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Update: Dragons & Zombies

I’m happy to report I’m now about 2/3-3/4 finished writing the next dragon book, as of today. Yippee! If all goes as planned, this book (which still doesn’t have a title) will come out later this year.

On the zombie front… things are going well. The novella, titled SIMON SAYS, has been turned in to my editor. I’ve also been working on plotting at least two more novels with zombies in them. More news on that when I learn more myself.

Other than that, I’m working on recovering from a nasty stomach flu I must’ve caught over the long weekend. Living on the couch, writing on the laptop and watching lots of TV. Not my normal pastimes, but a nice break when I’m not feeling well. Plus, I’m getting a lot of writing done, which is always great.

Happy Memorial Day!

Wallpaper Wednesday

This image was inspired by something I’m working on right now… 

1600×1200 – 1280×1024 – 1024×768 – 800×600

Click on the size you want, then right click and “save as background” on most systems.

The Zombies Are Coming!

Did somebody say zombies? Yes, indeed, I’ve been writing a zombie novella for the past few weeks which will appear in a Brava anthology in January 2010. This is my first book for Kensington and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Especially as my story will be teamed with one by the lovely and talented, Zoe Archer.

My story for the anthology, tentatively titled “Simon Says” features an experiment gone horribly wrong, turning dead Marines into zombies. Special ops soldier, Simon, is the only person ever known to have survived a zombie bite, which makes him the perfect man to hunt them down. When the zombies close in on his former girlfriend, a Navy doctor, the lovers are reunited. They face the zombie menace together, forging a new relationship.

That’s it, roughly. It still needs a little polishing, of course. From what I understand the anthology will have two stories. The other is a zombie historical. (Those zombies sure do get around!)

Zoe describes her contribution to this anthology as follows:

“In THE UNDYING HEART, Major Sam Reed, a veteran of the Crimean War, is on the trail of the man who turned him into the living dead.  All Sam cares about is vengeance, until he crosses paths with Cassandra Fielding, a girl from his youth.  Cassandra’s a grown woman now, and hasn’t forgotten Sam, nor the infatuation she once had for him.  A strange twist of fate has put them on the same hunt, for the same black-hearted villain.  Cassandra is about to learn that this dark, dangerous Sam is not the boy she once adored.  And Sam discovers that being dead doesn’t protect him from falling in love.”

Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? Stay tuned for more news as it becomes available… and beware the zombies! >:-)

Pound for Pound Challenge

A conversation on my Yahoo group turned into a bit of a cheering session that led to a few of us signing up for the Pound for Pound Challenge. Basically, you pledge to lose X number of pounds (you decide what number X is), and General Mills will donate to food banks across America up to 1,000,000 pounds.

If you’re trying to lose weight, why not sign up? It costs you nothing and helps people. Plus, you might feel a little more compelled to actually lose that extra weight, so it’s a win-win situation! Sign up at: http://www.pfpchallenge.com/

Signing This Saturday!

May 16, 2009

Signing – Borders Books in Middletown, NY
2-6 p.m.

I’ll be there, along with my friends, New York Times Best Seller Jacquelyn Frank, Cat Johnson, Tilly Greene, Stella Price, Allie Boniface and Philippa Grey-Gerou. We’ll be at the Borders in the Crystal Run Mall from 2-6. Hope to see you there!

TV: David Tennant to Host Masterpiece

Dr. Who fans will be pleased to note that actor, David Tennant, also seen as a baddie in the Harry Potter movies, has been picked to host PBS’s Masterpiece Contemporary.

There is something oddly fascinating about his over-the-top portrayals. He’s sort of the contemporary William Shatner, but way cuter. I loved him as The Doctor (he was the tenth incarnation of the Time Lord) and I thought he was really ferocious in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as the patricidal Barty Crouch, Jr.

Here’s what the Associated Press had to say about this new development:

“Tennant will make his debut on the long-running public TV anthology this fall, its producing station, WGBH, announced Wednesday.

The 38-year-old Scottish actor, who follows past “Masterpiece” hosts such as Alan Cumming and Laura Linney, played the title role in the long-running BBC sci-fi series “Doctor Who.” His screen credits include “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”

“Masterpiece Contemporary” returns on the Public Broadcasting Service in October with “Endgame,” a drama about the final days of apartheid in South Africa starring William Hurt and Jonny Lee Miller. It premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The “Masterpiece” series began as “Masterpiece Theatre” in 1971, and now also encompasses “Mystery!” — a public TV fixture since 1980.”

Having grown up with Masterpiece Theatre, I have only one question… What would Alastair Cooke say?

Shuttle Set to Fix Hubble

From the NASA site:

“Space shuttle Atlantis will meet up with the Hubble Space Telescope today. The actual grapple of the telescope using the shuttle’s robotic arm is scheduled for 12:54 p.m. EDT as Atlantis soars 340 statute miles above the northeast coast of Madagascar. The telescope will be latched to a high-tech, “lazy Susan” device known as the Flight Support System for the duration of the servicing work. The STS-125 crew will perform five spacewalks to refurbish, restore and renew the Hubble Space Telescope. The first spacewalk is scheduled for Thursday.”

This is going to be exciting! Rembmer, NASA TV lets you watch live on the internet if you don’t have the channel. Very cool stuff happening today and tomorrow!

Tech Stuff: Laptop Internet Card

I am the proud new owner of one of those doohickeys that allows me to access the internet from my laptop, anyplace there’s a cell signal. I LOVE IT!

Okay, there are some limitations – including a slight reduction in speed and the necessity of having to have good signal strength, just like a cell phone call. You also pay per MB and in only one weekend, I managed to rack up the MB’s, I can tell you! I’m on a monthly plan that allows 5GB of usage, but knowing the way I surf and am constantly downloading and emailing large files, I’ll have to be careful how I alot my time.

I guess as I get used to it, I’ll learn how to use it more efficiently and work the plan to best advantage. In the meantime, I’m just happy I’ve finally joined the 21st century. I don’t know why I waited so long to get one of these things!

Happy Mother’s Day!

To all the moms out there, I hope you’re having a lovely day!