Hey all,

Today I am guest blogging at Once Written, Twice Shy about being a shy writer who happens to write sexy, leave nothing to the imagination, sex scenes.

Thanks Rebecca for letting me participate!

www.shywriters.blogspot.com

It’s three o’clock in the afternoon and I am just now waking up. This weekend was a whirlwind and  the are no signs of it slowing down.

On Friday I attended the new author panel and book signing of my colleagues Rose Lerner, Gayle Ann Williams, Marie-Claude Bourque and Amy Rench at the Redmond Borders. It was a fun evening listening to their stories. However, my favorite part of the night was realizing that we were sitting in the erotica section. Perusing the erotica shelves with other romance novelists is highly entertaining, and led to an ideal of holding a workshop for men entitled “What Women Really Want.”

Saturday afternoon was spent working on the Emerald City Writer’s Conference. I am assistant registration chair this year and I was learning the ropes from Carol the reg. chair. Organization is the key when handling 250 attendees and their preferences for meals, editor/agent appointments, and other affiliations. Alyssa Day and Brenda Novak will be speaking and it is shaping up to be a great conference.

Later on I went to work at my sister’s where I am the bookkeeper for her event planning business. While entering in time sheets and receipts, we dished on the latest episodes of Vampire Diaries and Glee. I love those shows.

The night ended with a plotting party that quickly turned into a wine tasting party with Gwen, Christa, Danielle, Vivenne, Marianne and Natalie. There was lots of laughter, food, storytelling, and oh-yeah, wine drinking.  Learning and listening to everyone’s life and writing experiences had me laughing my ass off. While not a whole lot of actual plotting was done, it went a long way to getting a feel for where everyones’ personalities and writing styles lay. It is so difficult to offer advice or an opinion to someone you have just met. Knowing where they are coming from makes a world of difference to me.

Up next is the Writer’s at Sea cruise. Three days with Mary Buckham and Dianna Love on a Carnival cruise along the Mexican coast. The plan is to work hard and play hard. My hope is that by the end of the weekend I’ll come away with the entire second book of my superhero series plotted. I know it is possible despite the allure of sunshine and rum at the Serenity pool.

As far as my writing, I finished the second draft of the first superhero novel. Progress is being made amongst all of the fun.

Today started out grey and nasty. It’s Seattle and to be expected. However later in the day the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, and the roads dried out enough that motorcyclists took to the streets.

On the eleven mile drive home, I passed at least twenty different types of bikes. From the big bad Harleys to the nimble Yamahas. I even passed a guy on his dirt bike. If it was on two wheels with a motor, it was on the highway.

I have no idea what it is, but I cannot take my eyes off a man on a bike. I don’t know the difference between a Fat Bob or a Soft Tail, but I get excited when I hear the roar of the engine and see the sunlight glinting off the handlebars.

There’s a mystique about the man in the seat, and I will say man because 99.9% of the time it is a man. Who is he, where’s he going, where’s he been? It’s like Grease 2 when Michelle Pfeiffer and gang sang “Who’s that Guy?”

Everybody wants you when they don’t know who you are. If you’re a man of mystery, it really takes you far.

Maybe it’s like a belly dancer who wears a veil. It’s titillation, excitement. Under that helmet it could be anyone. Marlon Brando in The Wild One, Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, Ewan McGregor in, well, real life. He’s balancing a thin line between exhilaration and total dismemberment. Freedom and a lifetime in a wheelchair. Insanity and total clarity. A fantasy for my fertile writer’s mind.

So ride on my brothers. Be safe. And if you see a curly hair girl staring at you from her little SUV, give her a wave and a smile.

I want a devil in skin tight leather. And he’s gonna be wild as the wind. And one fine night, I’ll be holding on tight. To my cooool rider.

I loved that movie. I should dig it out.

Hot cross buns are my favorite bread item this time of year. They’re good warm, or room temperature. They’re yeasty, chewy, fragrant and have just the right amount of sweetness. So I wanted to share my favorite recipe with everyone for Ostara, Easter or just to celebrate the Spring.

Most of this recipe comes from the book Breadby Jeffrey Hamelman.

Sponge: ¼ cup Bread Flour

                  7/8 cup Milk (warm, not hot)

                  ½ tablespoon Sugar

                  2 ¼ teaspoon Instant Dry Yeast

Whisk all of the ingredients together, cover with plastic wrap and let it stand until it grows 3 to 4 times the size (about 30-40 minutes).

Dough: 2 ¾ cups Bread Flour

                4 tablespoons Butter

                1 Egg

                ¼ cup Sugar

                ½ teaspoon Salt

                ½ tablespoon Ground Allspice

                Sponge

               ¾ cup Dried Currents

               ¼ cup chopped Candied Lemon Peel

Add all of the ingredients ( except fruit) into a mixer, making sure that the sponge is first and the flour and salt is last. Mix on first speed until everything is combined, then turn to second speed and let it go for about six minutes. Add fruit near the end. The dough should form a nice pliable ball. Place in a large bowl and cover in plastic wrap, and a towel if the room is cold.

Let stand for 40 minutes, then fold the dough. Folding dough is just like it sounds. Place the dough on a wooden surface and taking one side in your fingers, fold it to the center. Repeat for all four sides. Place back in bowl and recover for another 25 minutes.

Fold the dough again, then divide into 12 equal pieces. Round the pieces into a ball shape and place on a sheet pan. Cover with plastic again to rise a final time. About 1 hour.

Now comes time for the crossing paste. Combine 1/2 cup Pastry Flour, .75 ounces of shortening and a 1/3 cup of milk. The mix should be firm but pipeable. Adjust milk according to make that happen. You don’t want to hurt your hand squeezing too hard. Also at this time make a simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water. Flavor it to taste with ground ginger and lemon zest.

When buns are nice and place the crossing paste in a pastry bag with a round tip and pipe a criss-cross pattern on each bun. Bake in a 440 degree oven for about 15 minutes. I say about because every oven is different and baking times may very. Check on them after ten minutes. When their hot out of the oven brush them with the sugar syrup.

Not only are they tasty, your house will smell fantastic.

Enjoy

Last weekend my family and I went to experience James Cameron’s latest big-budget adventure Avatar. It was everything that critics and movie-goers talked about. A fairly decent movie with bold, never before been seen flashy effects, and an incredibly predictable storyline.

If you haven’t already heard about the plot, Avatar follows the story of Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine who inherits a job on the planet of Pandora from his recently deceased twin brother. Pandora is rich with a mineral that will solve the Earth’s energy crisis. Jake’s job is to pilot an avatar, a biological robot made from a combination of DNA from the driver and the native people, the Na’vi. The avatar allows the humans to spend extended periods of time in the planet’s toxic environment. With his military background Jake’s scientific mission is quickly changed to a recognizance one, where he is to bring back information on the Na’vi that the humans can use to force them to move from their home, where the richest mineral deposits lie. After Jake is separated from his team, he spends the night defending himself against the dangers of the jungle and is found by Neytiri, the Na’vi princess and she…well, I don’t have to tell you the rest. You already know. Seriously, take ten seconds, relax and you will figure out exactly how the story is played out. I could even hand you a list of characters and you could check off who lives and who dies.

After all of the buzz, it becomes readily obvious that one goes to see Avatar for the bagillion dollar special effects, not the story. My sister was actually grateful for the simple story because she became distracted by the visuals and wasn’t concerned about missing any of the plot. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. For me to make an informed decision, I saw the film in both standard and 3-D formats. It wasn’t a hardship. I truly enjoyed the movie, and in my honest opinion it’s just as epic-y in 2-D as in 3-D. The only thing you miss out on is floating embers (which were pretty cool) and in-depth chase scenes that made me a little motion sick. If you want to shell out the extra few dollars, then by all means, definitely see it in 3-D.

So after seeing the movie, my brother, father and I started to brainstorm on ways the story could be elevated from the predictable to a bit more interesting. Here’s what we came up with.

First off, there is no reason, what-so-ever, for Jake to be in a wheelchair. None. Most of the time he is in a fancy MRI machine (a link) and his leaping, jumping, fighting avatar is on the screen. Even when he is in his own body, nothing was occurring that made his inability to walk a disability. But wait, you say, his incentive to spy on the Na’vi was that in exchange, he would receive the surgery that would return the use of his legs. So what? He wasn’t in the avatar because he couldn’t walk, it was because he can’t breathe in the air. If he was able bodied, he could have been offered something else. The bottom line is, with the way this story was told, it was not necessary. 

If you go to the trouble of having him be in a wheelchair, than we say use the wheelchair. What if all of the links were destroyed and Jake could not connect with his avatar body? Then he would be forced to lead the fight from his chair. Would the Na’vi, a race that places value on the warrior ability and spirit, accept him in his imperfect human form? Would Neytiri, the woman he loves, still want him? How would he cope in not being able to jump from tree to tree and connecting with his dragon-like flying counterpart? What if? What if? WHAT IF?

This is just one change, one, that would have taken the conflict from beyond natives versus big business, to a multi-layered story. When faced with Jake’s much smaller, wheelchair bound, oxygen mask wearing body, the Na’vi would have really had to think hard about following him into battle. You could still keep the same, good prevails over all, ending. Even down to the last frame. But the road there would have been a little more adventurous.

And do you know how long it took us to come up with that little tid-bit? All of two minutes. Two! Would it have made for a better story? Who really knows. But maybe if Cameron’s team took a few minutes away from the flying jelly fish and spent that on the script, they could have taken Avatar from being an okay story with spectacular effects, to a truly extraordinary piece of storytelling.

Supposedly there are two sequels that are being considered. Perhaps they’ll make the effort then, because after all, there are only so many versions of plated armor, multi-rows of sharp teeth, snarling, slobbering jungle beasts that you can watch before you go, “meh- seen that already. What else have you got?”

Last September I was fortunate enough to get the chance to explore the belt of Scotland. As you might have gleaned from previous postings, I love Scotland. The music, the food, the architecture; it is my warm fuzzy blanket.

While I was there, I notated random observations in my travel journal. This is a special journal that is small enough to tuck into my purse, and large enough to doodle sketches of the scenery as I wait in line for various activities. It is special because it is only used on adventures. I have several journals for various purposes, hence why it is called the ‘travel journal’.

So, on the eve of the first anniversary of my trip, I thought I would share some of these observations. Keep them in mind the next to you travel to anywhere. They may come in handy.

1. Brush up on the cuisine of the area you are visiting. I was having lunch at Deacon Brodie’s and a group of American women sat next to me. The menu was fried, with a fried potato product on the side. Not too difficult, yet these women seemed to have difficulty understanding what “pub food” meant. How did I know they were American? They were so loud that everyone knew that they were on Atkins.
2. Speaking of fried…every restaurant I went to had the best french fries. Don’t know if it’s the potatoes or the oil, but they are excellent.
3. Parts Edinburgh are thousands of years old. The Royal Mile and Old Town itself span 600 to 700 years old. Much of that is unchanged. Including paved roads. Why oh why would you go tottering around in four-inch stilettos? I saw a woman on a ghost tour catch her heel in the cobblestones. The resulting fall lead to a broken ankle, torn jeans, and a very red face. You don’t look so cute when you’re sprawled out on the pavement.
4. Why do secret service men wear suites? I know, this digresses a bit, but lets think about it. A hotel was bombed in Rwanda and the footage showed secret service men running around in suits, their neck ties flapping in their faces. I would think that a tie would be distracting, or used against them in hand to hand combat. I would understand if they wore something more fitting to defensive maneuvers.
5. A Scotsman doing a Sean Connery impersonation. Funny.
6. If asked if you would like your meat pie or sausage roll warmed up, just say no. The inside is molten lava hot every time.
7. Several times I saw women wearing a halter top with a bra. Visible bra straps? Who lied to you and told you that you looked good?
8. What exactly is brown sauce?
9. Remember the your camera has a video function prior to the middle of your vacation.
10. Upper Crust still has the best baguette sandwiches ever.
11. Most importantly, enjoy yourself! Don’t be afraid to try new things. If I had been to timid to travel around the world by myself, I would have missed out on this amazing scenery, and that would have just been sad.

My original plan for last night was to come home, fold laundry, and write. Instead I found myself in the cool interior of the 5th Avenue theatre watching the second ever performance of Catch Me If You Can.

The new musical from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray) is based on the movie that starred Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hanks. The book of the musical is by Terence Mann and is about the true story of Frank Abangnale Jr. Before the age of 20, Abangale had forged over $2 million dollars in phony checks, and posed as a PanAm pilot, pediatrician and lawyer.

Being the second performance ever, the show does need some work. Currently it runs almost three hours, but I’m sure that will get trimmed down significantly as the weeks pass. The set is fantastic!. My sister almost stood to applaud just for the the little tiny cartoon airplane that flew across a LCD screen that is the full width of the stage.  Bob Mackie designed the costumes that showcased the best of ’60’s fashion.

There are a few huh? moments in the show. The sing-along during “Bury Me Beside the One I Love” and the bump and grind the nurses perform in “Doctor’s Orders.” My brother-in-law, who is a nurse, was a little affronted by this number. And they try to squish a lot of information in the last ten minutes of the show. If they have a three minute song about a check book, then they can do a little bit of a better job about explaining what happened to Abagnale after he was caught.

The cast are all seasoned Broadway performers; Norbert Leo Buts (Wicked, Dirty Rotten Scoundrel), Aaron Tveit (Next to Normal), Tom Wopat (Bo Duke anyone? Chicago), Kerry Butler (Hairspray) just to name a few. All of the performances were excellent, especially when you knew that they had all learned and relearned the material in only the last few weeks. Felicia Finley had the best song with “Fly, Fly Away,” which comes near the end of the show. That is the only disappointing thing about “Fly, Fly Away.”. It’s a fantastic song, only it’s near the end and doesn’t quite flow with the rest of the show. But it’s a really great song.

I love the fact that Seattle is earning a reputation for theatre appreciation. Now we are seeing more and more shows preimiering here first, before making the trek to Broadway. The Wedding Singer, Memphis, Hairspray, Shrek, and even Next to Normal all had their beginnings in the Emerald City.

Long live the theatre!

Catch Me If You Can is running from now until August 16.

The call of the pipes and drums truly calls to my soul. To some, it’s just noise. To me, it’s the sound of Scotland.

The Caber Toss

What is this fascination I have with a country over thousands of  miles away? This land of magic and mystery. This land of possibilities. A land that has seen too much blood shed for a people who only wanted a land to call their own to raise their families on.

It’s everything. I can listen to the music and be swept away onto a grassy moor, among the swaying green grass, watching the waves beat against the rocky shore. I can walk into a house and be touched by a ghost.  I can enjoy the best french fries in the world in practically every pub. Scotland is my warm blanket, my chicken soup, my smile on a rainy day.

Of course, I’m not completely naive. Scotland has it’s troubles just like every country. Joblessness, mortgage problems, health care reform. But under all of that, there is a spirit that calls to everyone. This spirit makes one whip out their tartan and proudly claim their clan name at the highland games.

Last weekend was the Pacific Northwest Highland Games and Clan Gathering. It is my Christmas. The one time of year that I don’t hesitate to plunk down $20 in lemonade and purchase clothing that I will only wear at the next year’s games, or a renaissance festival. It’s a time and place where everyone is Scottish and goodwill flows like a beer from a tap.

Last year I had the chance to travel to Scotland and explore

Need Fire

 the belt. The games are my chance to regain some of that feeling of excitement and wonder that I felt when I was there. It is not even remotely the same, however, it is the closest I will get in my little corner of the world. I take my pleasure where I can find it, and until I can get back to the real thing, the games will do.

So until next year, I will grab a pint of Magner’s, plug in my Wicked Tinker’s CD and count the days until I can travel again.

This is my first dip into the gianormous icy pond that is cyberspace.

Welcome to my site. This is the start of what I hope will be a successful writing career. I guess ‘hope’ is too passive so I will say what WILL BE a successful writing career. I create contemporary and paranormal romances.

On this site I will discuss what I love about writing, reading and other topics that pertain to what I am writing and reading. Of course I may occassionally veer off onto other topics, but I’ll try to maintain focus and not get too carried away with the importance of my own opinion.

So before I talk about what I write, I will tell you what I look for as a reader. I love to lose myself in the characater, hence why I enjoy romance novels. My life isn’t too exciting ,so where else can I become a vampire slayer, a high-power executive looking for release with a little bdms play, or lost royalty who has to rescue herself and the bad guys from danger, except in the pages of a book. I’ve read just about every genre of romance there is and I do have my favorites. I remember reading as a teenager a Shilouette Shadows vampire novel by Maggie Shayne. It was the first ‘paranormal’ romance novel I remember seeing on the shelves and I loved it. Years went by as I I lost my literary way and when I returned, the paranormal world had exploded. Lucky for us! What I love best about paranormals is the the couple is fighting something besides themselves or each other. Only so many pages can be devoted to why the heroes are hiding their true feelings for each other when their lives are in danger from the soul-sucking necormancer who is trying to infect the entire population with mind controling devices so that he can rule the world. I read to get away from real life relationship hang-ups. Not to vicariously live someone elses.

Besides paramormals, I enjoy any story with a strong hero and an equally strong, if not stronger, heronine. What I look for in a hero is the same as what I look for in real life. A man who can take care of anything and everything, if the heroine wants him to. Not because she is unable to take care of herself. This is what I hope to bring to my writing. A strong man who can recognize a good thing when he sees it and not let it go. Of course, there will be conflict. Otherwise, what’s the point? But I want them to be smart characters who are clever and witty, because I enjoy clever and witty. As I’ve said before, if I don’t want to write it, why would anyone want to read it? Same thing applies in reverse, if I don’t want to read it, why would I write it?

Here’s to the beginning of my journey from pencil and paper (yes I do primarily write in long hand) to a published novel. Where I go from this first blog post to twenty or thirty years from now when I send my thoughts directly to you from the computer chip that is embedded in my brain. How does that sound? Would you like to subscribe to Anna’s brain?

Well, I guess if you’re reading this, you already have.