Sirens and Muses

Are you an Author? Aspiring Author? Maybe you are an Avid Reader? Would you like to be a part of Read Write Romance?
It is a blog myself and a few others are building as a way of talking about writing, reading, and all the things we love. If you are interested send me an e-mail. We hope to get enough people on that we can have a fair rotation of posts and people and a nice schedule rather than feeling the pressure to write every single week.
Just drop me a line carolinanorth3@yahoo.com

Cara

All Romance eBooks Has Heart...
During the month of love, when everyone's attention is focused on matters of the heart, All Romance eBooks (ARe! ) is helping to fight the number one killer of women, heart disease, with their 28 Days of Heart campaign. You can help by supporting the effort. How?

Spread the word!

Post, blog, email, tweet, even smoke signals are welcome! Looking for an easy way to pass information along? Use the share or forward feature at the bottom of our Wildfire newsletter to share information about our efforts and heart healthy tips with your friends.

Need to sign up for the Wildfire yourself? You can do so by checking the newsletter box on your profile page at AllRomance.com or OmniLit.com. Help us get the word out so more can contribute to and benefit from our efforts.



Join us for National Wear Red Day!

Too many women die each year because they don't know that heart disease is their No. 1 killer. Help raise awareness. Wear red on Friday, February 5, 2010 for National Wear Red Day and encourage your friends to wear red too. Together we can make a difference.

Join our team. No donation or pledge is necessary, all you have to do is pledge to dress in red. !

Then, if you really want to get into the act, upload a picture of yourself dressed in red to our Facebook fan page. We'll be selecting a winner at random on Monday, February 8, 2010. The prize? A complete set of our 28 Days of Heart novellas.


Enjoy any or all of our 28 Days of Heart Novellas!

Beginning February 1, 2010, we'll be releasing one new novella per day for twenty-eight consecutive days. All proceeds from the sale of these shorts, which will be offered exclusively on AllRomance.com and OmniLit.com as individual eBoo! ks, will be donated to the American Heart Association.

The stories cover all the genres, from Gay to Interracial, Paranormal to Historical, Contemporary to Sci Fi. They were generously donated by both best selling and up-and-coming authors from some of your favorite publishers including Kensington, Berkley, Pocket, St. Martin's Press, Ellora's Cave, Cerridwen, Samhain, Total E Bound, Loose Id, Phaze, Liquid Silver, Torquere Press, Siren, Amber Quill and more!

The stories range between 10,000 and 20,000 words, so they are a perfect sweet (or more accurately spicy) Valentine treat. Each includes a foreword by author Charlaine Harris (of True Blood fame) as a show of support for the charity the stories will benefit. Indulge yourself this year for Valentines Day—enjoy one of each, and know you are helping a worthy cause at the same time.

On January 19th, Entwined by Fate the first in a innovative and sexy new series from S.A.Price releases. This series breaks the accepted boundaries on what is familiar in the shifter genre, by having Ophidians, or weresnakes as a focus.

Thirty females of the Ophidian race have gone missing, most from the transient nest of Las Vegas, a rogue and unofficial nest run by the Saint, John Merrick. Believed to be dead by every Archon in the states, Merrick leads a quiet and unassuming life, saving those of his race that are lost and need it most. It's a solitary existence, one that he hates every day. He yearns for his mate, the woman he left over a decade before, and the woman who thinks him dead to this day.

When Elise Rizdon gets the official invitation to the Archon meeting in Ohio by the leader of a new Midwestern nest, she never expected to see the love of her life at the woman's side, a man she was told was dead and buried. She lost him once upon a time, and she never fully recovered. Focusing on the issues, and not the man that has always made her body burn is not going to be easy. A disturbing event is on the horizon, one that threatens all Ophidian's and their way of life. In order to survive they will have to work together, give up old grudges and take chances on the things that matter most. Love, life and the continuation of their race.

And the reviews have been amazing!

S.A. Price has written a winner! The taut plot line and the constant danger lurking at every corner increase the tension as the reader anxiously turns the pages. S.A. Price does a marvelous job at integrating subplots and smoothly fitting all of the pieces together. The secondary romances developing within the plot line make the happily-ever-after all the more satisfying. Brilliant!
~Recommended Read, Ck2s Kwips and Kritiques

“Move over werewolf’s there’s a new game in town!”
~ Smokin Hot Books

“It kept me captivated …I just had to know what was going to happen next!”
~Books, Books and More Books

"A sexy were species that really pushes the envelope! Who knew snakes could be so hot-blooded!?"
~Jennifer Armintrout, best selling author of the Blood Ties series

Interested? Check out why this book is getting such amazing feedback, and help us prove that weresnakes are sssexy and that scales could definitely be the new fur for you shifter readers!

JOIN THE REVOLUTION! You can read an excerpt here and you can buy the E book from All Romance E books and the print from Amazon.

This year I have given a great deal of thought to my resolutions. I normally do not make them. This year I think posting them will be good motivation for keeping them. I mean I will have to answer for the ones I do not practice or successfully maintain.
So here is my list:
1. Report back each month of 2010 on how well I am doing with the New Year Resolutions.
2. Don't forget to mail or e-mail birthday cards, etc. to people this year. ( I am notorious for mailing things a month or two late!)
3. Blog once a week.
4. Stick to the 156 grams of carbs per day doctor ordered diet 5 out of 7 days of the week. (I am a cookie monster so I will do my best and restaurants do not always care about my carb restriction!)
5. Learn how to cook!! I really think this will help in my diet planning. LOL
6. Do 30-60 minutes of exercise 5-7 days a week.
7. Write for an hour every single day. (This was a habit I had once upon a time that allowed me to keep focused on my books and get through them. I have five works in progress that I have been avoiding due to "time" issues. I need to make time for this.)
8. Train Jonah, my Beagle, to do more than just "sit" when commanded for a treat.
9. Train Ms. Brittany, my Cocker Spaniel, to do at least two more tricks.
10. Create a list of 40 things to do before I am 40 and start working on it!
11. Put out a Cara North newsletter at least every quarter or more frequently if interesting things come up.
12. Start submitting work to other publishers. Some places I am going to sub to this year include:
Kensington, Harlequin, LooseId, Samhain, Ellora's Cave, Avon, and you may not expect it but I hope to run into some people from DC and Dark Horse Comics because I would like to write for them also.
13. Get some work published in magazines, newspapers, and on other blogs. I want to open my world to the writing universe and see what all I can get in to and what I would like to continue doing. I need to build my portfolio as an author.
14. Volunteer. When we get to California, I want to find a volunteer opportunity.
15. Drink 64 ounces of water each day.


Well that is it, my 15 resolutions this year. What do you think? What have you resolved to do?
Cara

I had a check-up recently as I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis about three months ago. My bloodwork made it clear that my insulin is not reacting appropriately to sugars. This in turn made the doctor hand over a little packet of paperwork to me after she wrote 150 grams of carbs per day-no more.
I cannot even begin to tell you how crazy I have been since last week.
No sweet tea?
No rolls at a restaurant?
No dessert?
My diet resembles the Atkin's in many ways. I am all protein and vegtables. Limited fruit and if I do eat fruit it has to be part of a meal not by itself.
Great googly moogly!
I wanted crackers the other day and I was reminded about the carbs.
There are carbs in everything!!
I am notorious for not drinking diet drinks. I don't like the taste.
Ugh. I am now experimenting to find what tastes best. I dipell the myth, Diet Dr. Pepper does NOT taste like regular Dr. Pepper to this chick.
To top it all off, it is the holiday season.
My family celebrates Christmas though I have friends who celebrate other holidays durning this season and no matter what the holiday there is a lot of food involved!
I would like to visit and eat at all celebrations!
Now I am trying not to cheat. I am a very commited woman when it comes to my husband but I am fighting temptation every single hour when it comes to carbs!
I keep trying to think that I am only cheating myself, or that I am cheating him and the rest of my family if I don't get control over this thing. But it is hard.
My body craves them. I had a dream last night about food!
Ugh.
Does anyone have suggestions?
Have you gone through something like this before?
I am sure once I get used to it I will feel better and I will not miss them- right?
lol
Cara

I rarely talk about other authors and other books but I have been a bit confused lately. Stephanie Meyers has written 4 books that are pretty much a national phenomenon. I mean this series is like Harry Potter was for J.K. Rowling; almost a movement within the community.
So here is what I don;t understand; why do so many authors "hate" this series? Is it jealousy, envy, or is it underlying things that some people don;t like to talk about?

I am beginning to think it is both. Are there controversial topics in the Twilight series? Yep. I would say so. But are the issues stronger than the fans, nope. Not by a long shot.
What drives Edward? Has the commercial aspect gone to far? I was in the bookstore the other day and I stopped to look at the merchandise and a young girl said loud enough and directed toward me and my friend, "I am so sick of Twilight." Of course she was young so I didn't entertain her attempt at verbal sparring and she picked up the pace and went on with her little crew of girlfriends. I thought, see you at the premiere, brat. LOL So is it now a trend to hate on Twilight because everyone else loves it? I don;t know.
I was not a big fan, but I don;t have real issue with it either. I read the series and made notes on technique, and other things. I am an author after all and from where I sit in the land of small press, I don;t have the right to hate on anyone. I hope someday to have people hating on me for being a "sell-out" If selling out means NYT Best Selling author and household name-well please, sign me up. If it means brand endorsement, okay. I use a lot of branding in my books. Only if it is good stuff in my opinion, otherwise I make up a fake name.
I am confused about the anger and the frustration by so many authors.
I have author friends and they have real debates and reasons for not liking the books and such. Then there is another community who just hate. Hate for apparently no real reson. They have no argument other than, "I am sick of it."

I guess it is a possibility for all of us who put or work out there to be judged by the public. It just seems strange to me. By the way, if anyone wants to get crazy over my books and make t0shirts, socks, whatever- I am so looking forward to the day!

So here's to you Twilight author, movie stars, and fans. Rarely do people get to bond across generations, nations, gender, social and economic status, so if that thing that we are bonding over is a book or movie-good for the creators and the actors and the fans! We should all be so lucky.

It is National November Writing Month- I think.
How did Novemebr get here so fast?!
I am excited about it on one hand and toatally unprepared for it on the toher. Personally I am thrilled November is here. As an author, I am action packed with work right now so unless I aim for a short story I am likely not to get a book written in a month :(
Speaking of books, has anyone seen the new Nook? Any feedback on that?
I want one. Do you?
It is getting chilly here on the coast and I am wishing it were still warm. I can;t say too much though becasue I am sure it is colder in other places.
I hope when 2010 gets here I am able to be more consistent at blogging since I will be working from home.
What do you like in a blog?
What do you not like?

Cara