Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Alternate Movie Universe Posters


If you're a child of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, you have to check out this link for a re-imagined look at classic movies if they had been filmed in those eras!

Monday, January 30, 2012

P J Dean is my Guest Author Tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio!

PJ Dean will be my Guest Author tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio. Come listen as she reads from her sci-fi IR romance THE FELIG CHRONICLES from Extasy Books.

Show time is 11 pm et/ 10 pm ct/ 8 pm pt

Don't miss it!

***
An alien race (The Felig) has invaded Earth. To live, they must absorb a human completely or siphon off the human's life energy. They can shape shift too. When the story opens, the Felig have been here for several years. The world population lives in a state of total paranoia. No one can trust anyone because no one knows who anyone really is. My African-American heroine and Caucasian hero, Tina and Nate, meet at a time of mutual need. Both have secrets that they want to remain hidden otherwise these secrets might break apart the fledging union.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Dear Linda - re: The Battle Lord Saga

Dear Linda (or is it really Gail?),

First, I just read your 7 rules for Romance books and I agree with every one. These days there are very few Romance authors whose works I read and even some of them have "jumped the shark." I
notice this most often happens when they are picked up by the large publishing companies and/or when their books begin to first be offered in hard back.

I am re-reading the Battle Lord saga to get ready for #4 (cannot wait; will it be Feb. or March?), and there is one thing that always bothered me: the fates of Atty's mother and little sister. I know that Atty's life has been one crisis after another, but there was been no closure on this issue. Will it ever be addressed? I am not trying to act like an editor, I just want to know.

Have a great day. Hold to your convictions regarding your rules; we appreciate your committment.

***
Hi!

It's really Linda. Gail is my middle name and Smith is my maiden name, hence my choice of pseudonym when I write horror.

It looks like Battle Lord #4 will be later this year. Oh, and just to let you know, there will also be a book 5 (already outlined). ;) My external hard drive is at Geek Squad where I hope they can rescue my current WIPs. In the meantime, I've done no writing since Sept. :( My school's demands on my time and energy are becoming impossible to keep up with, and I come home after 9 and 10-hour days totally drained and brain dead. :( But the good news is I've been trying to come up ways to get back into the swing, and I think they're working! :D

As for Atty's mom and sister...hehehehehe. ;) Trust me, I haven't forgotten that loose thread (although I've had people argue with me that life isn't always tied up so neatly at the end.) Well, this is my book, and I don't leave such threads behind. 

Thank you for your correspondence. You're such a day-brightener!

Friday, January 27, 2012

The Hotel Door Lock


This is sheer genius. Instead of messing with a deadbolt or chain, or even a slide lock to lock yourself inside your hotel room, pull the knob in! This kind of door lock is already being utilized in Europe. I hope it makes it over in the U.S. soon.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

What if Smurfs Were Real?


The Smurf is actually the result of a symbiotic relationship between two organisms. We believe that Smurfs put their  'embryos' in the button of a developing mushroom. From a  distance, Smurfs seem like they are wearing a hat and pants but as you can see this is a fallacy. The fungus provides camouflage and protective epidermal layers for the creature, while the creature provides nutrients and mobility for the spreading of spores.

Smurfs are believed to be a hunter gatherer society. As you can see, this little guy is returning from a successful venture. It is generally difficult to spot a Smurf; they are very apprehensive and cunning. Sadly though, it is rumored that they are hunted for their medicinal properties. It's hard to determine but it is thought that there are not many colonies of Smurf left.

(Original post here.)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Continents


And while we're at it, how about the continents on an apple?


Monday, January 23, 2012

Helen Henderson is my Guest Author Tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio

Helen Henderson will be my guest author tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio.  She will be reading from her fantasy romance novel Windmaster, from Champagne Books.

Show time is 11 pm est/ 10 pm ct/ 8 pm pt

Don't miss it!

* * * * 
Windmaster is a romance-filled, action-packed fantasy described by one reader as a fascinating story that will keep you up all night turning the pages. Revenge set Ellspeth, captain of Sea Falcon, on the path to her destiny, but prophecy controlled the journey. Despite his insolent attitude, she is attracted to the dark-haired dockworker she hires to help unload the vessel's cargo. When the supposed dockhand reveals he is Lord Dal, the last member of the Council of Wizards, and her passenger, Ellspeth breaks a cardinal rule--fraternizing with the paying customers. Bringing him back from near-death releases Ellspeth's latent powers and threatens her captaincy. For to have magic she must give up the sea.

Dal has his own reasons for Ellspeth to embrace her powers. In accordance with an ancient prophecy, Dal allows Ellspeth to be handfasted to him without her knowledge or consent. However, the prophecy doesn't state whether she will return his love. A likelihood threatened as the deception is unveiled and Dal is captured and stripped of his powers by fanatical clerics bent on ridding the world of magic and those who wield it.

Trapped within the Oracle's Temple and marked for sacrifice, Ellspeth must choose between her own survival, saving the future of magic... or love.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Disney Heroes by David Kawena


You have to check out David Kawena's artistic conceptions of various Disney heroes. Not only will you see them in a whole new perspective, but I think they're good enough to grace some romance novels!

Friday, January 20, 2012

My New Keyboard


While I'm waiting for Geek Squad to perform miracles and rescue my WIPs, I bought a new keyboard. One with BIG LETTERS on it for my poor eyes, and a colorful one, to boot!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Voting is Open Over at the Love Romances Cafe!

Hey, Everyone!

Voting is now open over at the Love Romance Café. My sci-fi romance CAPTIVE SURRENDER is up for best sci-fi/futuristic, and I would love to have your vote. (Only one vote is allowed per poll, but there are several polls, if you’d like to check them out.)

 

 Thanks so much!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Matthew Lang is my Guest Author Tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio!

aDon't miss tonight's episode of "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio! Matthew Lang will be my guest author, and he'll be reading an excerpt from his homo-erotic, paranormal romance, The Secret of Talmor Manor, from MLR Press.

Show time is 11 pm et/ 10 pm ct/ 8 pm pt

***

After a mysterious package arrives on Jake’s doorstep, he starts having very strange dreams: when he falls asleep he finds himself in a dilapidated English Manor inhabited by a number of ghosts who believe he can free them from their eternal existence. But when the Lord of the Manor appears in Jake’s living room, Jake finds himself facing some very difficult questions. What should he do about the attraction between him and this turn of the century living ghost? Why is someone trying to kill them in their dreams? And what should he wear to the upcoming Halloween party?

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Six on Sunday - HIS LAST REQUEST

Six paragraphs from HIS LAST REQUEST
An erotic apocalyptic, sci-fi romance (Christmas theme)

If you had only one more day to live, what would you do?

Corwin knows. And no one and nothing is going to stop him from the telling the woman he has loved silently and from afar how much he cares for her.
****

1. 
Corwin stared down at himself. The fresh blue t-shirt he'd donned before coming over here was already soaked with sweat, as were his jeans. Perspiration rolled down his face, and his head felt like it was going to explode. Standing in the meager shadow provided by the porch did little to keep the stifling heat from penetrating all the way to the marrow of his bones, to suck out every last drop of moisture from his body. There was no wind. It was over one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit, and climbing. And it was around the middle of December, a week before Christmas.
2.  Holding out the handful of silk flowers, Corwin watched as she glanced down at them. "I came to give you these and wish you a Merry Christmas. And to tell you goodbye." 
3. "Because I wanted you to know I care very much about you. I wanted you to know I'm not like those other guys you've dated or been engaged to, like that Dennis creep who gave you more weepy days than happy ones, and couldn't care less that you like ginger tea and PayDay candy bars. I want to prove to you that there is someone who won't treat you like crap just to make themselves look important. I want to show you that you deserve to be loved and cherished. And that person..." He pointed to himself. "...is me."
4. To his surprise, Sadie gave a soft moan and opened her mouth to touch his with the tip of her tongue. Corwin felt his walls of resistance crumbling. And when her hand pressed against his chest, then slowly began to make its way down to the front of his jeans, his whole body began shaking.
5. Silently, she began peeling off her sleeveless blouse. There was a sense of urgency to her movements, and he understood why. She began jerking the top sheet off the bed while he finished undressing and joined her. 
6. She took a shaky breath. "Why now, Corwin? Why did I have to find you now? Why was I such an idiot before? We could have had so many days of happiness. We could have been planning on having a future together." 

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Incredibly Beautiful Locations


Next time you're wondering where to go on summer vacation, click this link to see some incredibly beautiful locations to consider.

Friday, January 13, 2012

6-Word Short Stories

6-word short stories
  • For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
    -Ernest Hemingway
  • Machine. Unexpectedly, I’d invented a time
    -Alan Moore
  • Lie detector eyeglasses perfected: Civilization collapses.
    -Richard Powers
  • The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly.
    -Orson Scott Card
  • Longed for him. Got him. Shit.
    -Margaret Atwood
  • Epitaph: Foolish humans, never escaped Earth.
    -Vernor Vinge
  • It’s behind you! Hurry before it
    -Rockne S. O’Bannon
  • Don’t marry her. Buy a house.
    -Stephen R. Donaldson
  • I’m dead. I’ve missed you. Kiss … ?
    -Neil Gaiman
  • Dorothy: “Fuck it, I’ll stay here.”
    -Steven Meretzky
  • Automobile warranty expires. So does engine.
    -Stan Lee
  • From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings.
    -Gregory Maguire
  • TIME MACHINE REACHES FUTURE!!! … nobody there …
    -Harry Harrison
  • Bang postponed. Not Big enough. Reboot.
    -David Brin
  • Gown removed carelessly. Head, less so.
    -Joss Whedon

(Originally found here.)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Living in an Old Cement Factory



This trendy home was once a cement factory. The abandoned cement factory was discovered in 1973 and converted to this upscale home by architect Ricardo Bofill. The renovation took two years. The home contains various plants including cypresses, olive trees, palms, and eucalyptus. It serves as Bofillo’s apartment, exhibition space, model laboratory, archives, and architectural office. His renovation included exposing previously concealed structures, cleaning cement and demolishing some structures.

Go here to see all of the amazing photos of the interior!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Roberta DeCaprio is my Guest Author Tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio!

Roberta DeCaprio is my guest author tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio. She will be reading from her magical, time travel, fantasy romance novel Altered Journey, from ZLS Publishing.

Show time is 11 pm et/10 pm ct/8 pm pt
Don't miss it!

****
Meet Guylan Sincloud, a Druid able to travel through time, and Nela O’Riley, a young woman able to change the future. Both inheritants of magical gifts, the destined couple must use their gifts in order to achieve satisfaction for both themselves and their families. However, changing the past and future by resurrecting the dead and preventing death, alters the present. Is this worth possibly sacrificing Guylan and Nela’s relationship?

After all, in some families, not even death is final.
    

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Six on Sunday - CUT GLASS: JEWELS, BOOK 2 - RUBY


An erotic urban fantasy romance
by Linda Mooney

Cutler and David are reunited, and this time they will fight anyone who tries to separate them again. But when someone steals shards of defeated jewels, word is that an underground faction is trying to re-grow the deadly entities from those pieces. Cutler and David are assigned to help recover those shards before that can be accomplished. Because if they fail, the number of jewels will increase to where the delicate balance between lapies and demons will be compromised.

After which the wholesale slaughter of mankind will be imminent.

Warning: Contains strenuous hiking, shower sex, a traitor, Strychnine poisoning, a secret apartment, bell jars, emotional torture, slaughter in a hospital, and a job offer he can't refuse.
****

1. 
They ate for another minute or two in silence. It was a comfortable interlude. They both needed the time to heal emotionally, and their companionship had always given them the chance to enjoy each other’s nearness. Finally, after being apart for so long, to be in each other’s company was like a long sought after wish being fulfilled. Coming back together was almost a healing in itself. It was like slipping on a comfortable article of clothing they had missed wearing. David reached across the table, palm up. Without hesitation, Cutler placed her hand in his and watched as he closed his fingers around it. That dainty hand could knock the ever-loving crap out of him. It could kill. It could do untold damage elsewhere. But he knew that deceptive-looking hand could also be incredibly gentle, as well as drive him sexually up the wall.
 

2. He smiled, his lips millimeters away from hers instead of inches. She could feel him breathing. The air from his nostrils feathered across her mouth. The urge to kiss him, the need to kiss him, ballooned within her. Hunger clawed at her heart. She had missed him so much, and to finally have him back was crippling her ability to concentrate. All she had to do was close her eyes and tilt her head back a tiny bit, and their mouths would connect. A small movement, the littlest effort, and...

3. “Because if our information is correct, the blue shard might be there. That’s the blue you defeated, Cut. If that diamond is actually there, you’re the only person who can identify it and be certain. And, hopefully, if there are any recreations of it, you might be able to spot the original, as well as tell us how the duplicates differ. In the meantime, I need you to heal up. You need to be a peak efficiency before you leave. As for you, Mr. Fellowes.” She gave David a steely glare. “You may have saved Cut after her battle with the blue, but from here on out things are going to get hairier. I know you worked homicide, and you’ve developed a thick skin, but are you prepared to face true horror on a regular basis?”

4. She grabbed the Walther and shoved it into her jeans pocket. Holding the bag of inert jewels in her teeth, she opened the door leading into the hallway. Double-checking to make sure it was safe, she grabbed David under the armpits and dragged him back to the office. With a little effort, she managed to hoist him out the window and get him back to the fence. Once she got him part-way under the fence, she backtracked to her swinging root, using the roof of the lab to give her the running start she needed to jump and snag it. Landing on the other side of the enclosure, she hurried back to pull him the rest of the way through, thankful he was unconscious. His limp, nearly lifeless condition made his body flexible enough to manage. 

5. She lifted the jacket lapel and smelled David's scent clinging to the fabric. She recalled how they sat in the back of the pickup, her arms around him as he pulled his coat over her shoulders to keep her from getting chilled. She had snuggled against him, her cheek on his chest. As she absorbed his warmth, she'd fallen asleep, lulled by the sound of his strong, steady heartbeat. With his scent wrapped around her, Cutler drifted into unconsciousness.

6. Christine started to answer when there was a soft groan. Cutler automatically looked over at where Bar lay sprawled against the small fridge. Redness smeared the front of the white appliance. It was the wrong move to make. From the corner of her eye Cutler saw the foot aiming for the side of her face. She ducked, but not fast enough. The wooden heel of Christine's boot smashed into her cheekbone, and the world exploded in black pain.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Remembrance



"Tom is a 1987 graduate of Southern Methodist University where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production with a minor in Photography. He carried out postgraduate work at the acclaimed School of Photographic Arts & Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology and earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography and Museum Practices, with an emphasis in Photographic Conservation." 

See the link for more incredible photos!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Scary Snowman


Imagine walking into your second-story bedroom to see this in the window!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

I Dare You to Watch this! Keepon Dancing to Spoon's "Don't You Evah"



My Keepon was originally developed as a therapeutic tool for autistic children who can be overwhelmed by face-to-face interactions. Last year, the creators teamed up with toy maker WOW! Stuff, which agreed to dedicate a portion of revenue to autism research. Toys "R" Us Inc. has exclusive rights to sell the robot.

I WANT ONE!

(Originally found here.)

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

CAPTIVE SURRENDER Has Been Nominated as Best Science Fiction Book by Love Romances Cafe!

I'm stunned. Love Romances Cafe has nominated my Carina Press book for Best Science Fiction for 2011!



Best Science Fiction/Futuristic/Dystopian Book

Amber Kell-Soldier Mine
Lena Austin-Sex World: Bodyguard
Belinda McBride-Uncommon Whore 2: If I Fall
Berengaria Brown-Raw Want
Lauren Dane-Goddess with a Blade
Michael Merriam-Last Car to Annwn Station
Linda Mooney-Captive Surrender
Marie Harte-Journeyman's Ride
Brannan Black- Wolfman Salvation Lynn Lorenz-Duty Bound
Stevie Woods-Cold Fear
L. Shannon- The Jade Prince
LA Witt-A Chip in his Shoulder

Monday, January 2, 2012

Dani Harper is my Guest Author Tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio!

We're starting 2012 with a bang! Dani Harper returns to "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio tonight to read an excerpt from CHANGELING DAWN, book 3 of her best-selling shapeshifter romance series from Kensington Brava!

Show time is 11 pm et/ 10 pm ct/ 8 pm et/ 7 pm Alaska time ;)

You don't want to miss it!

***
Never judge a man by his species.


Werewolf, monster – those are the names given her kind by the humans who hate them. Kenzie Macleod has spent her whole life hiding what she is, and she’s not about to open up to any man, even one as powerfully attractive as wildlife expert Josh Talarkoteen. But legend says that a Changeling cannot escape the call of her true mate, even in the wilderness of backcountry Alaska.
An isolated archeological site, a terrified Changeling cub, a secretive research center – as Kenzie and Josh face the ultimate betrayal, his obsidian eyes promise untold pleasure and hint at dark secrets of his own.