Wow! Where is everybody? I guess everyone’s out doing the holiday thing. I always do mine early so while everyone else is stressing over it, I can relax a bit. 🙂Well I finished my advance copy of Touch of Evil, the new book by CT Adams and Cathy Clamp due out in March. Excellent book! Gritty and well done, with a take charge kind of gal for the heroine and her sexy werewolf beau, Tom. Totally different world then their Sazi books, but just as good. Next up in paper is In Stone’s Clasp by Christie Golden. In audio I finished Brenda Joyce‘s House of Dreams. Good gothic romance with some creepy moments, as well as some over the top moments. In electronic, I’m still working on Some Enchanted Autumn by Linda Andrews (?) – I am blanking on the author but I think this is who it is. In audio I’m working on House of Echoes by Barbara Erskine in the car. This is another good gothic story. I’m loving it and want to rive longer than necessary to see what’s next. At the office I’m working on Dean Koontz’s Fear Nothing. I’m not enjoying this one as much,…

Christine Feehan’s first audio book was released today!! Can you tell I’m excited? LOL Dark Guardian is the first book by Dorchester to be made in to audio. Next month… Dark Prince and January 2006, Dark Desire. I’ve been waiting for her books to come out in audio ever since I got hooked on this format a couple years ago. And the best part is that it’s UNabridged! I’ll be ordering my copy from Dorchester this weekend, on CD. Here’s the link to the announcement at Dorchester’s Website in case you are interested:http://www.dorchesterpub.com/Dorch/SpecialFeatures.cfm?ID=2028 Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

THE COLBERT REPORT NASCAR has entered into a licensing agreement allowing Harlequin to publish steamy novels with racing themes, with titles like Into the Groove and Dangerous Curves. This is a terrible idea. NASCAR is one of the final frontiers of male bonding, where the love of speed and horrible car accidents draws men to together to drink beer and high-five. The only women who should be allowed into this holy speedway are the ones willing to be turned into meaningless objects to be leered at by gearheads. Hey, Harlequin, we don’t drive racecars through your wildflower meadows. Don’t put Fabio in our firesuits. Unfortunately, there are things you just don’t make up… So you think both NASCAR and Harlequin really think this is a match made in heaven? Who wants to read a romance set in the race pit? Have you checked out the guys who go to the races? Most of the ones I know leave their families behind for a weekend of unchecked “fun” Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Check out the tour diary of Marcia Talley and Kate Charles. They called it the “saints and sinners tour” but when they stopped in Plano, we thought they were just being saintly *G*. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

After much indecision, I felt the fates align and trooped off to the Uptown signing on Saturday. I wasn’t expecting too much, but did hope my knee wouldn’t give out completely as the last shot was a KILLER. It was one of those pleasant November days in North Texas, nice wind, but not blustering; warm, but not sweltering, a great day to be out and about. And so after a quick lunch at my husband’s favorite deli in North Dallas — Jersey Joe’s — we were off to the Uptown Borders for a signing by several North Texas authors. An eclectic mix, non-fiction photography collection to hard-boiled detective mystery to modern fantasy to women’s fiction to I’m not sure what to call the last one. Hmmm… Noting the new hours of the Chase Bank next door, I was unceremoniously dumped with the camera bag and my shopping bags while he went off to buy a few quarters. After all, he needed something to jiggle in his pockets to annoy me and the daughter in college ran out of laundry change and we really didn’t want her coming home with two suitcases of dirty laundry. I wonder if he really believes…

In eBook, I finished The Flyers by Jennifer Cloud a few days ago, and immediately moved on to Treading the Labyrinth by Rae Morgan. In audio I finished The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub in the car. Now in the car I’m listening to Ghost Moon by Karen Robards. At work I finished Left Behind 9: Desecration – Antichrist Takes the Throne by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B Jenkins and moved on to Left Behind 10: The Remnant – On the Brink of Armageddon by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B Jenkins. I also finished White Oleander by Janet Fitch at work this past week.I finally reached the top of the waiting list at the library for Black Rose by Nora Roberts so I picked it up today and started listening to it at home today while I did housework. In paper, I’m still working on Time of the Wolf by Julie D’Arcy which is quite good. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

From left: Susan Winn, Deborah Crombie, Marcia Talley, Kate Charles Really enjoyed having dinner at LeMadeline with Marcia Talley, Kate Charles and Deborah Crombie the other night at La Madeleine in Plano. Then the talk they gave at the signing was very informative. Each of them writes stories in settings they are passionate. Marcia talked about her perks of being an author in Annapolis. Deborah talked about her love of London and trips she makes yearly. Kate talked about women in the Anglican church. And to think, they all write mysteries within those settings! We bought lots of books and had a swell time! Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

I didn’t realize it’s been almost two months since I posted in here. So let me go back through my memory banks and see if I can remember everything I read in the past couple months or so. I’m not even going to try to post cover pics of everything because it would take FORever, though I’ll do a couple of them. In audio, I got through a huge load of books. I’m not even going to try to post cover pics as there are too many and it would take forever. LOL I listened to:To Trust a Stranger by Karen Robards (abridged) – This one wasn’t too bad, but it’s not something I’d rush out to buy either. Good quick listen at only 4 CDs. I was able to do the whole thing in one day at work. I did like how the hero and heroine met… He was on an investigative job and dressed up like a drag queen which provided several pages of the heroine thinking he was gay.Now Face to Face by Karleen Koen (unabridged) – This has been on my bookshelf ever since the book was published however many years ago (my copy had started…

A frantic day — the MOTOR was late with technical difficulties, don’t we all share those at times — so I was scrambling to re do my schedule and for those who know me well, it isn’t always a pretty sight! but I digress… Dogs — cats — pets. Lots of books on our companions are being shown this week on the talk shows — first one to catch my fancy was the one by the psychic Sylvia Browne and her son, also, gasp, a psyhic, about pets in the ever-after life. Are they running out of things to write about? Sorry, but it was the first thought that struck. However, having lost a beloved family member in the past year, lordie, it’s been over a year now, I still mist up when I think of Larry. Not only that, I have his photo keeping me company every day in my office. Of course, he does have competition from Lex and Winston, Lex being the pushy jealous type. But what kind of people would read a book about their pets in a spectral life? I don’t know, I just like to think Larry (and Lady and Ling) are off enjoying…

Sorry its taken so long to get my pictures posted, but a dead, possessed (another story), jinxed computer is to blame. Clockwise: In the peacock blue jacket, Fresh Fiction’s own Tanzey Cutter, Joanna Carl, Patricia Sprinkle, Susan Wittig Albert and Shelly Rubin attending the opening tea of the 2005 Manhattan Mystery Conclave. Signings were held throughout the day; this is the best pic I got as both Patricia Sprinkle and Lisa Harkrader agreed to pose for me. Shown here with their latest titles respectively, Who Killed the Queen of Clubs? and Airball, My Life in Briefs This one is during the panel: All About Genres. Seen here (from Right) is moderator Linda Madl,paranormal author included in Trespassing Time, Charlene Newcomb, a Star Wars series author, and C.J. Winters, author of cozy time travel stories set in Kansas and Arkansas. Another panel: Tapping the Past. Author Warren Bull, one of the Manhattan Mysteries short story winners and Susan Wittig Albert, author of the Beatrix Potter Cottage Tales seen here fielding questions on historical accuracy and rights of document use. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.