IF THE BLEND…

Seems like just about everyone is going to the conference in Atlanta, doesn’t it?
(“IF THE BLEND”, btw, is an anagram for “LEFT BEHIND”). :waving:

Well, if your favorite blog authors are M.I.A., or you’re just feeling bored, or at loose ends~~~~~~

I want to give away three autographed copies of the print edition of LET’S PRETEND.

I’ll send them to the first three people who can crack the Raine code. :razz:
(DaVinci and I actually share a birthday…and yeah, that’s about all, lol!).

Once you decipher it, send the answer to: raine@raineweaver.com.
Do NOT post it here on the blog, please!! Send it to the e-mail address.

Come and play! I wanna give books away!
Here’s the anagram:

WEIRD, PENNY WISE, VENERABLE TART.

So I’m not a tart…but I AM a little weird… :yesyesyes:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
UPDATE:
I’ve got two winners, one free book left.
Going…going…

There are some things you expect when your alarm goes off in the morning.

I expect to lurch to the dresser to pummel the ’stop’ button, groan loudly, and consider rolling back over into bed. I expect that the sun rose that day, and I listen to a bit of news to be sure the world is still out there.

And I expect multiple cats to converge on my bed—not to wish me a good morning, but because they know it’s breakfast time. :roll:

But one day this week, the alarm went off—and no cats appeared.
Nothing. Nada. Not a single little pink nose.
Creepy…

Oh, I found them within moments. And I didn’t have to be Monk to follow the trail of what happened…
Someone had gotten up into the kitchen cupboard. Found the double-thick baggie of dried catnip. Dragged it out of the cupboard, across the counter, and through the kitchen. It was then taken to the bathroom, where everyone congregated, and…

And dunked into the toilet water before being retrieved and spread all over the bathroom floor.

I’m not sure, but I suppose this is the kitty equivalent of freebasing.

I found them there, each of them, trying to look as innocent as the day they were born. They might’ve gotten away with it too, except for the water and now-moist catnip all over the floor, and Boo-Bear who, without pretense, just rolled in it, and snorted the stuff into his little pink nose like somebody hopped up on weed. :smokin:

However, being cats, I’m sure they’ll get better at it. I suppose the next thing I’ll wake up to is the smell of burning incense… :poof:

I’ve been tagged by the awesome ladies of DEAR AUTHOR.

I am HONORED!! And although I’m afraid my books are far more interesting than I am (at least, I HOPE so), I’m gonna give it a shot, lol.

1. When did you start blogging and why?

I posted my first blog entry on this site on June 18, 2005. I was SO nervous, and SO naive, and SO glad a few friends showed up for support!
I started blogging because my first e-book, INCUBUS, was about to be released, and quite frankly I wanted to publicize it and build an audience for myself as an author.
Did I mention that I was naive? :yesyesyes:

2. What don’t you talk about?

Geez…hard to say. I think I’ve touched on everything from politics to race and class issues to Barbie and Ken to skunks to dick-on-a-stick.
But no family issues, details that might lead anyone straight to my door, and no slamming other authors (at least, by name). I guard my privacy with a vengeance, and try not to snark because I respect ANYONE who can make it in this business.
(But if it’s well-aimed, I will read it!). :smokin:

3. Are you and your blogging persona the same person?

I think so. We’re both erratic, strange, and suspicious of each other.

4. How do you use blogging to build friendships?

I try to encourage posters to open up here when I can, and I do blog-hop as much as time will allow.
A lot of people aren’t comfortable posting on blogs, but they will come to read…so at least I try to make the blog posts interesting.
I’ve met some great people here!

5. How would you describe your writing style?

I probably wouldn’t. :razz:

Because so many people are busy preparing for the coming conference and dealing with vacations, etc., I’ll hold off on tagging anyone else.

But I’m likely to serve it up cold one day. :twisted:

And if you have a mo, drop by and see Tracy’s brand-new baby!
He’s beautiful!!

A short blog post to mark the passing of an author whose work will live for a long time.

MICKEY SPILLANE has died at the age of 88.

I can’t say whether he was a great writer. But I respected the hell out of him as an author.
I can’t say I loved his work. It was a bit too violent for my taste.
But I CAN say I ADORED his titles!! :yesyesyes:

VENGEANCE IS MINE
I, THE JURY
THE BIG KILL
MY GUN IS QUICK
KISS ME DEADLY

Damn, that’s good stuff!!
R.I.P., Hammer.

A writing buddy and I were discussing fairy tales recently.

It sometimes amazes me how much these little fables we hear/read in our childhood affect us. Of course, it’s no doubt due to the archetypal imagery they contain, and how impressionable the young mind can be—but it still amazes me.

I remember having a particular aversion to Cinderella. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely story. But the idea of needing the fairy godmother and charming Prince to find true happiness bothered the hell out of me, and probably did more damage to the collective female psyche than any story since Eve was blamed for the eviction from the garden.
Nor am I fond of stories about children who eat and damage a poor old woman’s house, then shove her into an oven—but that’s another tale… :???:

My very favorite was always The Ugly Duckling. I suppose everyone has, at some time, felt unattractive, or different than their family/friends, or born in the wrong circumstances or place.

What’s your favorite fairy tale, and why?

*****************
P.S.

I’ve just been informed that I took Second Place in J. Carson Black’s Lousy Writing Contest!!
YAAYYYY!! (I think…) :razz:
bwaaaaa-ha-haaa!!!!

A few interesting things found in blog-hopping…

BAILEY was kind enough to do an absolutely wonderful review of LET’S PRETEND on her ISN’T IT ROMANTIC site.
So glad you liked it, hon! :waving:

DEAR AUTHOR turned up with quite a surprise!
LA NORA came to call!!
After a blog post based on a few lines in Romantic Times, which had picked up on several blog posts, which were based on certain message boards, which were…well, you get the idea. :razz:

And finally, J. Carson Black is sponsoring an unofficial Lousy Writing Contest. It’s based on the infamous Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, a competition for the Worst First Lines Ever.
Go.
Play. :mrgreen:

And for anyone who may need motivation—here’s the winning entry of this year’s REAL Lytton contest, a gentleman named Jim Guigli:

“Detective Bart Lasiter was in his office studying the light from his one small window falling on his super burrito when the door swung open to reveal a woman whose body said you’ve had your last burrito for a while, whose face said angels did exist, and whose eyes said she could make you dig your own grave and lick the shovel clean.”

I LOVE IT!!!!!

Because of the new missile controversy—and we all know North Korea is one of our leading suppliers of oil. :roll:

Because Leonardo DiCaprio and Mickey Rourke are running low on VO5.

The gas prices really haven’t changed. It’s just that the barrels have gotten smaller. :poof:

Because beavers keep gnawing holes in the Alaskan pipeline, and we can’t pump until we hire poachers recruit government dentists to perform PETA-approved extractions on the lovable little critters. :yesyesyes:

To shut up all those whining environmentalists who complain about gas usage—beg for cheaper fumes, you bastards, beg! :twisted:

The big oil execs need a lot more sugar in their black tea.

Well, what did you THINK those rebates on new cars were meant to be used for??!

By forcing you to keep your homes cooler in winter, your bodies will be better prepared for the coming global Ice Age, engendered by your frivolous use of fossil fuels.

By KEEPING the gas prices high, we won’t have to raise them much if there’s another rough hurricane season. Or more flooding in Texas. Or if the Dow Jones fluctuates at any point during the year. Or if your neighbor three blocks up and two houses down decides to drive on his vacation. Or if it snows this winter. Or the sun comes up in the east. Or…

Because once you bend over, lubrication is important. :moon: