Realms of the Raven

Okay, I’m in for 2000 words a day in the Seventy Days of Sweat.

I’m starting with Texas Tea that I took apart yesterday because something that appeared didn’t really want to work. I’ve put a wordcount meter up for it under Writing in the right sidebar.

Also present is Sven - the DI… I mean coach… of the challenge…..

A writing challenge has been issued by Alison Kent, Larissa Ione, Stephanie Tyler, Jo Leigh and HelenKay Dimon. In the spirit of things like Na-No-Wri-Mo (National Novel Writing Month), the challenge is to spend the 70 days between July 8 and September 20 sweating out a set number of pages/words per day.

I’ve signed up for 1500 words a day. It’s a stretch for me because I have a lot of other stuff going on but we’ll see if I can make it. I have a lot of projects in the works so I NEED to get on a regular, productive schedule.

Reports are due on each Wednesday and Sunday. I’ll be reporting on my blog so everyone can see how I’m doing.

Read more about it and sign up here.

Today, in honor of the 4th of July, we held our annual Boom-A-Thon. Because we live a bit in the sticks, we host a yearly potluck party where a bunch of friends all converge with fireworks and fun. C and I think this is our 8th or 9th year of this party.

Preparation started a few weeks ago when I foolishly decided we should have the party, even while I’m on deadline and the evil day job was… less than optimal. Foolish me - yet I never seem to learn. A few days ago I began the cleaning frenzy (though C says it’s more of a cleaning jihad) and began to try to frantically regain enough of the house for ten friends or so.

Sigh. I’d say ‘never again’ except I’d not even believe myself, so I don’t think I’ll bother.

But I got the most important few rooms clean - the living room, kitchen and guest bathroom. My friend, Jo, came over early and helped me with the last bit of sweeping and cleaning - you know you have a real friend when, despite your description of the state of the house being “frat party aftermath”, they come over to help anyway. Thank you, Jo.

There was great food, great friends and lots of fireworks. An impressive array this year and only one small grass fire which C put out asap with the hose he had ready.

Morganator had a great time and was really well behaved. He lets out this hilarious cackle and almost dances when he’s thrilled. It made me laugh just to watch him.

Now C and I are both moaning that we hurt and ghad we’re old….. But it was fun!

Title: Here Kitty, Kitty
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Genre: Paranormal (Shapeshifter) Romance
Buy from: Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 1-59998-521-7

Angelina Santiago is somehow kidnapped and moved from Texas to North Carolina, only to wake up wearing just a sheet and ensconced in the home of Nikolai Vorislav, a hillbilly were-tiger.

Nik has been perfectly content with life - laying in the sun, swimming, playing with his food. It was all good. He never asked for the foul-mouthed houseguest that introduced herself by nearly bashing his head in with the top of his own toilet tank. Too bad his idiot brothers decided she could be a present for Nik and took care of delivering her to him.

Angie is stuck in the sticks and bemoaning the necessity of remaining there for the sake of her friends. But at least there’s decent shopping to be had and a hot, sexy were tiger….

I bought this book when it was first released by Triskellion (and only available for a little while - a few days if I remember correctly). Always a big fan of Shelly’s wolves, I was dying to see what she would do with a cat shifter and in no way have I been disappointed. This is probably my all time favorite of Shelly’s books.

The way the personalities of the were tigers are portrayed is SO feline and yet hillbilly human too. Each of the were species in Shelly’s books have such unique personalities that they have a very three dimensional aspect right from the start and their animal natures are completely believable.

The passage where Nik’s brothers present gifts to Angie cracks me up every time I read it. The sex is hot and spicy but I think I am most enamored of the way Nik learns to accept and love Angie for the extremely strong and self-sufficient woman she is.

And you can’t miss what Angie’s friends do to Nik when they rescue her!

I’m really happy to see this book re-released. Although my gloating at having a copy is now a thing of the past, more people can read and fall in love with this book.

(This time I had nothing to do with this book other than as a RFG - Rabid Fan Girl.)