Wednesday, April 30, 2008

New Review -Synchronicity Three

Stephanie B from Fallen Angels Reviews read our Tarot card anthology and gave Volume three 5 angels.

This was a wonderful series. All of the stories were unique and uplifting. In this final anthology, the stories were just as good as they were in the first two editions. I find that sometimes authors seem to lose steam over long projects but that did not happen in this series. I liked how all of these stories are linked in some way to the rest even if it is just that they saw the tarot reader Abby. If you love tales of fortunes coming true, people finding the right match for their situation and personality, and happy endings, you will enjoy this anthology and the two that came before it. This was a well done project!

To see the entire review click here:

http://www.fallenangelreviews.com/2008/April/StephanieB-Synchronicity3.htm

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Tuesday Tidbit

Many people ask me what I do at home all day. "Don't you get bored."

Hello! I am an author. I have voices in my head to keep me company. And if sometimes they overpower me, oh well >:)

Cleaning? Sure I could clean. I have four kids and a dog. It hardly seems worth the effort to do more than the laundry and dishes. Dishes for 6 takes long enough who has time to dust or vacuum?

The way vacUUm is spelled cracks me up. I can never spell it that way on my first try because it just looks so wrong.

Okay, today is webkinz day so gotta let my kids have their turns!!

(Sharing one puter with 6 peeps SUCKS)


Michelle

Monday, April 28, 2008

Maniac Monday

Some days we seem to be surrounded by morons. Today is one of those days for me. At least the day is almost over and I can go to bed soon.

My son had dance practice tonight. He went up on the stage like a good boy. Then he saw me and forget it. Mommy's boy!! When I told him he had to stay there, he dropped on the floor and began to make snow angels. (dust angels?)

So the teacher told him to get in line. He listened. Til the music started. He flopped back onto the ground and stayed there. Once the parents clapped, he got up and ran back and forth across front stage.

*shakes head.

Yes we're definitely filming recital night LOL

Michelle

Monday, April 21, 2008

Maniac Monday

WHOOOT
Peeps are back from RT!
I can't wait to play with Selena more :) That chipmunk is FUN!

Aline got me a cool T-shirt from Caridad Pineiro - whoooooot - gonna have to wait for her to mail it to me, then I totally plan to wear it the first chance I get LOL.

I went for a walk today and we saw ducks. Tony tried to make a sandcastle, but it was not sandy dirt and he was unsuccessful. The Ducks were all paired off. Male with a female, and in groups of 2 and 4. Is it mating time? I think so. I remember seeing ducklings in June last year.

I blogged at Daughters of Circe on voting and emailing authors and illegal file sharing - I rambled, but it is okay, I enjoyed myself :)

Happy Monday!

Michelle

Friday, April 18, 2008

Friday Flash

Selena pushed her way through the throng of sweaty dancers. Bodies tangled and undulated around her, but for once she ignored the lure of sex. Tonight, even the sensual beat of the drums and the siren's intoxicating voice couldn't rouse an ounce of desire within her. Though it had been over twenty-four hours since she'd last gotten laid, she wanted blood more than she wanted sex.

Rogan was a dead man once she found him. The bastard thought he could outsmart her? Ha! Not likely. When she found the prick he would pay. With his life. Or maybe his limbs. His head would look pretty mounted on the wall of her library.

“Hey, baby! Let's dance.” A young blond man stepped in front of her. His grin wavered as she fisted her right hand in his shirt. His blue eyes widened, and he gasped when she growled.

“Find someone else, Junior.” She lifted him off the ground and threw him into a group of dancers a few feet away. Several of them turned to her as if they wanted to fight. Selena grinned, baring her teeth and releasing her claws. “Someone want a piece of me?"

They looked away too quickly, ruining her fun. Selena shook her head, sheathed her claws and turned back toward the bar. The crowd of dancers now parted for her, bringing a grin to her lips. Foolish mortals. They came here for a taste of sin, but when they got more than they bargained for they turned tail and ran. Just as Rogan had. The pathetic loser.

By the time she reached the bar, Derek had worked his way to the end. He hopped over the polished mahogany with supernatural grace and landed in front of her. Selena grinned and slid her hands up his biceps. She was a sucker for muscles. Derek knew she wouldn't be able to resist him if he showed off his agility and strength.

“I just love a man with muscles,” she purred and leaned close.

Derek's dark blue eyes swirled with gray as his fangs dipped down past his lower lip. He nipped at her lips as his hands settled on her shoulders. He dragged his fingers down her sides and grabbed her waist. With a quick tug, he yanked her up against him and swayed his hips, pressing his erection against her belly.

“You're tempting me to forget all about Rogan and how much I need to kick his ass.”

“I want to tempt you into joining me in the back room for a few minutes.”

Liquid heat flowed through her veins when Derek continued to grind against her. Her traitorous body swayed against him. Derek knew many ways to pleasure a woman, even one as sexually hungry as she was. Her body wanted to experience more of him, and her mind melted under his searing gaze. Without an excuse, and wondering why she would even consider saying no to the vampire, Selena leaned up on her toes, cupped his cheeks and kissed him.

Wolf whistles sounded from the surrounding patrons, but she didn't care. let them watch. Derek didn't tango with the human customers, and the poor things knew it.

“I'm taking my break, Sebastian.” Derek looked away from her and turned to the other bartender.

“Fine. See you in two minutes.”

Selena snickered when Derek straightened to his full height and glared down at the other man. He puffed out his broad chest and flexed his arms. “Oh, I think it'll take a lot longer than two minutes. If you're gonna do it right, that is.”

“And Derek always does it right.” Selena pressed up against him and cupped his firm ass. “Especially in leather.”

Michelle

Thursday, April 17, 2008

I missed Wacky Wednesday

past two days have been rough. And I wanted my interview with Margaret to stay first post on my blog for an extra day :)

I made this today hoping for inspiration.
Well when blogger lets me upload images I'll upload it.
Unfortunately it's not working so far...

at least - not making me WRITE.

LOL
Michelle

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The Great and Wonderful....M

What in the world is Michelle going on about now? Changeling Press. I love this place (It's why I've contracted books with them -LOL) They PDF free stories for crying out loud! I have so much fun on those lists, that my husband will walk away from me as I recap the days adventures for him. He no longer wants to know which writer I've met or talked to me. And he's tired of M this M that. (They PDF free reads WHOOOT!!!)

I convinced the very generous owner (one of them :) to have a chat with me. I am in italics!

-- What types of stories are Changeling Press interested in?
M: We're looking for short, over the top hot Women's Erotica. Sci-Fi, Paranormal, and Action Adventure are our top genres, but we take just about anything but sweet contemporary. Short and hot are top priorities -- 10 to 25K for first submissions, and we only have one heat level, so turn it up!
(Like that is hard to do :) Crank up dat heat baby!)

-- What kinds of stories are you tired of seeing?
M: Honestly the only thing we DON'T want to see is stuff that doesn't fit our guidelines. It's got to fit one of the genres on the web site, at a minimum, (2 or 3 are good, too) and it's got to be HOT. No secret baby cowboy amnesiac brides, please. (Hurl) It's gotta have a love story. You can't kill the hero off in the last chapter for no reason. And if it's 110K, it better be a serial we can break into 4 parts.
(Can anyone see a secret baby cowboy amnesiac bride that shifts into a cougar and devours her husband in a bizarre twisted ritual so that she can feed her offspring until her true love is reborn like a phoenix so he, the heroine, and their triplets can start their plan to take over the world in Michelle's future?)

-- What throws up an immediate red flag in a submission?
M: OH! I get to rant? Yeah, I've got one MAJOR red flag. We don't take Male Lesbian Porn. We're never gonna publish male lesbian porn. Or anything with underage heroines involved. And if it's bad enough, we might just turn it over to the FBI.

-What words of advice do you have for authors?
M: Eat. Sleep. Drink lots of water. We're mostly all ADD and or obsessive compulsive types. We get so wrapped up in the book we forget everything else. Yeah, I want your books. But I want more than one. If you don't take care of YOU you can't take care of me.

-What words of advice do you have for editors?
M: Drink more. Baileys is good.

-Do you like long walks in the rain lol (JUST KIDDING)
M: Do you like Pina Coladas?

--You keep Shelby separate from M right?
M: Sorta. Not really. I've never tried to HIDE Shelby from anyone in RL. (Real Life) I started out writing under Margaret Riley. When T/J convinced me to try writing Erotica I used a pen name to keep the two separate because Shelby wrote SOO much hotter than Margaret. But then Shelby outsold Margaret's lifetime earnings in her first paycheck, and Margaret retired as an author and I didn't care any more. Shelby writes. Margaret Edits. And does Production and stuff. I generally carry two name tags with me to panel discussions depending on which persona should be speaking, but I've never made any pretense that Shelby was anyone other than my alter ego. If I did she'd knock me about the ears w a big stick. Vicious creature, Shelby is...
(lol)

Here's a parting thought for you to share with readers who're nervous about submitting things to a publisher -- any publisher. A Submissions Editor has ONE responsibility -- she buys books. She's not looking for reasons to reject your book. She's not looking for ways to make your life miserable asking you for pointless rewrites. Her job is to acquire new books -- and more importantly new authors, who will write many more books. If a Submissions Editor tells you your submission was good, but not quite what she's looking for, and tells you why, pay attention. Write something that IS what she's looking for, and try again. If she asks for a revise and resubmit, she really likes this story, but it's not quite right for this house as is. Don't blow it off. Give her what she's asking for. Because she had to read 30 or more submissions that were soo NOT what she was looking for -- most of which did not meet the submission guidelines -- before she got to yours. You've got something she could get excited about. Give her a reason to be excited all over again.

YAY
so honest and yet fun and friendly. Gotta love when your employer is all that and a bag of chips.

http://www.changelingpress.com/


Those free PDF reads?


Even if you aren't interested in writing for changeling, you will want to come play on the chat loop so you don't miss all our fun!!

Michelle

New Release - Witchy Woes: Candace


WITCHY WOES Book 2: CANDACE by Michelle Hasker
Genre: Torrid Romance Paranormal
EBook formats ISBN: 978-1-60313-179-7
Rating: Erotic Romance - Explicit


Blurb:
When a spell to undo harm goes awry, six witches find themselves knocked out by a powerful spell cast by the newest member of their coven, and things start to go terribly wrong for everyone. Candace wakes on the beach staring at the man of her dreams. The problem? He hates witches and thinks that if he can convince her to give up her magic, the world would be a safer place. Too bad she�s so hot for him it's hard to keep her hands to herself.

Buy Link


Michelle

Monday, April 14, 2008

Maniac Monday

I'm having a good day!

Thank you everyone who voted for my story.
Irish Dreams was picked for the 5 Heart Sweetheart

http://theromancestudio.com/

YAY
Michelle
www.michellehasker.com

Thursday, April 10, 2008

What's with Michelle?

Her laptop CHARGER kicked Monday. Her back up charger kicked Tuesday at 9AM. Michelle is borrowing her hubby's mac. WOAH is it different from a PC. Plus no word on here. No tracking changes on NeoOffice.
BUT it opens my Word documents :)

For Wacky Wednesday yesterday, I'd wanted to post this:
(I really enjoyed this dance LOL)

I don't think my daughters and I have ever cheered as loudly as we did after this performance. I knew it wasn't enough cha cha to please the judges, but I am so glad they did the dance :)

Michelle
(Wandering around in limbo without her laptop :( )

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Reviews-the good, the bad, the ugly

Some days we get really good reviews and some days we don't. Sometimes we get reviews that make us wonder if the reviewer actually even read the story. And usually an author won't talk about bad reviews. We don't want to upset a reviewer. You know what, if someone doesn't like a book, that's okay. We can't all like everything. But sometimes I see things and want to respond to them. I got two reviews like that today. Reviews I want to respond to.

I want to say that I did email and thank these reviewers. They spent time reading my books and writing reviews. And since they didn't enjoy my stories it must not have been much fun. I do appreciate all feedback, even if it hurts or I don't agree with it. Below are the reviews. My comments are in italics.

I had a review from Jerr for Witchy Woes: Tamara -
Rating: 3 Stars
Heat level: S
While I learned more about the Wiccan religion in Witchy Woes: Tamara, I didn’t really like the way the story was written. I did catch a glimpse of the plot but it didn’t meet the needs of Dante and Tamara. There was little insight to the main characters’ past but I found it wasn’t necessary. (Fair enough. Since this was a novella it is shorter than a full length story, and some people like more backstory.) It comes across that Tamara knows she is dying of cancer and after watching her father grieve for her deceased mother, would never willingly put a love one in that situation. I began to wonder what kind of firefighter Dante was since he didn’t have the normal two on/three off shift as most firefighters. (I was not aware that all firefighters had to have the same schedule. My brother being an exfirefighter, and my father being ex-firepolice turned EMT, I never thought that I'd be told I didn't know what shift my hero should work. In my town firefighters are actually volunteer and only go to work when there is a call. What about the 'panama schedule'? 2 days on and then 3 off followed by 3 on and 2 off so you have every other weekend off. I also know some firefighters who work 4 days on and 4 days off and others who work 2 on and 2 off. I don't think less of the volunteers than of those who work 4 days on and 4 off. Or 2 on and 3 off. It's different depending on where you are in the world.) I didn’t notice much sexual chemistry- it was more of you were meant to be mine. The sex was not hot or spicy, but sensual. I was glad that it didn’t come across as forced given the little time Dante and Tamara have known each other. The secondary characters were described in details with the understanding their story will be told later…maybe. (No maybe. The entire series was on the coming soon schedule at WCPT as early as 2007.) While Witchy Woes: Tamara wasn’t my caramel latte, those who enjoy reading stories involving the Wiccan religion will certainly enjoy this story. (I did have a few good reviews from some people, but am well aware that not everyone is going to like my story. And that is okay. Really. I am just a little puzzled that my firefighter not meeting a specific work scheduled rated a mention in my review.)

Review for Agency: Serpent's Kiss from JERR -
Rating: 3 Stars
Heat level: H
I will say Serpent’s Kiss is very well written, so much so that it seemed too real for my tastes. (I will say thank you for that. I knew that the hero could be disturbing to some.) However, I didn’t like the characters very much. Kim seemed more a mystery until the major revelation about her comes about. John seemed to enjoy watching the snake execute his enemies just a little too much for comfort. I know that he was pretending to be a drug lieutenant working his way to the top and had to rule by fear, but he always made bets on how many minutes they’d live after the snake crawled up their legs and that just freaked me out. John also enjoyed describing exactly what was happening to the victims’ bodies as the snake killed them. This graphic carnage could be upsetting to some.  The plot is very good with many twists, turns and surprises. (Thank you :) ) A few of the sex scenes are unusual, including a sex scene in shifted form that may upset sensitive readers. (I do not recall writing any scene where they have sex where Kim is in snake form. She shifts into human form while in bed with John and they make love. She immediately reverts back to snake as he's waking and slithers off. She needs to maintain her cover. Trust me, she'd rather have stayed in bed. I hate beastality and I would not include that in my story.) Sometimes the language is a little coarse, especially when John has a disturbing a wet dream about Kim. If you enjoy realistic action and adventure, you’d probably enjoy this. (Thank you :) )

So - if any of you wanna read a story with a firefighter on an odd schedule and a snake shifter with a bad guy hero I modeled after The Master from Doctor Who, give my stories a try :)

Michelle

Tuesday Tidbit

My buddy Selena is having a contest! and she recommended Irish Dreams. Yay - I'm so happy :)

go check out her contest and you can scroll down to read her reviews of Spaceport: Bounty by Dawn Montgomery and Irish Dreams by me :)

Thanks Selena!!

Michelle

Maniac Monday

Well it was a Maniac day! My charger went and I had to use the back up. That one decided to stop working today. I am laptopless *bawls

fun stuff?
My 3 year old is running around yelling "Fire in the hole!" I think he's saying hole not hold not sure it's cute. He follows it up by throwing something. *sighs. too much poptropica my oldest daughter says. That is some place they play online at.

So Michelle's online time will be limited as we're down to one puter with online capabilities. ARGH.

I rearranged my husband's desktop, changed his background and screen saver and settings in folders. I reconfigured his task panel at the bottom of the screen and I plan on doing more damage. I hope he gets me a new charger soon (as I'd bought the last one and obviously did a poor job of it.)

Michelle

Friday, April 04, 2008

Friday Flash


This is an older start. Something I'd written about three years ago. I remember my inital plot, but I can't remember who the hero was. LOL

Rebecca tugged on the impossibly short skirt while trying to juggle a tray of drinks that table ten was waiting impatiently for.

Weaving her way through the crowded floor she cursed the circumstances and her friend Shar for making her take this job.

“Hey, honey!” A male called out as he tried to grab her arm.

“I’ll be with you as soon as I deliver these drinks. Thank you for being patient.”

He blinked and hesitated for a few seconds before reaching for her again.
Rebecca sighed and sidestepped around him as she hurried over to table ten. Apparently being nice wasn’t going to cut it with this job.

She served the drinks and spun around to return to the bar when the same man grabbed her arm.

“Let go of me,” she hissed trying to pull her arm free.

“My friend told me that the women here were more than accommodating.”

“I’m not one of those women. Go find someone else to harass.”

“You like to play hard to get, is that it?”

“I don’t play at all.”

Rebecca managed to get free and she hurried over to the bar. She set the tray down on the bar and tried to still her rioting nerves. If she didn’t need the money so desperately she’d never have agreed to work here.

“What’s the matter, honey?”

Rebecca gave her friend a weak smile.

“How do you put up with all these pawing men?”

“You just need to learn how to wiggle away faster,” Shar laughed. After a few days you’ll see who could cause a problem and how to avoid them before they start.”

“You better be right.” Rebecca frowned as she watched the man hit on another waitress.

“We have bouncers for a reason, Becca. Don’t hesitate to call one if you need to.”
Rebecca nodded and rose as the bartender handed her a full tray.

“Break time over.”

“It gets better honey. Trust me.”

Rebecca sighed as she rose and turned toward table eleven. How could this get any better?
*****
“Quitting time, isn’t it?” One of the bouncers asked as he leaned against the bar.

“Is it?” Rebecca glanced at her watch. “Yes, thank heavens it is quitting time.” She slid her tray onto the bar. “How did you know anyway?”

“It’s my job to know.” He smiled and signaled the bartender. “Give her a drink before she leaves, put it on my tab.”

“Thanks.” Rebecca smiled her first genuine smile of the night. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Hank.”

“Thanks, Hank.”

“Anytime.” He winked at her before turning his attention back to the girls on the stage. “Looks like duty calls again.”

Rebecca asked for a bottle of water. When the bartender brought it back he gestured to a small empty table near the door.

“Why not go have a seat and relax before you leave.”

“Thanks.” Rebecca glanced at her watch. “I have a few minutes to kill before my ride gets here anyway.”

“Have a good night!” He called as she grabbed the water and headed for the table.

Rebecca sank into the vinyl seat and sighed as she kicked off the mandatory high heels. Only a man could derive pleasure from a woman wearing three inch spikes as she served him a cold beer.

Michelle

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Author Shout Out - Shelby Morgen


Cardboard Hero (with Wild Geese)
by Shelby Morgen
cover art by ReneƩ George

ISBN (13): 978-1-59596-658-2

Genre(s): Paranormal, Action/Adventure, Collections

Length: Novel

Author Blurb: Ewan MacKenzie. A dangerous man. In control of almost every situation -- except the woman who haunts his fantasies.

A desperate woman who has found her hero. He’s perfect. The embodiment of every fantasy Tory’s ever written. There’s only one little problem. Tory writes sweet romances. Her perfect lover’s not anatomically correct! That’s a problem she should be able to solve. But how do you describe a penis?

Cardboard Hero: a Contemporary-Paranormal-Romantic-Suspense that takes a satirical look at the mind of a writer. You might want to visit, but you don’t want to live there. Trust me.

This release includes the companion to Cardboard Hero: Wild Geese, Tory’s book.
Scotland
The Year of Our Lord 1749
Captain Ewan MacKenzie. A man with a price on his head. They called him the Gray Ghost. Untraceable. Unstoppable.

One woman would attempt what the entire English Navy couldn't manage. Riona Chattan-Campbell vows she'll stop at nothing to avenge her husband's death. Now only one thing stands between her and her goal -- she’s falling in love -- with the enemy.

I wanted to make this my wacky wednesday post because the only thing wackier than your muse coming to life (I've written that already) is to have your hero and plot come to life. WOO HOO. How fun is that?

Cardboard Hero was a story I read in one sitting. I totally enjoyed it and can see why it has such great reviews. Serious and funny and sexy all wrapped up in one great story. The heroine was so much fun to read, and the hero - either of them - so yummy!

Shelby Morgan is a force to be reckoned with, and I for one can't wait to sink my greedy fingers into more of her stories!

You really won't be disappointed with this one :)

Michelle

Reviews! lots of them

YAY I have some yummy reviews to post for you all :)

Irish Dreams:
Rosalynne from The Romance Studio gave Irish Dreams 5 hearts.

I absolutely loved this story! I have not read a tale this captivatingly charming in a very long time. It had a bit of all the elements that to this reader make a story perfect - a smart, sensibly sexy heroine; the dark, mysterious, gorgeous hero; a well balanced mix of love and lust; beautifully written passionate scenes...all mixed together with that little bit of magic that is Ireland. More than worth the time spent reading. I will definitely be recommending this tale to others.

To see the entire review, click here.

Tarot Cards! at FAR from Stephanie B.
Synchronicity One - 5 Angels
All of the stories are entertaining and unique; no two tales are alike. ....If you enjoy quirky tales, Tarot readings, hot sex scenes, and emotional romances, you will enjoy the set of tales in this anthology!
Entire review: FAR

Synchronicity Two - 4 Angels
All of the stories are erotic in nature and all are about the things that occur around the main character getting the tarot card reading from Abigail. There is a volume 3, and I intend to read it too. This is a fun and entertaining set of anthologies!
Entire review: FAR

Michelle

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Tuesday Tidbit

I've been a naughty girl this week so far about writing.

On sunday night my one daughter had an allergic to something. I dunno what. I'm just thrilled she didn't have a reaction severe enough to have trouble breathing. Hey she's got asthma and severe allergies. I worry a lot. baby her too much I am told. ANYWAYYYY

She still has hives. We've been giving her benadryl every 4 hours and lotion for the itching. Fortunately her hands and feet are no longer swollen, but the doctor doesn't want to put her on steroids just yet. I'm not sure why they are waiting. She's been on prednisone before and she's had the hives for 48 hours sun-mon and mon-tues so I think 48 hours LOL They want to wait two more days and then we can try that. They are worried the steroids will make her more succeptible to illness. I'll put her in a damn bubble if they can take away her itchy hives LOL

off to give her lotion

Michelle