My Dragon Army

Allow me to introduce my Dragon Army or as I affectionately call them, The Mystical Seven. ;-)

The newest recruit to join the ranks is Fury Infernicus Brimstone, a wishing dragon. Inside his chest beats a golden star that grants his chosen one all their dreams. Luckily for me, he's sworn his loyalty to me forever.

This relaxed fellow is Blazerous Coaldun-Mistrach. An amiable soul who rarely rouses from his dreams but when provoked, reduces any irritant to a pile of cinders. Blazerous is also known as guardian of the writerly cave.

 Smaller in scale but no less lethal, this feisty beast is Charconus Smee. A bit sensitive about his diminutive size, Charconus tends to sizzle first and ask questions later. His duties include guarding the sacred ink cartridges and ensuring all printer cables are not sabotaged by marauders.

 Wee Poof makes up the junior ranks while he excitedly awaits the grand day when he's able to produce his first flame. He's unable to assume any major assignments at this time but serves the purpose of tattling to command whenever the other dragons shirk their duties. Yes. Poof is not favored among the senior ranks.

 Raucous Firestrom is the founder of the army. As shown here, Raucous represents the core belief of the Mystical Seven: Never allow anyone to tell you you'll never make it. If you believe you can, you will.

 Seamus Puck is an agreeable soul able to see across the web of time and either nod or shake his head to predict the outcome of any venture.

And last but far from least is Virgilious Amoratio, better known as Virgil the Preener. He adores the ladies and never misses an opportunity to flaunt his colorful scales and belch sparkling flames.

By the way, the troops asked me to pass along that they're always looking to increase the ranks. Gifted dragons are always welcome but snakes and lizards need not apply. 

Don't get caught up in the "what if" game

February 18, 2011. Friday. A BIG day for me. I’ll always remember it. You see, on this wonderful day in my little world, I became “real”. My paranormal romance with The Wild Rose Press, BEYOND A HIGHLAND WHISPER launched into the world. Yay! It is released!

*Happy Sigh*

And then I start playing the “what if” game. I hope most of you aren't like me. I hope you’re so self-assured that nothing ever shakes you. But if you're not, then you know exactly how the game goes.

A wicked little voice whispers in your ear and nibbles away at any amount of self-esteem you ever thought about having. The voice plows through your fields of imagination, sowing noxious, stinging weeds.

1. What if nobody buys my story?
2. What if somebody DOES buy my story but doesn't like it?
3. What if I don’t get any reviews?
4. What if I DO get reviews but they’re bad ones?
5. What if I don’t do enough promo?
6. What if I do so much promo everyone cringes when they see my name?

You get the idea. I honestly believe in a previous life, I was a little dog who raced in circles snapping at his own tail. What will I do if I ever catch it?

Luckily, my husband and two daughters are all accustomed to this behavior. They shake their heads, roll up a newspaper and swat me. “Snap out of it! Look at everything you’ve accomplished. When are you going to start believing in yourself?” You should hear them.  The way they harmonize this mantra is very impressive.

I tell them I'll probably always be this way. Childhood demons and old habits die hard. Besides. Believing in me is THEIR job. I'm lucky they do it so well.

And since they are so very supportive, for their sakes, I will do my best to stop playing the "what if" game. I'm going to trade up and don a new and improved "whatever will be...will be" mindset. 

So. If you’d like a wee taste of my new story, here’s a bit for you to enjoy:

Beyond a Highland Whisper excerpt:


However, tonight Latharn was different. He didn’t go any further then the hungry possession of her mouth or the desperate, crushing embrace. Nessa sensed he needed this night to be different. His body tensed beneath her touch, he restrained his caress as if he wanted her to reason rather than just shatter into mindless bliss.

He raised his head and gazed into her eyes. Nessa flinched at the depths of pain and frustration etched in his face. He struggled, trying to communicate, to connect with her deepest emotions without the use of words. He took his palm, flattened it against his heart then placed it upon her chest. His brows drawn together in a questioning frown, he tilted his head and waited for a sign that she understood.

Her lower lip quivered at the very obvious gesture. Nessa whispered and covered his hand with hers. “Are you telling me you love me?” Her whisper caught in her throat.

One corner of his mouth pulled up into a relieved smile as Latharn nodded and brushed his lips across hers. He took a deep breath as though steeling himself against his own deepest fears. He took her hand and repeated the heart touching gesture from her chest to his. Then he raised a brow and awaited her answer, anxiety filling his eyes.

A lone tear escaped down her cheek as Nessa stared at her hand splayed upon his broad chest. “You know I love you,” she murmured with a moan. “I just wish that you were real.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, pulling her into his arms to cradle her against his chest. Holding her close, he stroked her hair as she gave way to tears.

Enjoy your days, my friends, and remember - whatever will be...will be! :-)

Buy Links:
The Wild Rose Press: http://tiny.cc/l68th
Amazon: http://tiny.cc/55d9j

Shh...Maeve doesn't know I'm on her computer

Hi everybody. Jasper here. I’ve gotta make this quick. Maeve’s cleaning up the kitchen and she doesn’t realize I’ve commandeered her laptop. Dang it. I wish the keyboard on this thing wasn’t so freakin’ sensitive. Please excuse any typos. Toshiba obviously DID NOT take into account the size of a fella’s paws.


In case you don’t know, I’m Maeve’s writing partner and I REALLY need your help. You see, Maeve reads all her stories aloud to me and I let her know what I think. Old Maeve’s pretty perceptive and not half bad as a writer –for a human. But her tales have one problem that I just can’t seem to get corrected. Would you believe that woman doesn’t put enough dogs in her stories? It’s criminal!

BEYOND A HIGHLAND WHISPER (coming in February from The Wild Rose Press) only mentions a dog one time when Nessa (the heroine) says dogs are the only creatures capable of unconditional love. My Maeve nailed that one. Even though I’m sometimes forced to pee in her house-shoes to punish her for leaving me home alone, I’m doing it because I love her. AND I’ll always love her, no matter what. But she only mentions dogs ONE TIME in that story.

Her other story, ETERNITY’S MARK,  is a little better. Hannah (the heroine) is a vet with an uncanny ability to know an animal’s thoughts. There’s a few more dogs in that story but not nearly enough to do us justice. By the way, ETERNITY’S MARK is the one she’s entered in some kind of contest. I think she called it Writing With the Stars? If you go to this link: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/content/writing-stars-vote-best-back-cover-blurb  and vote for her, I would really appreciate it. Around here, if Maeve ain’t happy –NOBODY’S happy. She gets too quiet and wanders off into the woods when she's sad. Then I have to go find her and act like some sillly pup just to make her smile. You understand.

And one more thing, could someone please explain to me why it’s okay to pee on the trees in the yard but it’s NOT okay to pee on the fancy one that Maeve put in the house?

Whoops! Gotta go. I hear her heading this way. Remember, tell Maeve: MORE DOGS!