Tropical Storms and Brain Waves

So, I've been watching the weather lately, as one does when you live in the tropics, and taking note of the numerous tropical storms popping up like measles.  With the convenience of WIFI, and devices like the iPods and Pads, even the trusty Blackberry, I can feed my addiction of checking out the weather.  We'll not get into the other addiction I have, which is 'screen-addiction.'  That's a whole other story!

This year, like the last, we've quickly run through the alphabet with naming the storms and hurricanes.  We're all the way to the Ms with Maria breathing down our neck this very minute.  This time last year, we were closer to the Ps, and ran into Tomas at the end of October.  Ouch!

Anyways, so yeh, that's us in the middle where that angry little knot of red is glowering at us.  We got a precursor of it late last night, with cracking thunder and rain.  The only reason I knew this, was because I thought the AC unit was about to fall on my head.  So, after being rudely awakened by Maria's bellow, my brains weren't quite ready to go back into a coma.  What does it do?  Come up with a strange and quirky story which I ended up dreaming about.

I'm still not quite sure how I want to write this new story...it may very well end up as a short story, which is kinda new to me, since I'm not very good at short stories at all.  As for the genre, it's not going to be SF!!  What, you say?  Yeh, really...I'm thinking more along the lines of fantasy...like paranormal fantasy, maybe?  I took some notes earlier this morning, and had a read through.  You could say it's a sort of fairy tale gone wrong, in a good way, of course.  Then again, as I start writing it, it may just end up better as a storm-induced dream.  I'll know in a few days when I give it a tackle.  Funny, last year, when Tomas blew through and we were out of power for five days, I had a similar brain wave passing through my head.  I must drag out those notes and see what I can do with it.  I'm beginning to think that storms agree with my creative process.

Until then, my weather-addiction is fed hourly, and as I glance out the window, its a blustery and dark view with wind (thankfully) and spurts of fine rain.  I think it's time to stir up a nice cocktail and watch the rains commence...oh, wait, it's only 9am... I suppose I could wait a few more hours...

Cheers!

Another PDF Is Up For Grabs!

Still wanna win a PDF of The Master Key?  Well, since I'm feeling particularly generous, click on over to Miscellaneous Ramblings and scroll down to see the rules.  It's that simple.

The event lasts until September 9, so you have fair chance to win.

Good luck!

Six Sentence Sunday - Sept 4

Six Sentence Sunday time again!  Once more, a short snippet from the newly released The Master Key.

Here we have an interesting situation.  John is intimidating a particularly nasty little individual.

“I don’t believe you could kill him. He’s very strong and skilled,” she persisted. “How did you kill him?”

He waited a beat, watching her. “With my hands. It was personal, you see.”

Involuntarily, she flicked her eyes to his hands. He’d mimicked her by clasping them before him, and could see her beginning to squirm under his close inspection. She unclasped her own hands, placed them at her sides, one fist balled tightly.

If you want to know a little bit more about The Master Key, click up to my Books tab above.

Thanks again to everyone who drops by to read these tasty snippets and leaving wonderful comments.

For anyone interested in participating, click to Six Sentence Sunday, and follow the rules. You can also check out the six sentence reads from the other participants.

Tweet about it too, use the #sixsunday hashtag.

Cheers!

The Writer's Vineyard Mega Contest

So, most of you know that every month I contribute some random words to The Writer's Vineyard blog.  Starting from next week, they'll be celebrating their fourth year, the authors at TWV are holding a Mega contest to give away over twenty of their top rated novels.

From Sept 5 through Nov 28, they will hold a drawing every Monday. The post for each Monday will announce which book is being given for that week, the rules, and who won the prior week. Come join us. Lots of ways to win, and while you're there, scan through our posts. We discuss the good, bad, and ugly of writing and the publishing experience.

And just a side note, my giveaway for a PDF copy of The Master Key, will be up for grabs on Monday November 14th.  Just saying...