Moving...

Hi all...I'm moving my blog to WordPress...I like the idea of being able to categorize, and it seems like Blogger is down an awful lot. Anyway, you can now read at www.musingsfromtheblondeside.wordpress.com

See you there!

Terri/Keira

What's Going on With Me Wednesday...

Hey gang! Welcome to November! It's FINALLY cooled down here in Oklahoma...just in time for all of the trick or treaters to freeze their hineys off *g*.

I was actually somewhat productive while I was in Virginia, at least when it comes to the writing front...got about 2,000 words done on View to a Kill, which is really cool since I haven't really done anything creative since the end of July. I keep trying to write the next in the RuneQuest series (Sea of Dreams), but Sara and Brian keep clamoring to come up front and play, so I guess that makes them the winners in that particular turf war *VBG*.

Other than that, just kinda kicking along...I had oodles of work to do after coming back from Virginia, so haven't gotten a ton of writing done there (not that I'm supposed to, but you know what I mean).

The docs at our clinic started using the new notepads (about the size of a regular pad of paper and almost as light) to document their encounters and such, and I've been seriously eyeballing one for when my laptop takes a dump. You can even write longhand, and it transfers it to typing! Since I have pretty legible handwriting (or at least compared to the docs I work with!), I'm dying to give it a try and see if I can't cut out a step in my writing process, since I seem to be more creative and productive if I write it out longhand, and then transfer it to the computer. Guess I'm too old-school for the whole brain-dump directly into the computer! Heck, I remember programming DOS in my high school days, so that shows you how far we've come in twenty short years.

So what's going on with y'all? Anything fun? Of interest to the folks that cruise my blog???

Well, I'd better get to work...they're such sticklers about me actually dragging ass into there on time!! LOL.

Terri/Keira

Happy Halloween & Talking About Books Tuesday...Devil's Due, Rachel Caine

Howdy, y'all! Happy Halloween! This is a special time of year for me, simply because I write about all things paranormal. Seems like every time I try to write a "straight" story (with no woo-woo factor), it stalls and dies, so I've accepted the fact I can't write anything else, at least not at this point in my career *g*. If you've got the notion, check out the blurb on Saints ... it a Halloween story, and will probably be released in the Sept/Oct timeframe next year! Okay, onto the book report!

Devil’s Due
Rachel Caine
The second in what I really, really hope is a continuing storyline, this is Lucia’s book and it’s a doozy! Taking up where Devil’s Bargain left off, Lucia & Jazz are working for themselves—and the Cross Society, the super-secret organization that uses psychics, probability and outcome to work the present to their advantage. When Ben McCarthy, Jazz’s old partner, is released from jail, the sparks between he and Lucia are immediate and not something she’s particularly happy about. This book is a scorcher, full of intrigue and danger. THIS is what Silhouette Bombshells should be—go pick this one up and settle in for the ride! Let's just hope that Harlequin finds a way to keep pubbing books like this, even tho Bombshell has bitten the big one...sigh.

Just another Movie Monday...Munich

Good morning all! Because I'm a lazy ass, I didn't do a music recap since I was in Virginia all last week and was, well...lazy! LOL. In my defense, I *did* update the website to include a Behind the Scenes page, so if you're so inclined, check it out: www.tlschaefer.com/BehindTheScenes.htm Anyway, here's this week's movie review...

Movie: Munich – as you can tell, hubby and I are catching up on all of the movies we missed over the summer *g*. We picked Munich up because we’d heard it was excellent from friends, and they were right. But don’t think this is going to be a happy, uplifting flick…it’s not. It’s about the hunt for the eleven purported masterminds behind the slaughter of eleven Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich in 1972. Eric Bana is the lead in a largely international cast (Geoffrey Rush and Daniel Craig are probly the only ones mainstream American viewers will recognize), and he was amazing as a compassionate man who has to turn his emotions and morality “off” to complete a mission he believes he must undertake to salve the soul of his country. This movie is looooong (2 hrs and 45 minutes), and a times can drag just a smidge as background details and such are laid, but at the end, where we, as an audience, and Avner (Bana) question if it really makes a difference, it’s well worth the time spent.

Talking About Books Tuesday...Cry No More, Linda Howard

Waving at you from chilly Lansdowne, Virginia this morning (I'm at computer training for the Air Force)

Cry No More
Linda Howard

An absolute gut-clencher from Howard that centers around Milla Edge, whose son was snatched from her in Mexico. Her almost-obsessive search for him breaks up her marriage and results in her formation of Finders, a volunteer-run nation-wide group that helps in the search for missing children. Enter True Gallagher, a Finders supporter and donor and the mysterious James Diaz, a shadowy hit man, and you have Howard at her very finest. This is one of those books that’ll have you questioning everyone’s motivations—and rightly so. Run—don’t walk—to snag this one, and enjoy every soul-churning moment!

Movie/Music Monday…Seether and Lord of War

Music: Seether, Karma and Effect—I fell in love with Shaun Morgan’s voice when I heard his duet with Amy Lee, the lead singer for Evanescence. Then Remedy got a ton of airplay on my local radio station, so I bopped out to get the CD. What a great purchase. This album rocks from the first track and doesn’t let up until the very last. My favorite tracks were Burrito, World Falls Away and I’m the One. The last track, Plastic Man, was a bit too moody and ballady for me…when I want to rock, that’s what I want to hear, y’know? As a whole, this is one of those albums that listen to on a *really* regular basis (it’s loaded on my work computer), and it never fails to get my head bopping and my feet moving.

Movie: Lord of War – while not a pleasant movie by any stretch of the imagination, I really enjoyed this movie…hey, it’s got Nic Cage in it…how can it be bad?? Anyway, this is the story of an arms dealer from the eighties to present(ish) day, and what happens to him. Gritty and disturbing, this movie packs a punch for those of us who follow world events fairly closely. Even if you don’t, you’ll recognize a good many of the conflicts mentioned. Perhaps most distressing, though, is the fact that this story was based on an actual person…something you don’t find out until the very end. Cage was fabulous playing a man who has found his true niche in life dealing death. He’s good at it, enjoys the rush, and quickly gets disgustingly rich. Jared Leto was also excellent as his troubled brother…the only one of the duo with a real conscience. While I highly recommend this movie, be cautioned that it (obviously) contains very violent scenes, and depicts a not-so-pretty world.

Freaky Location Friday...Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal

Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal (http://www.azores.dk/Eterceira.htm)

My husband August and I were stationed in the Portuguese Azores from 1994 to 1997 at Lajes Air Base, and absolutely ADORED our time there. The island is tiny, only 20 x 10 miles, but there’s a ton of history to explore and fun things to do. Americans haven’t discovered the Azores yet as a travel destination, and don’t know what they’re missing. This is Old World hospitality and living at its best. On Terceira, the island we were stationed on, there are two main cities, Praia da Vitoria and Angra de Heroisimo. Praia is the closest to the base, while Angra is across the island. In reality, they’re both more towns (the population of the *entire* island is 55,000ish), tho Angra is bigger, and got a supermarket the last year we were there (before it was all tiny mercados).

How to begin describing this gorgeous land and people? First of all, take a look at the pics (linked above) and you’ll begin to get what I’m talking about…houses made of concrete and old volcanic stone…grape arbors intertwined with producing fields…milk still brought to market on the backs of donkeys…fields still plowed by hand. Food cooked in volcanic vents…bullfights in the streets…live barnacles seasoned with garlic and lemon. “Green” wine (lightly effervescent locally grown wine that goes down waaaaaay to easily). All this and a fantastic ocean view from almost anywhere you stand.

We were lucky enough to have a house that faced the ocean (even tho we were about 1/2 mile away from the cliffs), so we got to see dolphins, whales, ships, etc every morning with our coffee. And hell, the view was pretty damned good from my desk at work too! LOL. We made it a point to check out every little nook and cranny we could while we were there, from Biscoitos (freakin’ awesome lava flow/beach area…the waves were phenomenal) to Ponta Negra (our absolute favorite restaurant). We also went to one of the other islands (Sao Miguel) for a week, and had a total blast exploring it. That’s the more touristy of the islands, and we saw lots of Europeans and Asians while we were there…they already discovered the secret *g*!

If you’re looking for a place to vacation where NO ONE has been, but still has gorgeous summer weather (mid 80’s), pineapple that puts Dole to shame and food to die for, the Azores is cheap, laid back and SO much fun!

What's going on with me Wednesday...on Thursday *g*!!

Sorry gang, I was a day late because Blogger wasn't playing nice and the AF won't let me access it from my desk anymore!!

I have news! I sold my book, The Saints of Midland, to Samhain Publishing! Actually, it won’t be released until next summer, but I’m still in happy dance mode. This is the book that I wrote forever and two days ago and tried to sell to New York, and *almost* succeeded. Sigh. Anyway, I’m popping the synopsis and a brief blurb below…enjoy!

AMANDA SIMS is a woman with a problem. Her brother has disappeared into the deep piney woods on Halloween night. When she enters the forest with enigmatic, sexy-as-hell deputy JOSH KENT, the last thing this self-professed witch expects is a spiritual presence the size of the Grand Canyon.

Deputy Josh holds his own secrets. He recognizes the entity in the forest, and offers to trade his immortal soul for that of Amanda’s brother. But the Keeper of the Way has other ideas.
When Amanda offers a part of herself in exchange for her brother’s safe passage, the Keeper thrusts her and Josh into another land. A land where scarlet-tipped grain waves across an endless landscape, where parrots speak the Queen’s English, where the dead walk and where she hears of the prophecy for the first time.

Legend speaks of a human witch and an Earth-walker who will free the lost souls of Midland. But from there the details are murky, doled out in bits and pieces as they travel the countryside, encountering spirits in every conceivable shape and form.

But Amanda and Josh find more than the prophecy in Midland—they find a love that transcends every world imaginable.

Chapter 1

The full moon had just cleared the pines when we suspended the search for Danny.
Even without my brother’s disappearing act, it would have been one of those nights. You could feel it in the air, tickling the nape of your neck like a skittish spider.

Because of that, and the fact Danny had pulled an X-Files move, I was in dire need of a cigarette and a shot of something--preferably alcoholic and tequila-flavored.

Never let it be said that I don't take my big sister duties seriously, even though I haven’t been home in over a year. Coming back to the California foothills to find my twenty-year-old brother lost in the woods wasn’t exactly my idea of a welcome home party. Call me bitchy, but I had hoped for something a bit more festive, something that celebrated the fact that I’d finally decided to quit my wandering ways and settle down to a home and business of my own.
Instead, like the good, eager-to-please daughter I’ve become, I trekked off into the boonies, searching for our hometown’s golden boy.

Don’t get me wrong...I love Danny, but we’re two totally different people. I seriously think Mom must have had a thing for the meter reader after I was born. At least that’s the only explanation I’ve been able to come up with.

It was the call from his flavor of the month, Dee Dee Mather, that had really set off Mom. The brainless twit had babbled something into her cell phone about Danny wandering off into the woods and not coming out. At the time I’d been skeptical. Knowing Danny’s taste in women, he was probably out taking a leak and she hadn’t given him enough time to finish.

In retrospect, she’d been right to call us in, since not one person had seen hide nor hair of my little brother since he’d walked away from his truck.

How in the world Danny could have ever become involved with Dee Dee was beyond me.
Oh wait, that’s right, she has enormous knockers. Attributes like Dee Dee’s were usually enough to sway even the most logical male mind.

I wound my way around a thicket of buck brush, swinging my flashlight in front of me like a light saber, wishing I were in a galaxy far, far away. Then I wouldn’t be beating the bushes searching for my hormone-driven, short-on-common-sense brother.

We worked our way back to Danny's pickup as a group, twenty good Christian men and women and me, the heathen. Danny’s fifteen-year-old Dodge looked like it might have any other night, parked on the side of the fire road, the perfect place for an assignation with a Hooters Girl in training. Except Danny had heard a noise he just had to investigate instead of something as simple as hitting the woods to take a leak. It would have been nice if Dee Dee had included that little tidbit when she called my parents.

It might have stopped me from leaving the house bitchy as hell and muttering under my breath about Danny’s paternity.