From the Family Files...

Well, Sister is still on her quest to find a suitable mate in the world of online dating. She's not having much luck but she refuses to give up just yet. She's having too much fun with her advice line on What Not To Put In Your Profile!

From the Family Files presents... Online Dating Faux Pas by Shayla's Sister.

‎1) Don't have a picture of you licking a cat on your profile. Gee, gonna need the secret decoder ring to crack that code, Skippy.

2) Don't list that you are 72 years old and under 'children' you checked the box for 'yes, living at home with me.' Why, so they can change your... depends, Pappy? Stop winking at me.

3) Don't say you are over 50 with hair past your shoulders. Unless it is to hide your ear hair, then it is ok. But stop winking at me, Shaggy.

4) Don't post a picture of Mr Happy, one Mr. Cowboy of Benton, AR. Now you are banned from the site and will never meet Miss Right! On the bright side, I showed your Lil Cowboy to my lesbian daughter and got to say in my best pre-k teacher voice, "that's a penis". *

More later... I feel I must continue my quest if only for the sake of you, my dear fans.

*The lesbian daughter's response..."It looked weird!"

Yes, my family is crazy but we have much more fun that way. Sister and I have long planned to end our days like the Baldwin Sisters on the Waltons--living together and drinking lots of the recipe! *cackle*

(Anyone who can explain that reference will be entered in a drawing for a choice of ebook download.)

TGIF!

Although I'm headed to the EDJ after two days off, I almost welcome it! The two days off were a flurry of doctor appointments (Momma's and mine) and helping Granny with some stuff. I need to go to work to rest. But the weekend is mine. Saturday will be dedicated to a critique I owe Brandi Evans and Sunday is write, write, write... Which I really need to do if I'm going to make my goal this week!

Have a fabulous Friday!
Shayla


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Music for the Writer's Soul - Melissa Etheridge

What can you say about Melissa Etheridge? She's an amazing vocalist. Her music is rock and roll instrumentals with pop/folk lyrics. You can jam to her songs and actually understand what she's singing. *cackle*

She's also a champion of gay rights. When she came out in 1993, coming out wasn't easy. She risked alienating fans and her tenuous rise to stardom. But she survived. Her 1993 album "Yes I Am" put her on the charts.

She's also a survivor of breast cancer. She appeared at the 2005 Grammy Awards with her head bald from chemotherapy, proving bald can be truly beautiful as well as brave.

The first time I heard her music was in 1992, maybe a little earlier. I'd stopped at the video store on my way home from work. I was rather late, as usual in those days, and the more popular videos had already been scarfed up. I kept browsing until I came across a movie I'd never heard of starring Winona Ryder. I remembered her from Beetlejuice and Heathers. Both very dark comedies that I really liked so I thought I'd check out Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael.

The movie was cute. A coming of age story with a twist and Winona once again played a dark, angsty teenage heroine. But the soundtrack! O.M.G! One song I went crazy for was called "In Roxy's Eyes" in the movie. I must have played the end credits over a dozen times trying to make out the tiny print for the soundtrack. I looked at everything I could find at the music store. Keep in mind, this was way before the internet was common. I didn't have a way to look up Melissa Etheridge's entire musical history!

Well, I gave up looking for "In Roxy's Eyes" and bought Melissa's next album, "Yes I Am". Much to my surprise, the CD included a song called "I Will Never Be the Same". Yes, you guessed it. It was the same song as "In Roxy's Eyes". Much later, I found out the original title was just for the movie.

Since then, I've snagged all of Melissa's CDs and continue to adore her work. My latest favorite is called "I Want To Be In Love". A great song for a romance. And a theme I plan to use in the near future. Here's the YouTube video from Melissa's channel. You can subscribe here: http://www.youtube.com/user/MelissaEtheridgeVEVO. Watch the woman in the club scene. It's Jennifer Aniston.

Enjoy!
Shayla

Sunday Report Card - And No Whining!

No whining because I actually accomplished a lot this week! And I made my writing goal of 3k. Okay, barely. 3075 words but what the hey, it's progress!

Plus, I received not one but two critiques back this weekend. Friday night and Saturday, I reviewed the comments on book four in the Tennessee Cops series. And I subbed it to my Ellora's Cave editor Saturday night! One down. For now!

Late Saturday night, I received comments on the revise and resubmit I was working on. I worked through them today and another submission away! Woo hoo!

---

Also, I received the cover for the second book in the Angel Moon Trilogy, SHROUDED ANGEL. I have a release date of September 3rd!

Le blurb:

Terra offers sanctuary to both Angellum and Virkola. Unknown to the humans, a truce exists there. To Terrans, the two species exist as myths. One is a frail, winged creature from religious texts. The other, a demon of the night, living off blood. Both are far from the truth…

Because of the Angellum, Patrea, a Virkolan, has spent his life afraid of loss. When darkness descends on his ship in the form of a strange angel, Patrea feels he can’t stay on the Avere. But departing would mean leaving behind the only light in his life—his bunkmate Hadreal. He needs to find the courage to tell Hadreal how he feels.

Hadreal has always felt more than friendship for his younger bunkmate, but bitter past experience keeps him from acting on his feelings. When a new danger brings them closer, he decides it might be time to live again. But now his chance at happiness may end before he’s able to sample it.

Sometimes it takes a brush with death to make life worth living.

---

So goals for this week? Well, I'm not getting too confident with one victory! I've had too many failures on my goals lately. So I'm going to try it again...

Goal for this week:

1) 3k words.

I have the EDJ at least three days but the other two are taken up with Momma stuff on Wednesday and Granny stuff on Thursday. I might get some writing done after my duties are done. However, I might need to work from home on EDJ stuff. I'll have to wait and see.

Next weekend will be my main writing days. I don't know if it's the new desk being more comfortable or the fact I'm sleeping more but I've been able to stay at the computer longer this past week. This gives me hope for writing in the evenings but I can't count on it.

Yes, the CPAP machine seems to be doing the trick. I'm even dreaming almost every night. Woo hoo! Although I feel like Darth Shayla... Check out the getup... Now if that doesn't give you nightmares, I don't know what will! *cackle*

Have a fabulous week!
Shayla

Music for the Writer's Soul - Patty Griffin

My younger brother introduced me to Patty Griffin's music. And I thank him for it! If you haven't heard of her, she's an amazing artist. A singer/songwriter, her music is Americana with a touch of soul. As well as singing her own songs, a lot of well known artists have recorded her music.

And some of her lyrics can be haunting. What more could a writer ask for when needing inspiration for the muse?

On the long drive to the evil day job, I plug my iPod into my car speakers. Driving is usually the only time I pay attention to lyrics. Most of the time, music is white noise to combat distractions while writing or at work.

I commute on a very curvy backwoods state highway. Lots of critters pass through the route. I've seen at least ten deer in the last few days and a dozen smaller creatures who didn't survive the crossing. I can't exactly take my eyes off the road to check the iPod and see which song is playing.

The highway is also very narrow. And there's not a shoulder to pull off on. More like--white line, dirt. Not that I haven't hit the dirt when avoiding a log truck on the wrong side of a yellow line! But to check the iPod for a song title...well, I do have some sense! *cackle*

But one line of lyric in particular caught my attention one day.

Blew out the light in my soul

There it is... "Blew out the light in my soul".

O.M.G.! The muse took off and had me reaching for the voice recorder. Took me two days to find the song again on my iPod but the refrain is even more inspirational. That's what I get for having way too many songs loaded!

Cold As It Gets

I know a cold as cold as it gets
I know a darkness that's darker than coal
A wind that blows as cold as it gets
Blew out the light in my soul
Blew out the light in my soul

Someday, I'll have time to write the story this song inspired. I wonder if it's appropriate to thank a songwriter in a book's acknowledgments?

Here's a really great profile on Patty Griffin. The song she's singing in the beginning is Cold As It Gets. A song later in the piece is called Mother of God and is another of my favorites.

Sunday Report Card on a Monday...

I suck. My goal of 4500 words? Ha! Like that would actually happen. My three days of writing didn't materialize. I did a whole 235 words on my new romsus.

My first alleged writing day--Tuesday--fell to Granny's "honey-do" list. Wednesday, I received the edits for Shrouded Angel and completed them. YAY! At least it was writing related work. No release date but I hope to hear something soon. Sunday--Momma and I took back the shutters I'd ordered her from Home Depot. They weren't the right size. I won't let Momma measure anything again. Ever again. The shutters were about a foot short.

The rest of Sunday afternoon I procrastinated by putting together a new writing desk. I've been looking for just the right desk for ages! Nothing fancy. Something not too big so it would fit in my little corner. Something not so high--no keyboard drawer! Hate those. If I want to use an external keyboard, I'll put it in front of the laptop. And I finally found it yesterday! And it's long enough to accommodate my printer too.

Then last night I mowed the front yard. Oy vey!

Between the day job and other duties--not to mention the heat, mowing has been neglected for two weeks. Since our dry spell ended, my grass has sprouted like the true weeds they are! Unfortunately, the heat hasn't abated. I usually mow early in the morning to avoid the worst of it. I should have waited but the grass was out of control. The back yard can wait because the privacy fence hides the worst of it.

So I mowed. I waited until about 6:30. Not late enough. The temp was 94 and the heat index 104F. Writing while recovering from minor heat stroke wasn't possible. I couldn't even write this blog last night.

This weeks goals... I'm going to be easy on myself.

I should have two days off from the evil day job but Granny already has a new "honey-do" list so I won't get anything done tomorrow, I'm sure. My other day off will probably be Friday plus I have nothing scheduled for the weekend. I plan to be selfish about those three days. They are mine! ALL MINE! Yeah. Like that'll happen if Momma or Granny need something.

However, the goal this week. 1k for each of the MINE days. So 3k. Surely I can manage that much. At my new writing desk. Or the coffee shop. LOL So why DID I want a new writing desk when I write so much at the coffee shop?

Oh, and I had an idea for a Naughty Nooner story for Ellora's Cave. NN is the freebies EC uses for promo. Everyone wants to know what happened to the guys from Icing On The Cake. Thinking about doing a short followup. Kind of like an epilogue story. Still mulling the idea over. Of course, Naughty Nooners are less than 7k and I have trouble writing short. So we'll see. And I can't start it until I finish the current WIP.

Now I have to get ready for the evil day job!

Have a fabulous week, everyone!
Shayla

Great new review for ANGEL MOON!

From Kimberley Spinney at Sensual Reads!

"The future has never looked spicier than it does in Angel Moon. Shayla Kersten creates a universe that is both unique and dangerous. Filled with eroticism and suspense, this novel will grab the imagination and leave the reader wanting more. With every twist and turn, we get more sexiness and sensuality, perfectly in tune with the story line and the characters created. This is definitely a hot read and I can not wait to read more from this amazingly talented author."

*insert Snoopy dance here*

The second book in the trilogy, SHROUDED ANGEL, is awaiting a release date. Hopefully soon!

SHROUDED ANGEL

Terra offers sanctuary to both Angellum and Virkola. Unknown to the humans, a truce exists there. To Terrans, the two species exist as myths. One is a frail, winged creature from religious texts. The other, a demon of the night, living off blood. Both are far from the truth…

Because of the Angellum, Patrea, a Virkolan, has spent his life afraid of loss. When darkness descends on his ship in the form of a strange angel, Patrea feels he can’t stay on the Avere. But departing would mean leaving behind the only light in his life—his bunkmate Hadreal. He needs to find the courage to tell Hadreal how he feels.

Hadreal has always felt more than friendship for his younger bunkmate, but bitter past experience keeps him from acting on his feelings. When a new danger brings them closer, he decides it might be time to live again. But now his chance at happiness may end before he’s able to sample it.

Sometimes it takes a brush with death to make life worth living.

From the Family Files...

My younger sister has a wicked wit. Whenever we get together, she has me in stitches with her stories and sharp quips. Recently, she decided to try out Zoosk dating website. The Zoosk commercial almost tempted me into signing up. I mean, as a romance writer, I really appreciate the reality of the romance in the commercial. *cackle*



So Lil Sis signs up. After a browsing the site for a while, she posted the following advice on her Facebook:

A few tips for men wanting to put a profile on online dating sites.....

1. I don't care what year you were born, do not put '69' any where in your profile name.
2. Do not hold handcuffs in your teeth in your profile picture.
3. Even if they are yours, and we know they aren't, do not put a picture of 6-pack abs on your profile. You are in your 40's... if those are yours, you probably mistakenly checked the 'seeking women' box.
4. Do not put 'lick, spank, or hot4u' in your profile name.
5. Please put on a shirt for all posted pics. Unless you checked the wrong box, you probably should have someone fall for you before unveiling all that.
6. Ask someone's opinion on the picture you select; what you may think is sexy, may look like a serial killer's mug shot to the rest of us.
7. For goodness sakes would the poor slob who calls himself 'IsItInYet' just give up...

Blogging at Romance Lives Forever!

I'm hanging out at Kayelle Allen's Romance Lives Forever blog. Talking about science fiction, world building and fickle muses. Stop by and comment for a chance to win an ebook.

http://romancelivesforever.blogspot.com/2010/07/way-back-when.html

Have a great day!
Shayla

Sunday Blog Post: To sleep perchance to dream...

Okay, so I missed last week's post. My excuse...due to the holiday weekend, I forgot it was Sunday. Hey, I'm old. I forget things! *cackle* Not to mention I really didn't feel as if I made much progress the week before. I did add a little over 1700 words that week but I still didn't finish the revise and resub. It was beginning to feel like the never ending revision! ARGH! The ideas were there, I just couldn't find time to get it done. Frustration doesn't make for a great post...

The evil day job took up a lot of my time both weeks. Not that I'm complaining. A regular paycheck is a great thing. I needed one! Not to mention I'm back on benefits (YAY health insurance!). But I have to relearn the balance between the EDJ and my writing time. I'm not sure how I wrote so much when I was working full time. Hopefully, I'll find my way again.

So this week's progress was actually less but more. I added just under 1700 words but I finished the revise/resub. I talked my galpal Delilah Devlin into reading it for me. She's one busy lady so I hope she'll be able to get it back to me by the end of the week.

My Tennessee Cop story #4 (still no title) is in the hands of my critique partner, Brandi Evans. Another busy lady. Between her writing, her two adorable children--who think I'm another grandmother--and her National Guard duties, I don't expect that one back until later in the week. She had weekend drill this weekend and she's barely back from her two week AT.

I need to write the blurb and synopsis but it helps to have a title. Maybe I'll write a blurb then have a contest for a title...

Oh, and my editor said to expect edits on Shrouded Angel--the sequel to Angel Moon--sometime this week. That's a big yay! I want to scratch this one off my list.

I started the fifth story in my Tennessee Cop series today almost immediately after I finished the revise/resub. I'm about 700 words in. Hopefully this one will come together fast. The story has been mulling around in my brain for a while.

On a more personal note, my sleep study revealed over a 5.7 hour period--which I was awake at least three or four times--I made it into REM sleep for a total of 25 minutes. And that was three different times after 3AM, the longest being 15 minutes. People can't survive without REM sleep. I had all the symptoms, crankiness--although my family says I'm that way when I get sleep--distracted, forgetful, can't concentrate...

Well, I received my CPAP machine on Tuesday. The first night, I felt as if I were suffocating with the mask on. I woke up a number of times, pulling it off or having pulled it off in my sleep. I kept putting it back on, determined to make it work because I paid too much for the damn thing!

The second night, I fared better. I actually slept for five straight hours. And toward morning, I actually dreamed. Vivid color-filled dreams. Although the idea of me taking care of a baby should have been a nightmare. *cackle* But dreams mean REM sleep. I haven't dreamed in ages...

The third night I went back to the suffocating feeling. Actually, I think I was having hot flashes because the mask felt super hot, giving me the feeling of unable to breathe.

So while I'm still getting accustomed to the CPAP machine, it looks like it will be the answer. Maybe once my sleep patterns are reestablished, my writing habits will balance out with my evil day job. It's amazing what sleep will do for you!

And having a little oxygen on the brain is a good thing, as the cat in the above picture will agree!

I should have two days off from the EDJ plus Sunday. My RWA chapter, Diamond State Romance Authors, meets on Saturday so I won't have much in the way of writing time that day.

My goals for this week must be fluid. If I get back any story from anyone--Delilah, Brandi or my EC editor--it will take priority. Otherwise, my goals will be as follows:

1) Write 4500 words on TnC#5.

That's 1500 per day for the three days available. If my sleep patterns improve, I might be able to manage some writing after work. Usually I'm so tired I can't sit at the computer long enough to concentrate.

Hope ya'll have a fabulous week!

Shayla