Raine's Secret Garden

Autumn
19
Sep 2005

It’s definitely Autumn. And I love this time of year. :smile:

I love the warm days that make you want to soak up enough sunshine to last all winter. I love the cool nights made for cuddling and star-gazing. I love watching the monarch butterflies sail south, and the sweet, lingering scent of high-mown grass. :wink:

I love it despite the wistful quality that accompanies it. I’ve always attributed that quality to the sense of ‘ending’. The end of summer, the approaching end of this year, the knowledge that winter is right around the bend. It’s a gloriously colorful season, tinged with a touch of sadness (to me). :sad:

When I first started writing with publication in mind, I HATED the idea of ending my manuscripts. I was so in love with my characters and story, I couldn’t bear the idea of concluding them.

That seems to have changed in recent years. :shock:

I can’t WAIT to get to the end now! I want it DONE, want to move on to the next story, already whispering in my ear. I’ve even gone so far as to write the last scene of a novel before I’ve written the climactic moment–something I never would’ve DREAMED of doing before.

And I’m wondering if that means I’m beginning to approach this writing stuff as a business. And I’m wondering if that’s a good thing. :???:

In other news–INCUBUS is still garnering favorable reviews. Anne Lum of Writers Unlimited just gave it a stellar review, and many thanks to her!

And some computer projections indicate that tropical storm Rita may, indeed, affect Louisiana when it makes landfall.
Sending prayers & positive vibes to everyone in its path.

Category: General Blah Blah —  Tags: , Raine @ 12:37 pm ·   Comments (7)
KITTY PORN
16
Sep 2005

Currently, I am proudly owned by four cats. Of the four, Boo, aka Boo-Bear, aka Das Boo, aka Raphael, is the sweetest. :grin:

This weekend I happened to be doing a little research for my erotic writing.
Now, before you get the wrong idea about what I mean when I say ‘research’, it was REAL, JOB-RELATED research. A DVD. Really. It was. :roll:

Okay, Okay–here’s the scoop, dammit. I confess. In all honesty, I had never seen an uncircumcised penis before, and I thought I should. There, are ya happy??!! :poof:

And a friend of mine just HAPPENED to have a DVD which HAPPENED to have one of them thar things on it. :roll:

Okay, Okay–it was a porno flick, but it did have a penis with foreskin. There, are ya happy??!! :poof: (more…)

Category: Adventures in La-La Land... — Raine @ 2:02 am ·   Comments (20)
Loose Id Katrina Relief
14
Sep 2005

Loose Id Publishing is sponsoring a LiveJournal Hurricane Katrina Pledge Blog.
On this board you’ll find free short stories, offers for critiques and artwork, and information about E-Bay auctions to benefit the victims, donated by the authors, artists, and editors of Loose Id.

No muss, no fuss, no charge. You simply pay it forward with contributions to the charities of your choice. :wink:

Exciting free reads, and you help a very worthy cause. Check it out! :grin:

Category: General Blah Blah —  Tags: Raine @ 11:20 am ·   Comments (5)
Dragging Ass
13
Sep 2005

So, I’m sitting here sucking on this nicotrol inhaler, trying to persuade myself it’ll help me quit smoking. :roll: And yes, I REALLY need to quit. But it’s sort of a downer day, & I can’t seem to get it in gear–and yeah, wouldn’t a REAL ciggie help???? :twisted:

Also watching a bit of the Roberts hearing. I see he’s basically refusing to answer certain questions. Um…isn’t that a bit like the candidate for the Supreme Court taking the Fifth??! :shock:

I’m also considering beginning, once again, ‘The Great Agent Search’. Mind you, I said considering. I’ve tried it before. I hated it with a passion. When people say it’s as hard to find an agent as it is to get published, they’re not kidding.

So it’s just a thought right now. Something I know would be good for me and my career in the long run, if I can gut it out.
Sorta like not smoking would be good for me. Yeah. That’s it. Uh-huh.

(now where did I put those damn cigarettes?!!…) :smokin:

Category: General Blah Blah —  Tags: Raine @ 12:58 pm ·   Comments (7)
9/11
11
Sep 2005

Today is the fourth anniversary of 9/11.

Of course, I didn’t need to point that out. For most people, it’s one of those things that stays with you forever. Mention the date to someone, and you’ll usually see a change of expression, however slight.
We go on living. But we don’t forget.

Having given our government a (well-deserved) hard time in the past week, it’s only fair that I point out something wonderful about that horrific day that stayed with me all these years.

Of course we remember the explosions, the towers, the citizens running for their lives, the jumpers, the panic and chaos.

I remember the building at the Pentagon going up in flames. I remember seeing people–secretaries, servicemen, admirals, everyone–running out of that building for their lives. I remember some people being carried, some leaning on others for support. I remember they all ran out onto what looked like the front lawn, and stared at the fire in disbelief.
The lot of them stood there. Watching. For a few moments, no longer than a minute or two. And then the most astonishing thing happened.

Without a second thought, first one, then another, and another, until almost en masse, the lot of them ran back into the building to save the comrades who’d been left behind.

I still tear up when I think about that. I was so proud of them, of the courage and spirit of the American people at that supremely tragic moment in time.

Lest we forget.
This is 9/11.

Category: General Blah Blah —  Tags: Raine @ 2:40 pm ·   Comments Off
Review
11
Sep 2005

INCUBUS received another great review, this time from Romance Reviews Today.

Wonderful people!! :razz:

Category: Publication News — Raine @ 2:37 pm ·   Comments Off
Writing vs. Storytelling
10
Sep 2005

Writers talk a lot about craft, I think. A friend (Cece) and I were having a discussion about writing not too long ago. We jumped from subject to subject, mechanics to motivation, until we finally settled on a topic that seemed to mystify both of us.

The difference between being a writer and being a storyteller.

Apparently, there IS a difference. I confess that, whenever I heard the word ‘storyteller’, I automatically thought of the ancient oral traditions, of legends and myths and tribal tales told around huge campfires in the dead of night. An old-fashioned notion, obviously. We have evolved.
Well-known authors vehemently proclaim themselves one or the other, and take pride in being either. The distinction seems to be a fine one, and we spent considerable time trying to figure it out.

We think we did. :grin:

I’ll post our conclusions in the next post or so. What was interesting was that, within days of OUR discussion, Roxanne St. Claire, multi-pubbed author of romance, romantic suspense, and chick-lit (and friend with a weird karmic link of some kind :smokin:), posted a similar discussion on one of my Yahoo groups. With her permission, I’m posting a portion of that here… (more…)

Category: Writing —  Tags: Raine @ 2:13 pm ·   Comments (6)
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