Deal-Breakers - Mina Lobo (THAT FATAL KISS tour)

Ohhh, it's that time at last - time for Mina Lobo to guest post on my blog as part of the mini-book tour she's doing for THAT FATAL KISS. Check out Mina's wares below. ;)

Deal-breakers by Mina Lobo

“Hermes is so immature. He lacks a certain authority. While occasionally amusing, I find his ceaseless tricks and jests belie a rather spiteful sort of nature. I find it difficult to consider him marriageable when he is constantly in search of some frivolous amusement or other. He is handsome enough, in his way…”  Persephone wrinkled her nose. “But, no. I want someone with whom I may share lighter moments, to be sure, but also someone who can turn his mind to more serious matters, someone who is capable of intelligent discourse.”

Athena thought again before suggesting, “Then what of Eros? He certainly is pleasing enough to look at and has all of those qualities you admire.”

“Yes, he is an excellent candidate,” Persephone said. “Unfortunately, I find him more suitable for the role of confidante than that of husband.” At Athena’s perplexed look, Persephone elaborated, “I regret to say that I feel no particular yearnings in his direction.”

“Ah!” the elder goddess exclaimed, in the tone of one who had finally come to the heart of a matter. “So you seek a male of authority, wisdom, depth and beauty, as well as one who can stoke your—ahem—internal fires. Well, that seems reasonable enough. Alas, I cannot think of a name to fit such a tall order.” But even as the Warrior Goddess uttered those words, her eyes widened and she became completely still.

The above excerpt comes from the second chapter of my fantasy romance, That Fatal Kiss, set in a mythical Greece. In this segment, Persephone's laying out for Athena what she wants in a mate. In this era, we call those "deal-breakers," right? These are the desirable qualities a person must possess before a more serious connection can be considered (or the undesirable qualities that will "break the deal" if they do exist). Poor Persephone hasn't had much luck finding a fella who fulfills her criteria, but Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, may have thought up just the right guy...too bad the right guy went about hooking up with Persephone in totally the wrong way. (Totally.)

About a year ago, I thought about what my deal-breakers were and came up with a list of things (incomplete, probably) that I don't want in a partner. To wit, I'm not interested in tying the knot with a dude who:

• Likes hot weather
• Prefers Pepsi products to Coke
• Is a political extremist
• Is a religious extremist
• Prefers white wine to red
• Prefers cats to dogs
• Is cantankerous
• Doesn't enjoy the absurdities in/of life as I do
• Doesn't enjoy my eccentricities
• Is a sheep (follows the mob)
• Isn't naturally compassionate
• Is a racist, or any other bad -ist
• Thinks the poor and unfortunate brought their conditions upon themselves

I do chuckle a bit when I look at this list (though I am completely serious about the white wine thing), but, you know, you gotta go with what feels right to you, eh?

How about y'all, what are your deal-breakers? An overabundance of facial hair? A penchant for wearing white off-season? Rudeness to waiters? (That last thing is massively uncool and, actually, will be added to my list.) Tell us your deal-breakers in the comments!

*     *     *

About the Book
In That Fatal Kiss, life-giving Persephone seeks a mate but the goddess' mother frustrates her plans. Then Hades, King of the Underworld, spirits Persephone away to rule with him below, as his bride. Yet, even as she awaits rescue, Persephone aches to be consumed by the fire in the dark lord's immortal soul.

About the Author
Mina Lobo writes dark and whimsical romances, dodges the slings and arrows of her outrageous college-aged son, and feels compelled to do things in threes. She digs comedic horror, alternative rock, and Belgian chocolates. (See?)

Visit Mina's Web site, Some Dark Romantic, from September 24 - 29, for your chance to win an e-book copy of That Fatal Kiss!

Cephalopod Coffeehouse, Follow Fest & Goal Update

Woah, dudes and dudettes, I have three things on today, and they are:

Cephalopod Coffeehouse bookclub (a monthly blog hoppin' book club where participants talk about the best book they read in the last month, and hosted by the wondrous Armchair Squid)

Follow Fest (a 5-day blogfest designed to let participants meet other writers and build their own platforms. It's hosted by Melissa Maygrove)

Do You Have A Goal? (a monthly blog hop in which participants update each other on where they're at on the journey to achieving some seriously crazy-big goals. This one's hosted by Misha Gericke)

So, with so many things to do in just one post, I guess I better get on with it! And I'll try to keep it all fairly brief. :)

---

I've only finished two books in September so far, if you don't count my friend's book that took me quite a bit of the month to finish (she's Icelandic, living in Sweden, and while the bizarre story was intriguing enough, I was fascinated more by descriptions of Iceland where I now want to visit even more than I already did). Anyway, for this month's Cephalopod post I thought I'd mention Hart Johnson's A FLOCK OF ILL OMENS, and slightly expand on the tiny (mildly spoilerific) GoodReads review I put up:

Hart Johnson's A FLOCK OF ILL OMENS was a quick, easy read that I basically devoured, and immediately wanted to move onto part 2. The story contains multiple POVs, but the characters though spread throughout the US are all connected somehow. Things get off to a pretty dramatic (and deadly) start, and I'm very curious to see how things unfold in future instalments. 

Am I the only one who feels sorry for the seagulls? :P 

Bring on part ii! :)

So, that's my Cephalopod entry for September.

---

I think this is a great idea, and I look forward to visiting all the other participants. For now, here's my "stuff":

Name: Trisha F.
Fiction or nonfiction?: Fiction, but I have considered writing travel memoir
What genres do you write?: Romance, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Dystopian, Women's Fiction, Chick Lit
Are you published?: I have a poem published with Vine Leaves, and that's it so far. :)
Do you do anything in addition to writing?: I'm a fine artist and singer-songwriter.

Where can people connect with you?:

• Blog 
• Twitter
• Facebook (at the moment I only have a FB page for my band)
• Goodreads (personal)
• Google+
• LinkedIn

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?: 

I love cats, Bailey's, reading, travelling to far-away (or even really near) places, and finding writer friends I can really connect with for our mutual benefit. :)

---

Last month I reported that I had basically sucked at working towards my goal at the time, which was getting a novella ready for query-writing by August's end. I failed at that, and have since chosen a new goal:

publish something by the end of 2013

So far I must say that I am sucking at achieving this goal, too. But I can say I at least have notes from my lovely CP that I can move forward with. And I do have some ideas for how to rewrite. But rewriting isn't really where I wanted to be by now. I wanted to be polishing and verging on self-publishing. Still, at least I have something to work with, and some plan for how to move forward. :)

Travel Series: MELBOURNE

First off, I want to apologise to those who might've stopped by expecting a guest post from Mina Lobo yesterday/today as part of her THAT FATAL KISS release celebrations. I was meant to post on the 24th for Mina's book release, but a combination of technological woes and flighty brains (mine) meant it didn't happen. The post has been rescheduled for THIS SUNDAY, the 29th, so if you guys stop by then you will see that post then. Thanks Mina for being so understanding and forgiving of my deficiencies. ;) *hug*

This month for Globetrotters I'll talk about (or, mostly, illustrate) the 4-day trip I took to Melbourne in 2008, for a work conference. I haven't quite finished with my 1998 world trip story yet, but I don't have access to the photos I need for that one, so Melbourne it is. Although my 2008 trip was for work, I did get to walk around the city admiring the sights. I also went to the MCG for a conference dinner, and saw a whole lot of seagulls (this coming Saturday my footy team is playing in the GRAND FINAL there, wooooo!!! So excited!). Anyway, from here on out I'll basically post a bunch of photos so you can experience a bit of Melbourne:

Walking by the Yarra.

The Yarra.

Flinders Street Station.

Photo exhibition.

It was near on Christmas time.

Gigantic Christmas tree in the mall where I went to see a movie.

Dizzying roof.

More Christmas decorations.

Me in my fancy hotel room.

The view from my hotel.

More Yarra.

Out-there sculpture by the river.

Salt n Pepa! Noice!

Casino.

In the Casino foyer type area.

More art by the river.

Great view from a river bridge.

Never been in there.

At the airport, the obligatory beer - and a Krispy Kreme. Don't remember it being all that shockingly amazing.

I always try to take aerial photos from planes.

Another one.

Write...Edit...Publish ~ Sept. (= Moving On)

Today is the second monthly "instalment" of Write...Edit...Publish, hosted by L'Aussie Writer Denise Covey. Denise used to co-host the RomanticFridayWriters monthly bloghop, but when that came to an end she decided to kick off WEP. Each month there is a different prompt and you can be creative in how you "answer" the prompt, as shown below:

It's time to sign up for the September WEP blogfest. This time the prompt is MOVING ON. FLASH FICTION, POETRY, NON-FICTION, PLAYSCRIPTS, ARTWORKS, PHOTOGRAPHY...all welcome! Treat the prompt as you wish!

1. SUBMIT your name to the Inlinkz list below NOW if you wish to participate

1. CREATE your entry according to the monthly theme - September - MOVING ON. 

1. EDIT your entry until it sparkles

1. POST your entry on your blog on the date shown - Check out the clock on WEP which is set to Brisbane, Australian time. Post on September 20 your time. Remember to state feedback preferences (full critique to general comments) and whether your work is copyrighted - © 

1. READ other entries, giving feedback as requested

For my entry this month I thought I would just share a bit of very old Paintbrush artwork which I think suits the theme pretty well (which, no, I have not edited since it was created):

The theme I see in this picture is ... "This gal's moving on and, man, you were too slow to nab her when you had the chance! Look at that sassy broad - yep, you're regrettin' it now aren't ya?"

Taking the world by (CASSA)Storm !! Alex J. Cavanaugh

Today's post doesn't really need an intro, so let's just get on with it shall we? :) (Psssst! Check the end of this post for my interview question and Alex's answer!).
CassaStorm
By Alex J Cavanaugh

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

“CassaStorm is a touching and mesmerizing space opera full of action and emotion with strong characters and a cosmic mystery.” – Edi’s Book Lighthouse

“Cavanaugh creates such an unforgettable world, and these characters will stay with you long after their story is over.” - Cassie Mae, author of Friday Night Alibi and How to Date a Nerd

• $16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
• Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera
• Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019
• $4.99 EBook available in all formats

Find CassaStorm:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Amazon Kindle

Goodreads

Book trailer

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar and CassaFire, he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Website – http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
Twitter – http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4287922.Alex_J_Cavanaugh

The trilogy complete!

Now, what you've ALL been waiting for. My question and Alex's answer!

Q: You've said this may be your last book, and your future dedicated to music - can we expect an album release in future? 

A: Only if my band starts writing our own music! At the moment we perform other artists’ work – Christian and secular rock bands and praise and worship music. Not sure my nerves could handle a recording session anyway.

So there ya go. It wasn't exactly a no, but I wouldn't say we can expect a double CD full of epic Christian prog metal tracks anytime soon. ;) I won't give up hope though!

13TH FLOOR COLLECTION by Christine Rains ~ Cover Reveal

In just under a month's time, Christine Rains will be releasing the complete 13th Floor stories collection, which I think is an awesome idea. I look forward to having this on my Kindle so I can read all the stories in one go. :) Anyway, the details of Christine's 13th Floor collection are below, but first ... the cover (which isn't much of a surprise since many people posted yesterday :D):

Title: The 13^th Floor Complete Collection

Author: Christine Rains

Genre: paranormal romance

Release date: October 13^th, 2013

Blurb:

Six supernatural tenants

Living in a haunted apartment building

On a floor that doesn't exist.

Six novellas telling their tales.

A retired demon acquires a price on his head. 

A werewolf is hunted by her pack.

A modern day dragonslayer misses his target.

A harpy challenges Zeus for the soul of the man she loves.

A vampire is obsessed with a young woman he can't find. 

A banshee falls in love with someone who's death she has seen in a vision.

And a sweet ghost must battle a primal monster to save them all. 

All the stories take place at the same time intertwining their lives together on the 13th Floor.

The full 13th Floor collection. Go Christine!!

Author Bio:

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has eight novellas and twenty-one short stories published.

Website: http://christinerains.net/

Blog: http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorchristinerains

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@CRainsWriter

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4017568.Christine_Rains

Also, in October I will be a part of Christine's book tour -

so watch out for my post and many others' then. :)

POP TRAVEL tour - Tara Tyler on Disney! :)

Today I'm excited to have Tara Tyler here on my blog during her Pop Travel book tour (wooo!). Even more wooooo! is that she's here to talk about Disney, which is one of my favourite topics. I've only ever visited Disneyland in Los Angeles, but I've been there twice now and loved it. I also am a big fan of Disney movies, from the older classics to the newer releases. So, on that note, take it away Tara!

Trisha, thanks for inviting me down under! Australia is on my bucket list to visit!

Today, I get to talk about one of my favorite places, Disney!

Living in Florida for many years, we went to Disney World all the time. (Anyone remember riding rides with tickets? ha!) We had field trips, weekends, even our senior class trip was there – Grad Night for Seniors who got to roam the park from dusk to dawn. I wrote some Disney posts a couple years ago, but tho fun to write, they were time consuming. Now, I will hit some highlights!

My biggest piece of Disney advice, PLAN AHEAD!

• Reserve a room – staying at the resort you get some perks:
• magic hours – get in early, stay later at specified parks
• transportation – no driving necessary, take a bus, a monorail or a boat
• the pools & water sport – themed and clean
• cafés and restaurants – some with characters, and great for dining plan
• Reserve meals – if you don't, you will be waiting and waiting and waiting
• Know what parks and rides you'd like to visit. Cost efficient for ticket purchasing, helpful for reserving meals at the parks, and get those fast passes!
• Best times to go are during school (Jan, May, Sept-Nov). The worst times to go because it's the most crowded, and therefore the most expensive… I'd advise against going:
• Christmastime
• Thanksgiving week
• Summer
• Spring Break (mid March - April)
• Mid Winter Break (Feb)

(early) March 2010 - less crowds, less waiting for a table

Hard to narrow down, but here are my top 5 rides (I'm not a thrill-seeker):

• Horizons (EPCOT)
• Toy Story (MGM)
• Star Tours (MGM) – revamped
• Peter Pan (Magic Kingdom)
• Haunted Mansion (Magic Kingdom)

Disney is expanding and improving all the time. On our next visit, I'm looking forward to visiting the latest addition of a new section in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom.

Walt Disney loved to speculate about the future. EPCOT was originally designed to be a futuristic city (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) And that's my connection to Pop Travel – futuristic living and adventure! Ha! So if anyone has any Disney questions, I'd be happy to answer them!

Thanks again, Trisha, for having me! Hope everyone enjoyed this glimpse of Disney, brought to you by Pop Travel.

---

Cooper thought he could get through
life without having to pop...

Pop Travel by Tara Tyler
A tale of deception and teleportation.

When a distraught client enters J.L. Cooper's small town detective agency ranting about a pop travel teleportation cover up, Cooper takes the case. He blames pop travel indirectly for his wife's death and would love to expose a glitch in it.

But the glitch turns out to be disintegrating travelers. And now, his client is dead, his secretary is missing, and a hitman is stalking him. Plus there's all the webcams watching his every move. So, Cooper has to find a way to expose the deadly flaw, while using pop travel to escape the maniacs covering it up, not to mention save a couple of tag-alongs he's not sure he can trust. No problem.

Available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add on Goodreads
Watch the Trailer
Tara's FB Author Page

A Flock of Ill Omens ~ release / The World Ends How!? blogfest

Today Hart Johnson releases the first part in her A Shot in the Light serial. Part 1 is titled "A Flock of Ill Omens", and here is some more info about it:

Deadliest virus in a century, or a social experiment gone awry?

Every year they warned about the flu and more often than not, it amounted to nothing. Sidney Knight, a young freelance reporter had certainly never written on it. But a trip to Lincoln City, Oregon cut short by a beach full of dead seagulls and a panicked warning from her brother the scientist catch her attention. This batch is different. Deadlier. And the vaccine doesn't seem to be helping. It almost looks like it's making it worse...

A Flock of Ill Omens: Part I is the first episode of A Shot in the Light, an Apocalypse Conspiracy Tale about what happens when people play God for fun and profit. There will be approximately ten episodes, each the equivalent of about 100 pages. 

Good Reads has a sneak peak posted. You can find the purchase link and more information about the book here. And if you want it FOR FREE, I will be offering it free on the release dates of at least the next two in the serial: September 19 and October 10. 

Hart Johnson writes books from here bathtub and can be found at Confessions of a Watery Tart, though be warned. She is likely to lead you into shenanigans.

Buy part 1:  A Flock of Ill Omens
Like Hart on Facebook: Hart Johnson
Mark part 1 as 'to read' on Goodreads: A Flock of Ill Omens

The release of part 1 goes hand in hand with a blogfest Hart decided to host in celebration. Here are the details of this little 'fest:

What/How: 
1)  Sign up through the linky 

2)  I will send a bit of info to you a few days before (blurb, cover, links) 

3) You add 50-250 words about how YOU think the world will end (all in fun): is it nuclear war? Aliens? Zombies? Asteroid? [Is it clear yet I think way too much about this?] Giant Spaghetti Monster? Attack of the Interrobang!? Or are you on board with my flu scenario? 

PRIZE!!! To sweeten the pot, I will randomly choose one entry for: 

A SUBSCRIPTION (the full serial, as it comes out) and a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate

So, I guess it's my turn to answer the question on everybody's lips today -

The World Ends How!?

I think the world is going to end when global warming turns the planet into a veritable sizzling pizza. The pizza will evolve over many centuries until eventually it's basically one great big Pizza the Hutt. Now, if you've seen Spaceballs, you'll know how Pizza's story ended. For my part, I think that's how Earth's story will end as well.

Thanks Hart for hosting this super-fun blogfest,

and many congrats on your release!!

I wish you all the giddy-making success

that can be had in this soon-to-be-pizzafied world. ;)

Oops - watch this space

I just posted a post that isn't due until tomorrow. At least this time it wasn't a scheduling accident, but just my own silliness! I've put the post back to draft form now, but I'll put this up in case anyone has me on their blogroll and gets confused by what's supposedly the latest update. :)

Stay tuned for that post in about 24 hours.

Novel Films II & In Your Pants blogfests

Today is the start of the Novel Films II Blogfest, hosted by Madeleine from Scribble & Edit. Madeleine ran the first Novel Films Blogfest to celebrate her blogiversary last year. This year she's decided to run a slightly altered verison of the 'fest. Click the link up there to find out more about this blogfest.

I'm going to post on just one day, which is one of the options for participants, and I'm opting to just share a list of movies I've seen that I've also read the novels for. So here goes:

Looking for Alibrandi - This is an Australian YA novel that came out while I was in high school, and our English class (and most in Australia, I'd guess) studied it. To be honest, I can't remember the book that well, but the movie is a favourite. I do remember that the book didn't have a quite as "neatly tied together" ending, and I sort of prefer that.

Breakfast at Tiffany's - In high school one of my best friends was an Audrey Hepburn nut, and insisted it was the only way. Well, this year or last I finally got around to watching my first Audrey movie, Tiffany's. I also read the book, and I'd say that it's hard for me to pick which I like better, as they're different to each other but each good in their own right. But if I was held at gunpoint and asked to choose, I'd choose the book.

The Bone Collector - A friend and I saw this movie at the cinemas when it came out, I think (it's been so long, argh!). I always loved the movie, and it's fixed in my DVD collection. But recently I read the book for the first time, and was startled by some of the differences. Namely the, uh, terrorist subplot that's completely missing from the movie. And Amelia's different surname! I really enjoyed both "versions".

The Black Dahlia - One of my friends is a huge James Ellroy fan, and that's how I first got my hands on a copy of The Black Dahlia. I read it not realising it was based on a true story. Then the movie came out and I saw that, but only on DVD. I thought it was all right, not too bad really, but the book is just creepier, more tragic, more "gritty". That's my sadly faded memory of it, anyway - it's been a while since I read the thing.

Chocolat - I read the book years ago and only have vague recollections of that experience now. I know I enjoyed it. But the movie is one that I revisit every few years, and enjoy immensely each time. It's a bit like eating craploads of actual chocolate without even having to actually crack open a block - you're drinking it in directly from the TV screen. Oh, and there's Johnny Depp.

Memoirs of a Geisha - To be honest, in this case I don't have any strong memories of either the book or the movie. I'm probably drawing all the memories I do have from the book, though. I know the book was fascinating, but I remember feeling confused at beginning and end as I tried to figure out whether this was actually fiction or not.

The Hunger Games - I read the book first, but only just (it was 2012). For everyone else it was way old news. I loved the book, and feel that the movie did a pretty darn good job of living up to expectations. I look forward to the other movies as well, though at least for #1 the verdict is: book wins.

The Ring - I only recently read the book, and loved the sheer wackiness of the plot, which was markedly different to the American movie version. The movie takes a relatively small aspect of the book and conjures up a whole new reason why the crazy dead chick is doing what she's doing. I haven't seen the Japanese movie, but the American one got major points for scaring the crappola out of me. The book, however, wins huge points for being plain weird and wacky.

The Princess Bride - This is yet another case where I only recently read the book for the first time. I have long been a massive fan of the movie, and reading the book didn't change that at all. But I loved the book as well, so I guess there is no clear "fave" winning out here. I will go on loving them both possibly equally. :) 

Twilight - I remember starting to read this book and thinking, "WOW, this is bad ..." and actually goggling at certain parts that were just so bad. And yet I read the book in a day or less, and the entire series in four days (unheard of for slow-reading me). I saw the movie and laughed at the parts you weren't meant to laugh at - my mates and I continue to take the piss every time we watch it. But we watch it quite a lot, which has gotta tell you something, right? This movie's got pull. I have yet to re-read any of the books, but I'm sure I will someday.

War of the Worlds - This is another book that I only recently read. I saw the Tom Cruise version of the movie when it came out, and I vaguely recall enjoying it, though the fact that I can hardly remember any of it may not be a good sign. But I read the book and loved it, and so I think we have a definite book winner here.

Also today is the "In Your Pants" blogfest, which is probably the easiest 'fest I've ever participated in! You can still sign up if you are interested in an activity that takes hardly any effort at all. ;) The rules of this blogfest are as follows:

What are you posting? 

The current book title you are reading and then add 'in my pants' afterwards.
That's it. Simple, fast, and will be super easy to read everyone elses too. Feel free to add links or picture to the books so others can find them.

When is it happening? 

September 2nd 2013. 

So, (one of) the book(s) I am currently reading (well, one of them), is

The Grimm Fairytales In Your Pants

It's a pretty scary read. ;)