13 Nominees For Best Paranormal Shifter Book of 2011
I am thrilled that my book, Wolf’s Glory, has been nominated by the reviewers at The Romance Reviews for Best Erotic Paranormal Romance in the Shifters category. This may not ever happen to me again, but at least i can always say that one of my books was once nominated to be best book of 2011 in its category. I don’t even hope to win. Do you see those other books and authors? I’m honored to be included with such wonderful authors. Here are 13 of them:
1. Alpha Wolf by Rebecca Royce
2. Big Bad Beast by Shelly Laurentson
3. Changeling Moon by Dani Harper
4. Cougar by Skhye Moncrief
5. Defying Pack Law & Delicate Freakn’ Flower by Eve Langlais
6. Eagle River Alpha by Becky Wilde
7. Hour of the Lion by Cherise Sinclair
8. Lifestyles of the Fey and Dangerous by Danica Avet
9. Moonlight Rapture by Lee Pearce
10. Navarro’s Promise by Lora Leigh
11. Never Cry Wolf by Cynthia Eden
12. The Alpha’s Fall by Kiera West
13. Wolf’s Glory by Maddy Barone
Thursday 13-Japanese Weapons
This weekend my SCA shire is hosting our annual event, Rhythm and Bruise. The event consists of hours of armored fighting, with music and dancing along side. This year our theme is Tora Matsuri (Tiger Festival), and the emphasis is on medieval Japan. Click the link and click again on the line in the blue square to see a list of the japanese feast. I’m serving (on my knees, literally, as was the tradition in medieval Japan) while wearing hakama, three kosode and an uchikake. (I hope I have that right!) In honor of our event, here are 13 traditional Japanese weapons.
Traditional Japanese Weapons
The Katana – Not just a weapon, but the soul of bushi.It is the
most sophisticated form of the beauty of killing.The more beautiful it is, the
more deadly sharpness it has. Katana are distinguished from broadswords for the
extremely sharp edge and the slightly curved blade.The beauty of a katana
appears on its blade and edge.Its grace form and grim beauty has been
fascinating many warriors.The Wakizashi – Shorter than the Katana (about 68 cm), this sword
was worn indoors by the Samurai, because the Katana was too long to fight in
small rooms.The Tanto – This is a small japanese knife from the same steel as
the Katana and the Wakizashi. This knife was sometimes worn instead of the
Wakizashi.The Kama – Originally a farming tool to weed plants. Because the
farmers were not allowed to carry weapons they used their tools to defend
themselves. This weapon is most know for its use by ninjas.The BO – A large staff (about 2 M) used as a self defense weapon by
the common people, who were not allowed to carry weapons.The Jo – A shorter staff (about 1.35 M) also used as a self defense
weapon by the common people.The Keibo – A small stick (about 35 cm) used for fighting in small
areas.The Ebo – A very small stick (about 15 cm) perfect as a defense
weapon and easy to cary around.The Tonfa – A nightstick with a handle attached to the side of it.
many police forces have adopted it to replace the old police baton
(nightstick).The Nunchaku – Two sticks connected by either a small cord or
chain. Originally it was used as a farming tool to thresh grain. and the farmers
started using them as weapons to defend themselves.
The Shuriken – The word shuriken means “a dagger hidden in a palm,” so
all daggers small enough to hide in a palm were called by this name. They have
many variety in their shape and usage. Some are starlike shaped, and thrown with
spin. Some other are needlelike shaped, and thrown just like a throwing dagger.
Though a shuriken can hardly penetrate armor protection, it was enough because
ninja threw it at unarmed target mainly. Venom was used with shuriken
normally.The Yari – The Japanese spear didn’t differ largely from that of
other countries. During the Civil War Era, spear was the most standard weapon of
bushi.The Naginata – A pole arm with a single, curved blade on one end,
is employed with sweeping, circular motions and, as an extension of the wielder,
channels energy in a harmonious display of beauty and precision. The Naginata is
a weapon with a rich history, utilized and refined from the Nara Period (710-784
A.D.) to today. Employed initially by the Bushi, it later found itself the
specific weapon of the Sohei or Buddhist monks. It is the school of the spear
and, as such, is a shafted weapon. The length of its oval shaft varied, from 5′
to 8′, depending on battle conditions and personal requests. The most striking
feature, however, was the blade; it could be anywhere from 10 inches to more
than 2 feet, and was sharpened on a single side, fashioned in the manner of
either Sakizori or Uchizori. As with most shafted weapons, it was most
devastating when utilizing sweeping, circular motions. However, thrusts with the
blade and also the heavy Ishizuki on the butt end were acceptable tactical
alternatives.
Thursday 13 – SCA Music
One of the things I love about the SCA (the medieval historical re-creation group I’m in) is the music. Some songs are beautiful ballads, lyrical, with breathtaking melodies. Others are filks, which are songs sung to a familiar tune but with very different–sometimes mocking–lyrics. Many songs are sung a capella, others are accompanied by drums, harps or flutes. Here are 13 SCA songs sung by SCA folk, some of whom I know and see often. I am not musically talented, but I sure make a good audience. 🙂
Enjoy!
Born On the Listfield – a female fighter is made a knight
Pennsic Drum Song – funny! At Pennsic, which is the largest SCA event where 15,000 people all camp, fight, take classes and dance, the middle eastern drums pound ceaselessly into the night.
Master Daveed drumming – Master Daveed is a middle eastern drummer par excellence, and here he and Carmine are showing off their best riffs, trying to outdo each other.
My Mother’s Savage Daughter – the iconic song of my kingdom
Sons of the Dragon – One of those ballads with a great melody and lyrics
Haul On the Oars, Ladies – Viking women get bored and go shopping (aka pillaging)
Strike the Drum – A battlefield song
Beware of the Vampire Penguin – Hm. Can you say silly but fun?
Regin smidur – An actual Faroese song sung in Faroese. Great.
Mongol Doodle Dandy – Remember I mentioned filks?
Shoulder To Shoulder – Another rousing battlefield song
The Muster – Love it! What a voice!
If I Were A Young Man – Great ballad
Thursday 13 – Medieval Names
As an author, names are very interesting to me. As a reader of medieval romance, I find myself rolling my eyes at some of the names which are obviously modern given medieval knights and ladies. I would like to see some more realistic names given to romance heroes and heroines. On the other hand, to have half the male characters named William, John, Henry or Richard would be mighty confusing. It is fact that boys’ given names were not very imaginative in Medieval England. The ten most common names account for 57.8% of all male names listed in the Rolls of Henry III. (found at www.finerollshenry3.org.uk) That means that well over half the men shared 10 names. Only 3.4% of the men listed had a name that showed up only once. So, imaginative names were pretty rare for men. For women, 9.94% had names that showed up only once. A little more diverse, but still, the majority of parents were content to name their children for saints, kings and queens. Can you imagine a passionate relationship between a William and a Matilda?
Well, get this: Willam the Conqueror, who was previously known as William the Bastard because his parents weren’t married, proposed marriage (not in person, but by messenger)to a daughter of the Count of Flanders by the name of Matilda. Matilda laughed at his envoy, saying a pure blooded princess born in holy matrimony wouldn’t lower herself to wed a base-born bastard. Her father the Count agreed that a more profitable and seemly alliance could be made elsewhere. William was so furious that he rode all night, caught Matilda on her way to church, dragged her off her horse by her hair and left her in the street while her guards and servants were too shocked to protect her. True story? Maybe. They were married a few months later.
So what were the most commen names in the first half of the 13th century in England? (yes, I know this is more than 13, but which names shoule I leave out?)
Top Ten Medieval Male Names
1. William
2. John
3. Richard
4. Robert
5. Henry
6. Ralph
7. Thomas
8. Walter
9. Roger
10. Hugh
Top Ten Medieval Female Names
1. Alice
2. Matilda
3. Agnes
4. Margaret
5. Joan
6. Isabella
7. Emma
8. Beatrice
9. Mabel
10. Cecilia
13 Things To Do on my Birthday
Yes, as of 5:11pm CST on Thursday, September 22, 2011 I will have lived 50 years on this Planet Earth. I’d like to flatter myself and say I don’t look it. The picture above was taken on Tuesday at my birthday party. This is my niece with me. I don’t especially feel like I’m a half century old, at least not until I see the kids I taught in Sunday School bringing their own kids to Sunday School. That’s just plain weird. I tided Wednesday night and I’m taking Thursday off from work, so I have the whole day to do whatever I like.
Here are 13 things I’m doing tomorrow:
1. Sleeping late. Hear that, cats? No crying before 7am. No running around or jumping on me or anything else that will make me wake up early.
2. Drinking tea. A friend came down from Winnipeg and she brought me two delicious organic teas from Nepal.
3. Eating maple biscuits. Another friend came down from Winnipeg and brought me some yummy tea biscuits. (cookies we call them here in the States, but biscuits sounds a little more posh)
4. Listening to a CD. A gal in my critique group put together a cd of her reading some of her poetry and playing some of her music and gave it to me. It will be very nice to listen to while I sip my tea and nibble my biscuits and…
5. Casting on a new pair of socks. My friend Jess Pease (who is rabidly allergic to wool) went into a yarn store and bought me a gorgeous sock yarn in varying shades of purple and blue. I am going to make me another pair of warm handknit socks!
6. Have a 90 minute full body massage. I made an appointment with Knead a Break massage therapy. I’m pretty sure it is going to be sheer heaven.
7. Have lunch with a friend. I don’t know where we’re going. She says she’s going to surprise me. Should be fun!
8. Go to Barnes & Noble. I may not buy any thing, but I will peruse the romance, sci-fi, fantasy and craft stacks with leisurely diligence.
9. Drink coffee. This is part of the whole B&N experience. I take a few books and magazines to the cafe to browse through them to help me decide which I should buy.
10. Go to mom’s house. My sister and two of my brothers will be there for supper. My 8-year-old niece has already told me that SHE is making the cake. 🙂
11. Open the ginger-lemon mead brewed by Nick LePage of Liverpool. He generously gifted me with a bottle of it when we met at Gimli Manitoba.
12. Take a bath. A nice relaxing bath, with bubbles, candles, a book and a glass of mead.
13. Go to bed. Early. Sleep like a baby. No, not like a baby. They wake up and cry too much. Like a log. Yeah, like a log.
13 Items that COULD Show Up in a Swag Bag
I am preparing the Swag Bags for my street team. Sadly, I somehow deleted all their mailing addies so I had to send a quick email to them requesting that they re-send their mailing info. If you haven’t updated your newsletter profile, you can do so now. I plan to mail tomorrow night and perhaps send a few stragglers on Tuesday, after the American Labor Day weekend holiday.
And, hey, I’m participating in a Blog Hop this weekend. It goes from Saturday through Monday. A free download of either Sleeping With the Wolf or Wolf’s Glory will be the prize offered for the hop, plus I will be offering a paperback copy of Sleeping With the Wolf to one commenter here on my blog. So feel free to stop back this weekend!
Now for the 13 things that may be included in a Swag Bag.
1 & 2. A 5.5 x 8.25 inch postcard of the cover art for Sleeping With the Wolf and Wolf’s Glory.
3 & 4. A compact mirror and small tub of lip glass. These represent Lisa Anton, heroine of Eddie’s Prize. She readily admits she’s vain.
5 & 6. A magnet of the cover art for Sleeping With the Wolf and Wolf’s Glory.
7. A set of thin bangle bracelets. These represent Ellie, the heroine of Saving Ellie. Quill buys them for her, saying they are almost as delicate and beautiful as she is.
8 & 9. A set of Romance Trading Cards for each Sleeping With the Wolf and Wolf’s Glory.
10. A ring with a butterfly on it. Stag gives Sherry a ring like this. To him she’s as elusive as a butterfly he tries to catch, flitting away from him every time he gets close.
11. A charm bracelet. When Sky goes to Omaha, he sends Rose a charm for her bracelet every year on her birthday. At least he does for the first several years. Then the presents stop with no word from Sky.
12 & 13. One lucky person will receive a paperback copy of Sleeping With the Wolf and Wolf’s’ Glory! This person will be notified by email on Thursday night, so if you are not the winner, you can certainly leave a comment on the Blog Hop blog post to have a chance to win.
Which of these things do you like best? Do you have suggestions for what should go into the April 2012 Swag Bags?
13 Nuts and Seeds
I’m trying to eat healthier, here. Nuts can be a nutritious snack. Although many nuts are high in fat and calories, they also have protein, fiber and other important nutrients. Here are thirteen nuts to enjoy from this helpful website:
1. Almonds. 1 ounce (23 whole nuts) of raw almonds contains 6.02 grams protein, 163 calories and 3.5 grams of dietary fiber.
2. Brazil Nuts. 1 ounce (6 whole nuts) contains 4.06 grams of protein, 186 calories and 2.1 grams of fiber.
3. Cashews. One ounce of raw, unsalted cashew nuts contains 5.17 grams of protein, 157 calories and 0.94 grams of fiber.
4. Chestnuts. Never had these, only sung about them at Christmas. Ten (10) roasted kernels with no salt added contain 2.66 grams protein, 206 calories and 4.3 grams fiber. (Note: chestnuts must be boiled or roasted before eating due to the high levels of tannic acid.)
5. Coconut. Is this a nut? I guess it is, just really, really large. One cup of raw, shredded coconut contains 2.66 grams of protein, 283 calories and 7.2 grams of dietary fiber.
6. Hazelnuts. One ounce (21 whole kernels) of hazelnuts contains 4.24 grams of protein, 178 calories and 2.7 grams of dietary fiber.
7. Macadamia nuts. One once (10-12 kernels) of raw macadamia nuts contains 2.24 grams protein, 204 calories and 2.4 grams fiber.
8. Peanuts. One ounce of dry roasted peanuts contains 6.71 grams of protein, 166 calories and 2.3 grams of dietary fiber.
9. Pecans. One ounce (19 halves) of raw pecans contains 2.6 grams protein, 196 calories and 2.7 grams fiber.
10. Pine nuts. One ounce of pine nuts (167 kernels) contains 3.88 grams of protein, 191 calories and 1.0 grams of dietary fiber.
11. Pistachios. One ounce of dry roasted pistachio nuts (no salt) (49 kernels) contains 6.05 grams of protein, 162 calories and 2.9 grams of dietary fiber.
12. Sunflower Seeds. One ounce of sunflower seed kernels, dry-roasted without salt contains 5.48 grams of protein, 165 calories and 3.1 grams of dietary fiber.
13. Walnuts. 1 ounce (14 halves) English walnuts contains 4.32 mg protein, 185 calories and 1.9 mg fiber.
Which of these do you like to munch on?
T13 / 13 Facts About the After the Crash World
My attention has been pretty well fixed on the world I’ve created for my After the Crash series for about 2 years now.I told myself that after I submitted Book 3, Tracking Tami, that I would take a two week break from writing. I submitted the manuscript on Saturday, August 13, and I haven’t actually written anything since then. But I can’t seem to let go entirely. I’ve been thinking about the man that Sky has become since he left the Pack to go work in Omaha. I’ve been considering Sherry’s fear of Stag, the wolf who has claimed her as his mate. I’ve wondered how Quill has coped with knowing that his mate is married to another man. Here are some facts about the world I’ve created.
1. The Clan is made up of descendants of Native Americans who left the reservation in South Dakota to live as their ancestors did before the reservation days. They left to isolate and protect themselves from the plagues decimating the population.
2. The Woman Killer Plague flares up again in the late spring of 2065.
3. Jelly’s full name is He Eats Jelly.
4. By the time Quill returns to the Pack after working in Omaha for a few years, Taye and Carla are the parents of two sons.
5. Glory gives birth to the Clan’s first girl baby in 30 years in January, 2066.
6. Shadow is delighted and terrified to be the father of a daughter. He wishes they would have had a few sons first so he’d have some help protecting the precious girl. But she’ll have plenty of male cousins to watch out for her.
7. Sherry Rowe is the illegitimate daughter of an African American soldier who was stationed Korea, and a Korean woman. Sherry lived with her mother in Korea until her mother died when Sherry was six. She was sent to live with her father in America, with the children he’d had by his legal American wife. Sherry never fit in with either family.
8. Unlike most of the unmarried or mated men in the Clan and Pack, Tracker is not a virgin.
9. Glory’s high school enemy Heather has become the high priestess of a cult that worships sex. I wonder if she regrets it?
10. Sky has been a naughty boy while living in Omaha, the new Sin City. It all started out innocently enough, but if Taye knew what his cousin has been up to he might not let Sky claim Rose as his mate.
11. By 2073, Omaha has some electricity as well as a municipal waterworks.
12. Shadow’s brother Jimmy White Elk dies in a bar room brawl and his widow leaves her three teenaged sons with the Clan when she remarries. She is much happier with her townie husband, but visits her sons several times a year, and they often stay for months in the winter.
13. Co-pilot Connie Mondale breaks her vow to never marry.
13 Things I could Nibble on
I am officially dieting. Again. I’m tired of looking like a flabby apple on legs. I decided to diet on Monday, AFTER I did my grocery shopping on Friday, so not everything in my house is good for a dieting person. And some of these I’ve had for while but jsut haven’t eaten yet. So far I’ve kept my calories between 1300 and 1700 a day, and I’ve done some excercise. Need to do more excercise. So here are thirteen things (some better choices for a dieter than others) I have to snack on:
1. Jordan Almonds. I love these candies. I thought these might be okay, as they take me a while to eat since I suck on them until there’s only a thin candy coating around the almond before crunching them up. However, while it might take me an hour to eat the allotted 13 pieces in a serving, that is 190 calories and a lot of carbs.
2. Sweet Bing cherries. I also love fresh cherries.
3. Gourmet Aussie black Liqorice. Another candy favorite that has way too many calories and carbs.
4. Cucumber sticks. Almost no calories in these and I like them.
5. Carrot coins. You know those crinkle cut carrot slices.
6. Peanut M&Ms.
7. Pretzel sticks. With a little ranch dressing these are nice.
8. Chips & salsa. The chips aren’t probably the best thing for me, but not the worst either.
9. Apples. Some new variety that I don’t remember the name of now.
10. Honey roasted sunflower seeds. Lots of fat, but it’s good fat, right?
11. Cinnamon Raisin bread. Nummy toasted. Lots of carbs.
12. German Chocolate cake. Still in the box, it needs to be made. I have company coming for supper on Friday. Maybe they’ll eat most of it so I don’t have to feel guilty?
13. Green pepper. Not really a snack, I bought these for the salad I’m making on Friday. But if there are left overs, a strip of green pepper is tasty.
What healthy snacks do you enjoy?
13 Sentences From Tracking Tami
I am buried in revisions for Tracking Tami, Book 3 in the After the Crash series. Tami is a modern woman who runs a wilderness survival school but is thrown into a future where women are treated in some places like possessions. She was married against her will and runs away. Tracker is a loner from the Clan who was hired to find her and bring her back. It’s a long hard chase for both of them. The woman that Tracker expected to be an easy job challenges him every mile of the way.
1-3
As she turned to leave the kitchen to get her snare set up something on colorless, papered wall caught her eye. Stapled to the wall was a sun faded, age-yellowed calendar. For the year 2017.
4-6
“Sky,” Rose uttered with loathing.
Tracker politely pretended to not notice this sign of discord in his young cousin’s mating. He would allow himself be amused by it later when he was alone.
7-8
The first thing that struck Tracker when he came back to camp was the rich enticing scent of one particular woman. The second thing was that the damn woman had made off with his dinner.
9-11
“Ma’am?”
Tami woke with a silent gasp. The quiet murmur came out of the cold dark like a lover’s whisper.
12-13
Helpless was one thing she was not. Tracker wiped at the blood on his face with the back of his wrist.
There we go. 13 sentences from my WiP Tracking Tami. What are you writing or reading these days?
