In the hotseat....Jaime Rush!

We welcome today the author of the popular OFFSPRING series, Jaime Rush!

For those who don't know Jaime, here's a brief bio taken from her website:

Jaime wishes she could say that she was an airline pilot or a former spy or something but the truth is her life’s pretty ordinary.She’s always been drawn to the strange and unexplained, and to the dark side of human nature. She devoured  Alfred Hitchcock anthologies, as well as the movies. Loved watching Unsolved Mysteries and true crime television. She credits her warped sense of humor to all those MAD magazines that were always around the house. Don't even get her started on Alfred E. Neuman nightmares. She’s fascinated by what makes people do evil things, but believes the bad guy gets his just punishment.

She’s a Southwest Florida native with a wonderful family and fabulous friends. Under the pen  name Tina Wainscott she’s written eighteen other books, mostly paranormal romantic suspense (Check out her website at www.tinawainscott.com.)  Under the name Jaime Rush she’s produced the Offspring series, inspired by the romance, action and paranormal elements of such defunct tv shows as The X-Files, Lost, Highlander, and Roswell.

For photos, and interaction, check out her Facebook page. To see what books Jaime’s reading, check out her GoodReads page.


And now...Jaime Rush!

R: Meow, Welcome Jaime.
J:  Thanks, Rocco.  Glad to be here.

R:  Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in writing.

J: I was born in SW Florida and have lived here my whole life.  I've always been a storyteller with a big imagination. I used to create plays for my friends when I was a kid, and we'd run all over the neighborhood being chased by bad guys. For some reason my muse has always played on the dark side. The first story I wrote, at age seven, was called Pathways to Death. I know, I was a strange kid!

R: Tell us about your latest Offspring novel, The End of Darkness.  What inspired this series?

J: The End of Darkness is a wrap up of the existing characters and plot thread from the ongoing series, but stands alone for new readers. The dark energy that infects Magnus McLeod's soul draws him to an Arizona town in crisis—and a woman with a dangerous ability of her own. Erica Evrard isn't afraid of much, but suddenly she has much to fear. Like Magnus, whose noble heart brings her to life even as his Darkness could kill her. And the group of supernatural humans whose evil plans threaten an entire town.

Magnus appeared in earlier books as a minor character and garnered a lot of reader interest. But there was another surprise character who appeared early on and also captured our attention. I didn't know who Pope was back then, but he became an important player in the Offspring world. So I had to give him a happy ending too. Readers get two romances in one! Which is especially amazing since it's a half-length novel.

I've always been fascinated by psychic abilities and unsolved mysteries. In the Offspring, I took real-life government experiments using those with abilities to remote view (psychic spying) and weaved in danger and betrayal.

R:  Do you have an “how I got my agent” story you’d like to share?  How did you feel when you got the call your first novel had sold?

J: I'm now on my fourth agent, and it was the easiest switch I ever made. A writer and friend in my RWA chapter joined the Mary Sue Seymour Agency. I was leery about going with a friend, not wanting to mess up our friendship. Nicole Resciniti has always been my biggest champion, and when I saw how hard she was working to make the connections and learn the business, it was a no-brainer. I have honestly never been happier.

I sold my first book waaaay back in 1994. We'd gotten a few rejections, not surprising since it was a different concept. A woman dies and gets a second chance---in another woman's body! The call was vindication that going your own way can work. And of course it was such a thrill.

R: What’s a must have for you when you are writing? What aids the creative process?

J: My "space." I'm lucky that I've always had an office, my own place. Also a view of nature, where I can stare and ponder the next plot point.

R: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?

J: I live for creating stories. I rarely take time off. As soon as I finish one project, I'm already immersing myself in the next one. I used to call myself a workaholic, but it’s really just my passion.

R: What is the craziest thing you've ever done? 

J: I spent all night at the beach when I was a teenager. By myself, because my friend backed out. Now that I watch crime shows, I realize how risky it was. I would not recommend it!

R: What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?

J: I aim to enrich and entertain. My characters always have some flaw or vulnerability that the plot will test. I love that at the end, they are stronger for it. And of course, that they find love. Isn't that what we all want? So I want the reader to feel like, if the hero/heroine can overcome all that, so can I. Without people trying to kill me. (LOL)

R: What are you working on at the moment / next?

J: I'm thrilled to be debuting a new PNR series with Grand Central Publishing starting next summer about humans with the essence of gods who walk the knife's edge between the glamour of Miami and a place filled with dark magick and dangerous beauty.

R: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

J: I'm a little of both. I like to have a good handle on my characters and the general plotline, but I leave a lot of the details to the pantser side of me.

R: What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks? :)

J: I like swimming and boating. Though I admit to using swimming as a way to brainstorm for writing. I can usually come up with a plot point or solve a problem after about twenty minutes in the pool.

R: Where can we find out more about you and your work?

J: The quick and dirty way is at my website: www.jaimerush.com.

R: Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

J: Never give up. There are so many opportunities out there now to get published, so choose carefully. Aim for your dream publishers first. Don’t sell yourself short.

R:Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  Day

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)  I like both, but after not having a dog for eight years, and now having one for the kid, I realize why I love my cat so much. (Big grin from ROCCO - of coruse you do, meow! We are lovable creatures!)

Beach or Pool?   Both

Steak or salad?  Both

Favorite Drink?  Cappuccino

Favorite Book?  Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon

Favorite TV Series?  Supernatural. Or Grimm. Or Once Upon a Time!

Favorite Movie?  While You Were Sleeping

Favorite Actor: Matthew McConaughey

Favorite Actress: Sandra Bullock

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? Can I have a watermelon martini instead?

Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be ___Dalai Lama________________

If I had just one wish, it would be that everyone would accept each other, despite religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. We are all God's beloved children, no matter what God you believe in. _______________________________________

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be. I wouldn't trade my life for anyone's permanently.  Temporarily, I'd love to trade places with one of those people who live on their sailboat and travel from port to port. And write, of course!

 R: Thanks for a wonderful interview, Jaime!

Folks, here's where you can find Jaime!

Author Website: www.jaimerush.com.

GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2168689.Jaime_Rush

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JaimeRushBooks

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jaimerush

 Jaimie will be giving away three digital copies of THE END OF DARKNESS, through either BN.com, Amazon or Smashwords to three lucky readers chosen at random! to enter, leave a comment below with your e-mail address. (entries without e-mail addys will be disqualified, sorry).  Contest open internationally. For extra entries you can:

Friend THE HUMAN on facebook

friend Jaime on Faceook

Follow Jaime on twitter

follow moi on twitter @RoccoBlogger

Tweet or FB about this post/contest (3 extra entries!)

Contest closes midnight, February 3, winner announced February 4.

The winner of our Ilona Andrews givaway was "bigfeller". Congrats!

Next week - Donna Grant in the hoteseat!
Feb. 12 - Jeff Cohen and his friend EJ Copperman talk about EJ's newest release, A Chance of aGhost! Don't miss it!

ROCCO

Incredible Blogging Cat 

HAPPY BLOGAVERSARY ROCCO...MARYJANICE DAVIDSON GIVES US A SNEAK PEEK AT UNDEAD AND UNSURE

We all know one of my favorite authors is MaryJanice Davidson, and MaryJanice has been a friend of my blog ever since it began. When i think of celebrating, I naturally think of her.  and MJ's come through for us once again, readers, battling deadlines and the like to give us an EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK at the first chapter of Queen Betsy's latest adventure, UNDEAD AND UNSURE, due out August 6!

I can't think of a better way to celebrate a two year blogaversary, can you??????????

this is the ONLY place on the web you'll get this exclusive peek, kitties, so...enjoy! It's included in Undead and Underwater, due out March 5! And thank you, MJ! It wouldn't be a blogaversary without you!

PROLOGUE

I didn’t want to kill her.

Why do they think that makes it better?

It wasn’t personal. 

Or that?  That’s even worse than the first thing.  For most people, dead is dead.  There’s no coming back; this is not True Blood or classic, pre-rehab Stephen King.  There are a million zillion ways to die—I’ve done it myself half a dozen times—and for almost everyone, it’s forever.  So the fact that you snuffed someone’s light and it meant nothing?  It wasn’t personal, it was just business, their life was...I dunno...some kind of ledger sheet?

Worse than dead.  I know.  If you could go back in time to 1992 (it’s not as impossible as it sounds), leap in front of me as I was about to race through LAX on my way to Gucci (this was about an hour before the L.A. Riots swung into gear, and three years before poor Maurizio Gucci was murdered)...if you could do all that, catch me by the elbow while I was hailing a cab and lay my future on me, I’d have laughed so hard I would have toppled right off the curb.  Which at the least goes to show what a dumbass I was ten years ago.

Okay, and now, too.  These days, I just fuck up different things.

CHAPTER ONE

     The devil’s dead, and the Anti-Christ is pissed.  That’s pretty much the whole thing right there.

     Well...there’s one more thing:  I killed the devil.  And the Anti-Christ is my half-sister.  (Two more things.)  Because Christmas isn’t stressful enough, right?  Take it from me:  if you trick the devil into granting a wish and then kill her while the Anti-Christ screams at you to stop, family get-togethers thereafter are uncomfortable.

     But I was up for the challenge!  Of course, the trick is making the family get-together happen at all.  Luckily I’d married rich (and dead).  And even if I hadn’t married rich (note I’m not saying married well), my best friend and gestating roomie, Jessica, was also rich.  It’s weird that I was dead and lived in St. Paul in a snowless winter with two zillionaires, right?  Never mind.

     I used to be so heavily dependant on Hallmark.  They had a card for almost everything.  Even better, they had a funny card for almost everything.  But I couldn’t depend on a faceless corporate entity to convey my good wishes, condolences, birthday wishes, Mother’s Day howdies, and happy holidays in general, since there were some occasions the good people at Hallmark, Inc. didn’t figure anyone would need to cover. 

And even after the make-your-own-card phase popped up, there were some cards that just couldn’t be made, no matter how much money got pissed away at Archiver’s. 

Sidebar: this DIY crap has gotten out of hand.  Cards first, but followed by make your own beer, make your own cheese, and make your own eggs by raising chickens.  In the middle of a city, people are raising chickens!  If you don’t believe me, check a Williams-Sonoma catalog.  Honest to God.  It’s all right there:  make your own vinegar pot, $89.95.  The Reclaimed Rustic Coop with Painted Chicken, $399.95.  (I assume the chicken was painted on the side in case there was any doubt that the coop surrounded by chickens was a chicken coop.)  A Backyard Beehive and Starter Kit, $89.95, so you can start your own bees (“Gentlemen!  Start...your...bees!”).  Make your own butter kit: $29.95.  Who makes their own butter?  When did we all decide we were living in Little House on the Prairie reruns?

All this to say there wasn’t a card at Hallmark or a sticker at Archiver’s to convey, “Sorry I killed your mom, who was also Satan.  Also, Happy Thanksgiving.”  I didn’t even bother looking.  Instead, I turned to more sinister methods of getting my “again, so sorry I killed your mom!” message across. 

Balloon bouquets.  A minstrel greeting (good to see the Renaissance Festival weirdos gainfully employed the rest of the year).  Cookie bouquets. Singing telegrams (yep, they still do those). 

Comedy Central sowed the seeds of my sinister plan by running their John Hughes marathon.  Remember when the slutty nurse went to Ferris Bueller’s house to cheer him up even though he was at a Cubs game and she ended up singing to his crabby sister instead (played by Jennifer Gray, who went on to ruin her career with a nose job)?  John Hughes:  creative genius and comedy demigod.

That was why the Anti-Christ was in my driveway, panting and glaring and stomping up to the sidewalk in her awful Uggs (what year did the Seed of Satan think it was?) and shaking a fist full of balloons at me.  “Stop sending these.  They’re following me.”

Success!  Family reunion, take one.

Blogaversary Time! and my Pet of the Month!

Happy Monday, Kitties!

Friday is my two year Blogaversary!  I cannot believe that i have been blogging faithfully for two years, meow, but i want to thank not only my loyal readers, but also the great authors who have helped me shape this blog into what it is today!

As some of you may or may not know, THE  HUMAN achieved one of her lifelong goals last Monday - her fabulous agent, Josh Getzler, sold her mystery series to Bekeley Prime Crime!  The first volume in the Nick and Nora mystery series, MEOW IF ITS MURDER, will most likely be out next year.  Watch for announcements about a blog to introduce the series to readers soon!

(PS: Little known fact: I, ROCCO, blogging cat extraordinare, was the inspiratin for the "Nick" in Nick and Nora! Meow!!!! Take that, Lassie!) 

Anyway, more on the Human later...this week is my blogaversary and I hope to have a nice surprise for my loyal readers before week's end.

And...drumroll....the winner of our Victoria Laurie/Abby Cooper giveaway is Valerie!  Congrats, Valerie. Watch for an email from the human!  Valerie was chosen using random.org and will receive two books from Victoria......

It's also time for January's Pet of the Month....Mary Janice Davidson's lovely assistant Tracey's beaufiful cat, Tabia! MA-ROW!

Stay tuned!  Next week Jaime Rush visits the blog!  and in February:
Jeff Cohen/EJ Copperman
Donna Grant
Joanne Fluke and Moishe!

Ma-row!


ROCCO
INCREDIBLE BLOGGING CAT

CHARACTER INTERVIEW ALERT! ABBY COOPER (AND VICTORIA LAURIE) IN MY HOTSEAT!

Meow!

I've been a big fan of Victoria Laurie for quite awhile - started with the Abby Cooper "Psychic Eye" series and then graduated over to the "Ghost Hunter" series, so it's quite a thrill for me, in keeping with our "character interviews"  to interview Victoria Laurie's original psychic sleuth, Abby Cooper, today!

For those readers not familiar with the fabulously talented Victoria Laurie:

Victoria Laurie is the New York Times Bestselling author of over twenty books.  With two series in full swing, Victoria divides her time between The Psychic Eye Mysteries and The Ghost Hunter Mysteries.  As a professional psychic herself, Victoria knows all too well the tricky world of the paranormal in which her protagonists psychic Abby Cooper, and spiritual medium M. J. Holliday tackle murder, mayhem, and the occasional demon with plenty of plucky humor and determination.  You may find Victoria on the web at victorialaurie.com.

And now...in my hotseat...ABBY COOPER HERSELF!

R)  Good Morning, Abby. Tell us a bit about yourself.

A: Good morning, ROCCO!  (waves)  Thanks for being so patient with me...it's been a busy year!  Anyhoo, I'm a professional psychic currently living in Austin, TX.  Originally I'm from a small city in Michigan called Royal Oak, and I only moved to Texas when my fiancé Dutch, was promoted to Special Agent within the FBI and took a job in Austin for the bureau's cold case division.  I also work for the bureau as a civilian profiler...fancy talk for psychic consultant.  In addition to my private clients, I also work the occasional private investigative case with my BFF, Candice Fusco -  who's just the best P.I. in the biz.  (i.e. she bends a lot of rules and helps to keep me out of sticky situations...which I'm forever getting myself into...ahem...)  Dutch and I are currently planning our wedding....okay, so we're not actually planning it as much as we're letting my sister play the role of wedding planner on steroids...and at this point, I'm not sure it's actually an easier or less stressful process but it's too late to turn back now.

R) When did you first realize you had psychic abilities?

A: I think I was pretty young - eleven or twelve maybe when little things I'd say would start to happen.  It just built up from there, but I don't think I actually considered myself a psychic until another dear friend of mine - who was a professional medium - told me that's what I was.  For many years I was simply too afraid of my own abilities to do anything with them, but with her gentle help, I sort of came into my own and started to read for clients, and now I've got a dozen years under my belt as a professional intuitive and a client list that's ever growing.  It's pretty awesome.  :)

R) Have you made the acquaintence of another psychic ghostbuster, MJ Holliday?  If so, how did you meet? How do you get along? (Guess that's three questions in one, eh????)

A: M.J. and I met a few years ago when I needed her help to get rid of a couple ghostly squatters taking up residence in an investment property I got suckered into.  The good news is that M. J. did help me, and we hit it off right away.  I love that girl - she's very down-to-earth and she can handle herself really well in sticky situations.  Her best friend Gilley is also a hoot!  Gotta loves me some Gilley.

R)  Out of all your adventures, do you have a favorite?

A:  :)  My next adventure is usually my favorite.  I think this summer when Dutch and I finally get the chance to tie the knot will be my favorite.  M. J.'s coming to the wedding, actually, so it should be a blast.  (Hee, hee...Literally!)

R)  Which profession do you prefer: psychic or FBI Civilian Profiler?

A:  I don't know that I have a preference of one over the other.  I like them both.  Psychic sessions are very interesting things from the point of view of the psychic, because each new client is a mystery, and the things I pull out of the ether can really surprise me.  Being a profiler for the FBI is really cool in a different way - there's just no better high than solving a crime and bringing the bad guys to justice.  I love them both.

R) You recently got engaged.  Can you share any wedding/honeymoon plans? Where would you like to go on your honeymoon?

A: I can't share much in the way of plans, because my sister Cat is doing all the planning, and I'm out of the loop...okay, so I'm mostly out of the loop because I dodge Cat's calls a lot and sometimes she sends people to kidnap me just to get a decision on the caterer, but I have a feeling Cat is going for big.  I mean BIG!  And that means that right up until the day of the ceremony I may try to talk Dutch into eloping.

As for where to go on our honeymoon...wow.  Well, I guess anywhere that Dutch and I won't be reachable by phone.  I'd love a beach and lots of coconut oil, and of course some good books to read.

R) Describe your relationship with your sister Cat. (Love her name, Meow!)

A:  Cat is this amazing dynamo of energy and brains wrapped in a tiny blond package.  You don't so much as go along with Cat, as you just step out of the way before she runs over you with the bulldozer she's just stollen.  True story.  I love my sister with all my heart, but sometimes, she's better in small doses.  Now...if I could only figure out where she hides her bullhorn so I could snatch it before the rehearsal dinner, I'll be all set!

R) Can you share a bit about your newest adventure, LETHAL OUTLOOK?

A:  Sure!  LETHAL OUTLOOK was released last July in hardcover, and it'll be available in paperback in June.  It's the account of a case that Candice and I worked involving the mother of a toddler who simply vanished in the middle of the afternoon one day.  There's been no sign of her, but I believe she's been murdered.  Her husband is being looked at as the person responsible for her disappearance, but I'm not really convinced he's guilty.  There are quite a few suspects to look at, and Candice and I both believe that the truth about what really happened to this woman is a much bigger story than anyone actually believes.  

R) If Hollywood came knocking at your door and wanted to make a movie out of one of your advenures, which one would you hope it would be and who would you like to play you?

A:  Ha!  Well, I think that Better Read Than Dead would probably make the best movie, and as for who should play me?  Emma Stone, hands down.  I think she's amazing!

R)  Any advice for aspiring writers (or psychics?)

A: If you want to be a writer then write.  Write your fanny off.  The only way to get better is to keep doing it.  So write every day if you can, at the very least you should write every few days consistently. 

R)  How do you feel about Victoria Laurie recounting your adventures?

A:  Terrific!  She writes it just how I live it, so it's a good match.

 

R:  And now, just for fun: Tell us your favorite:

A: Movie: Hmmm...The Princess Bride.  I could watch that movie over and over.

Book: I have two: A Is For Alibi and The Hobbit

Author: Sue Grafton.  That woman walks on water in my book.

Psychic: Kevyn Allen  He was my mentor and now he's a very dear friend.  Also, the best psychic I've ever known - by a LOT

Actor: Daniel Craig.  I love the scenes where he's mostly naked.  ;)

TV Show: I have two again: The Good Wife and Downton Abbey.  Any show with writing that brilliant gets a thumbs up from me

FBI or CIA?  CIA, hands down.  I love a good spook.  ;)

Martini or Manhattan?  Neither - I don't drink!  But give me an Arnold Palmer, (1/2 lemonade + 1/2 Iced Tea) and I'm in heaven.

Psychic or Detective?  Psychic

Demon or Devil? Neither.  I'm an angel kind of gal

Island or Mountains?  Mountains - I'll take a breathtaking view any day over sand and water

and, last but not least CAT or Dog?  Dog.  I have two of the best pups ever, so I might be biased (TEAR SLIDES ROCCO'S CHEEK)


Meow, thank you Abby (and Victoria, too) for a great interview!

Folks, to keep up with all of Victoria's series and current releases, visit her website and sign up for her newsletter ( I did!)  !HERE

Abby (and Victoria) will be giving away a copy of both WHAT A GHOUL WANTS and LETHAL OUTLOOK to one lucky reader! Just leave a comment with your email address to enter. Contest closes midnight, January 20, winner chosen at  random using random.org and announced January 21st.

for extra entries, you can:
follow Victoria on twitter
follow me on twitter @RoccoBlogger
friend me on Facebook
Friend Victoria on FB
/tweet or FB about this contest! (3 extra entries!)

What are you waiting for!

Next week: Mary Janice Davidson helps me celebrate my blogaversary! Stay tuned! Meow!

CASTLE - the "People's Choice"

Meow!

So who watched teh People's Choice awards last night?  Who wasnt' moved by Sandra Bullock's lovely speech when she accepted her well deserved Humanitarian Award?

And who wasnt a bit surprised to find Kids Need to Read co-founder Nathan Fillion the recepient of the People's Choice Award for best TV Dramatic Actor for the second year in a row????? (and CASTLE for best tv crime drama!)

Read about it here:NATHAN FILLION WINS PEOPLES CHOICE

the writers have done a stellar job this year.  At first, when they said they were moving the Castle/Beckett relationship forward, I was leery - after all, it's been done in the past with popular crimefighting couples (Lois and Clark, Moonlighting, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, even Remington Steele) the result being disastrous.  However, the writers are managing to keep a good balance between the romance and the mystery - the love scenes aren't overdone or sappy, and the comic timing is better than ever!

Two well deserved awards, methinks!
Me also thinks the Human and I better get cracking on this years Kids Need to Read Fundraiser, which will feature another fanfic interview with RC and maybe another goodie basket to bid on!  Watch for details on this blog!

Next week we welcome, in the first of 2013's character interviews, psychic detective Abby Cooper and her creator, Victoria Laurie! Q&A and giveaway of two books, so you wont want to miss that!

January 22 -Mary Janice Davidson returns to the blog to help me celebrate my second blogaversary! Yow!
January 29 - author Jaime Rush

And February will be hot, hot hot with planned posts from: Donna Grant, Jeff Cohen, and Joanne Fluke and Moishe!

Stay tuned! Meow.

Rocco
Incredible Blogging Cat

Guest Post - Author Connie Sokol

Meow - Hello Kitties, please read the below guest post from author Connie Sokol! - ROCCO

Faithful, Fit & Fabulous


Filled with humor and “I can relate” life experiences, Faithful, Fit, and Fabulous is the ideal 8-week life boost that will refresh any woman's life. Create a personal and effective life plan, and learn how to readily apply it in your busy daily life. Establish holy habits, feel fit and fabulous, and get organized. Just one goal a week for eight weeks—it's simple and fun.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Message from Connie

Hi Ladies,


This is the moment. This is the year. You can be your best self, your most beautiful self, your most faithful, fit, and fabulous self. Ever. Twelve months are before you-what will you do with them?

Years ago, after bearing several children and feeling overwhelmed, I created and lived my “Year of the Change.” During twelve months of taking life by the horns, I lost weight, got organized, and discovered more joy. Since then I’ve tweaked and taught the principles I have learned and now share them with you.

So make this your year of fabulous change by joining us on the “8-week Challenge” starting on January 8th! The 8-week Challenge is an online success program of “8 goals in 8 weeks in 8 areas of your life,” including fit and fabulous, get organized, balance womanhood and motherhood, and more. Using the Faithful, Fit and Fabulous book, each week you set and achieve a goal, with help from my podcasts, video segments, blog posts, and motivational emails!

Simple, fun, and productive. This program works (see testimonials below). And this year, we’re giving our new 2013 Fit & Fabulous podcast series FREE to those who sign up with a friend! Both of you receive weekly podcasts and posts on weight loss/energy gain tips and strategies. Jill Holmes, our online marketing director, has lost and kept off 50 POUNDS! She'll share her personal tips and secrets to make weight loss work for you, even eating chocolate daily.

Here's what women have said about the 8-week Challenge:

“I have learned so many things about who I am and what I want to do in my life. I have also gained a new sense of happiness. My husband and girls have noticed just in the last week the change in my attitude and they have told me that it is nice to hear me laugh again.” C.Adams

“Thank you so much for giving me the needed push to do something I've wanted to do for months & never completed. That has never happened for me with goal setting. THANK YOU!” B.Bird

“If I wouldn't have been doing the challenge I never would have thought to [accomplish this goal]. I am so glad I did this 8 week challenge! I want to continue these small goals for the rest of my life.” C. Rose


So join us now and jumpstart your ideal life. Get that closet organized, start that exercise program going, find that joy in daily living!

Join now and, because you’re reading this blog post, receive your 8-week Challenge for only $29, thru Jan. 8th only!

http://8basics.com/store/books/start-the-8-week-challenge-refer-a-friend-discount.

Sign up a friend and BOTH receive the 8 podcast series of “Fit & Fabulous”.

Email us for more information at connie@8basics.com.

Learn more here: http://8basics.com/b2b-life-coaching-support

So what are you waiting for? Join us for a fun and fabulous life-changing experience!

Author Connie Sokol

Connie Sokol is a mother of seven, a national and local presenter, and a regular speaker at Education Week. She is a monthly contributor on KSL TV “Studio 5,” and regular blogger for KSL "Motherhood Matters." She is a former TV and radio host for Bonneville Communications, and columnist for Deseret News and Utah Valley Magazine. Mrs. Sokol is the author of several books including the award-nominated romance Caribbean Crossroads, the 8-week Challenge program of Faithful, Fit & Fabulous, Life is Too Short for One Hair Color Series, as well as talk CDs and podcasts. Mrs. Sokol marinates in time spent with her family and eating decadent treats.

Website * Facebook

Rocco goes "Hard Rock"

While pawing through Wikipedia, I came across an intersting article that readers and writers of paranormal and horror fiction, should find right up their alley (I know it's up  mine, heh heh).

Courtesy of Wikipedia:

"Death Rock"

Deathrock or deathpunk is a term used to identify a sub-genre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in 1979.

The term "death rock" was first used in the 1950s[citation needed] to describe a thematically related genre of rock and roll which began in 1958 with Jody Reynolds' "Endless Sleep" and ended in 1964 with J. Frank Wilson's "Last Kiss."^[3] These songs about dead teenagers were noted for their morbid yet romantic view of death, spoken word bridges, and sound effects. The Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack" is arguably the best known example of the '50s/'60s use of the term.^{[4] [5]}

and this i thought was really cool:

The earliest influences for some deathrock acts, such as 45 Grave for example, can be traced to the horror themed novelty rock and roll acts of the late 1950s and early 1960s such as Bobby “Boris” Pickett with "Monster Mash", Screamin' Jay Hawkins with "I Put a Spell on You" and Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages with "Murder in the Graveyard." These songs used sound effects^[9] to create a creepy atmosphere, dealt with taboo subjects (such as cannibalism) in a humorous, often campy manner, and are still occasionally played at deathrock clubs.^[10]

I remember and still love "Monster Mash".  Ditto "I put a Spell on You".  I guess Ricky Martin's "Living La Vida Loca also qualifies as Death Rock.  And how about "Love Potion #9"  (the song, not that horrible movie that starred Sandra Bullock. Can't remember it?  No big surprise.  Check out IMDB)

So--anybody else out there have a favorite "Death Rock" song?  I wonder if the theme music from Halloween qualifies? 

Now all the HUMAN needs to do is set her novels to music.....:)

Coming up January 14 -- I interview Abby Cooper and Victoria Laurie! Meow!

the winner of our Ilona Andrews giveaway was: thebigfeller! Watch for an email soon!