Get your Freak on Friday....

Nothing like a man in uniform shaking his groove thang. :)

Don't Go to a Convention Without These!

My. Feet. Are. Killing. Me.

I can't count the number of times I said that at last years Romantic Times Booklover's Convention. Let's face it. Girlie shoes are not comfie. But somehow, an evening ensemble accessorized with sneakers just doesn't do it for me.

Now, we can have our heels...and our flats, too...all in the same pair of shoes!

Do you believe in Miracles?

I do. I do. I do believe in miracles. And this year, I got one for Christmas at a time when our family needed it most.

Last week, my son painted the picture you see posted above. As far as I know, he had never picked up a paintbrush before, much less exercised such skill with paints.

For any child, I'd find the painting remarkable, but this child, this budding artist too soon to become a young man, also happens to have autism. Until recently, his education has been erected on a long line of "can't" and "will never." That's the way it is in Florida--which is why we're dropping everything and leaving,even if that move breaks us financially.

If you're a doctor, teacher, therapist, or any other person interacting with persons with autism, and you believe that those on the spectrum--even the severely affected--are without hope, value, and depth of emotion, then I beg you to think again. As you approach these amazing human beings in your work, please strive to keep your "cants" and "will nevers" to yourself. Dare to presume intelligence, even in the apparent absence of it.

I have two sons with autism, and a daughter teetering on the edge. Because of them, I believe in miracles. I want you to know that my children aren't a curse. Their autism is not a scourge to be erased from the face of the planet. They aren't a hardship, although some days I moan and whine because their struggles overwhelm me, and I am terrified what will become of their lives when I am gone.

Those daily struggles are seldom about them as human beings, or their autism. They are instead centered on the battles involved in jousting with....well, educators, politicians, and health care professionals who just can't...or perhaps won't...see beyond the DSM lV to discover the capabilities of the person behind the label.

As the years have ticked by, I have come to see that these children, as strange, complex and maddening as they are, are perfect just as they came to me. They have filled my life, my heart and my dreams for the future in ways I never dreamed possible. Because of them, this world is a better place.

If you have looked at the picture my son painted, and you still don't understand why we must presume intelligence, even in the apparent absence of it, and you still can't see how important it is to leave a space open for miracles in approaching this population, then I beg you to consider another career.

This Christmas I am taking time to thank God for my children, and the little chain of miracles that brought them into my life. I hope you will join me.

May miracles breath life into your Christmas season as they have mine. May you also come to believe in miracles. Because, you see, miracles don't discriminate. They believe in all of God's children. Even the ones with autism.

Merry Christmas.

Give Barbie a Burger. Fast.

You know it had to happen eventually. When it comes to Barbie, nothing is sacred on this blog. :) But let me warn you. This picture is truly cringe worthy and certaily justifies a truck load of super sized extra value meals. :D

Submissions Call from Red Sage Publishing

From Red Sage Revealed, the blog for Red Sage Publishing:

Submissions: Linked Books and Books with Sequels

We’re looking for linked books and books with sequels for our e-books program.

“Linked books,” as we think of them, are stories with different romantic leads but with the same (or very closely connected) external conflicts. An example of this would be three couples all battling the same villain. Each couple has their own book with their own erotic romance storyline, and the romance is complete in each of these books. But they all fight the same villain throughout the linked books. Questions raised in book one might not be resolved until book two or three. These stories often end on a cliffhanger even though the romance has been resolved.

If you want to submit linked books, we’ll need the usual ten pages and one-page synopsis for the first book, but we’ll also need a one-page synopsis for every other book in the group. It would help to know if the subsequent stories are written yet, and if not, how far along you might be in the writing process.

We’re also looking for books which have built-in sequel opportunities. These books would share a common setting or group cast, but each book would be a stand-alone. One example would be a group of people attending a high school reunion, weekend getaway, or other event. Each story would follow a different romantic lead (or couple) through the event, but there’s no single unifying goal such as vanquishing a villain. The books don’t have to be read in a particular order for the reader to follow the plot. They are true stand-alones.

My Most Anticipated Book of the Year Debuts Today!

Deidre Knight continues her electrifying Midnight Warriors series, set in an alternate world where desire comes with a price...and love is the greatest risk of all.

On a mission of vengeance, time traveler Scott Dillon finds himself marooned in the past—and risks disrupting the entire universe in his quest to destroy the warrior who killed his wife and unborn child.

A never-ending passion for Scott lures Refarian medic Shelby Tyler to Texas, but the man she finds there is nothing like the man for whom she once cared. Reeling from his loss, Scott has lost himself in drinking and brawling. With her body, Shelby will lift him from despair. And with her heart, she will help him discover a part of his soul he thought was lost forever—and the devastating truth behind the murder of his wife.

A fantastic and riveting new voice in paranormal fiction.
-Karen Marie Moning, New York Times bestselling author of Spell of the Highlander

Blurb for my Nanobook....

Well...I can only define this one as ultra sensual chick lit meets mythology. But how fun it was to write:

STONER

~

Fate is so unfair.

Medusa's two Gorgon sisters got to be immortals. But not Medusa. Turned out she was quite mortal. And her life? Totally unfair. Every time she almost got lucky, the man of her desires didn't just get a hard on. He turned completely to stone. Then Medusa completely lost her head over Perseus. That little faux pas landed her in Hades for all Eternity. And as a virgin, too. Well, almost.

Hades cannot face the idea of spending an eternity listening to Medusa whine about her ill-conceived fate. So he makes a deal with Medusa that she can't refuse. She can go back to earth and seek true love. She will get three chances to win a man's heart. If she can manage to do this without turning him to stone, she will not only get laid, she'll earn immortality. But if she fails, she'll spend her eternity as a mannequin in the Peoria Saks Fifth Avenue Factory Outlet, decked out in last season's seventy-five percent off designer seconds.

Either way, Hades wins.

Next thing Medusa knows she's standing buck naked in a dark alley where a group of down on their luck addicts make their homes. At the urging the troubled, but once infamous top-model/crack addict Athena Sebastian, Medusa finds herself spilling her troubles at a narc-anon meeting. "Hi. I'm Medusa. I'm a s-stoner. And I've hit rock bottom...."

Under the tutelage her new support group, Medusa turns her destiny over to a higher power (A Tantric Yoga Master) and embarks full throttle on her twelve step program in hopes of curing herself of her stoner lifestyle once and for all. But Medusa's friend Athena has her own past life ax to grind, and Medusa is the ticket for revenge she's waited an eternity for.