need more than just typing capability away from your main computer.
My Alphie is the Neo. It is perfect for me. Alphasmart also has the Dana with more capabilities. Online access, palm readers, etc. But I don’t need that. I just need something that I can type on if I’m doing mare stare in the living room, glued to the camera monitors, or even if I just want to sit in the living room with my family in the evening, but still work.
I’ve taken my Neo to work, when I still worked outside the home, and used to get loads done during the day during lagtimes at work. I’ve taken my Neo to the Laundromat when I need to do big things like blankets and such that my dinky little home machine struggles with. It passes the time there wonderfully. I’ve even taken my lightweight little Neo to horse shows where I can write when things aren’t busy, usually in the evening before bedtime.
It runs on double A batteries that I’ve only had to replace about once a year! (And I use the little sucker a lot..) It stores more pages than I could ever need in the course of writing before downloading. Best of all, when I’m done with whatever I’ve done on it, and want it on my main computer, a simple USB connector transfers all the writing directly to my word program on my desktop! It’s fantastic and I’d be lost without it.
So, what toys do you employ in the course of your writing?
Toys, especially of the electronic nature have become such a mainstay in our society. So much so that there are everyday things now that we couldn't envision ourselves doing without even though just a relatively short time ago, no one could imagine every having such luxuries.
Is there any one thing you use on a regular basis in your writing that you would feel lost without?
Without the probably general answer of a computer, which is most likely universal to writers now. What else do you have that you find indespensible?
For me it’s my Alphasmart. It gives me mobility. Many folks use laptops for that purpose, but I have carpel tunnel, and the laptop flat box with inlaid keyboard aggravates that to no end. (Picture sleeping with arms wrapped in ice) The Alphasmart has an actual keyboard shape that I can place in a way that I’ve become accustomed to doing to relieve stress on my wrists. I have to do the same thing to my desk top computer’s keyboard.
Laptops also are still relatively expensive. At least compared to the Alphasmarts. Although I’ll grant that they do a lot more, and are very worthwhile if you need more than just typing capability away from your main computer.
My Alphie is the Neo. It is perfect for me. Alphasmart also has the Dana with more capabilities. Online access, palm readers, etc. But I don’t need that. I just need something that I can type on if I’m doing mare stare in the living room, glued to the camera monitors, or even if I just want to sit in the living room with my family in the evening, but still work.
I’ve taken my Neo to work, when I still worked outside the home, and used to get loads done during the day during lagtimes at work. I’ve taken my Neo to the Laundromat when I need to do big things like blankets and such that my dinky little home machine struggles with. It passes the time there wonderfully. I’ve even taken my lightweight little Neo to horse shows where I can write when things aren’t busy, usually in the evening before bedtime.
It runs on double A batteries that I’ve only had to replace about once a year! (And I use the little sucker a lot..) It stores more pages than I could ever need in the course of writing before downloading. Best of all, when I’m done with whatever I’ve done on it, and want it on my main computer, a simple USB connector transfers all the writing directly to my word program on my desktop! It’s fantastic and I’d be lost without it.
So, what toys do you employ in the course of your writing?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)