It’s arrived! It’s finally here!

Spring has finally arrived. For those of you who are still in the frozen wastelands of the North, you have my sincere condolences. Here in the lovely South, spring is here. And all the pollen that will stir up my allergies, but who cares? The windows are open, the wind is blowing, laundry is drying on the line and the birds and children are noisy. I have never been more excited to see spring’s arrival as I have this year. This winter was tough on me (and the other ladies of LAW), physically, mentally and emotionally. But the warm weather has calm and peaceful and in the mood to clean. That’s right… clean. Spring cleaning is in full force here. I’ve already packed my trunk and backseat with stuff to take to the thrift store and filled up one of the outside trashcans.

Being of neo-pagan persuasion, I love recognizing the turning of the seasons. Most pagans claim Samhain (Halloween) as their new year. For me, Eostre (Ostara or Vernal Equinox) is the beginning of the year. This time of the earth’s renewal and the return of the migratory birds fills me with joy and happiness. My ritual to welcome this wonderful time of year begins with spring cleaning. After which, I’ll smudge the house with sage, renew the protective wards and make my resolutions for the coming year. I’ll pull out eggs and let my kids decorate to their hearts’ delight. Finally, I’ll prepare a light spring feast for my family and friends, and the adults will hide eggs for the children to find.

Now you know how I celebrate this beautiful season. How do you celebrate?

Sometimes being a superhero is a tough gig. Seriously. Sometimes, just like everyone else– you get burned out, tired, and bored. People tell you how wonderful it must be to be you, yet you wonder what part of delusion they ride on. Yet, let’s be honest– the ideal of being a superhero appeals to us all. Why?

There’s the idea of righting wrong, taking care of the things that as regular mortals we can’t, and the idea of someone looking up to us in admiration. (I admit it– I write cuz I do and the fact that people like my stuff keeps me going!) Yet there’s more to that. Sometimes in life, we feel that we aren’t strong enough, aren’t good enough, just…aren’t enough period to make a difference in one person’s life much less many. So, we think that if we had super powers, we could use them to benefit so many people.

Growing up, I always knew I was different. Reading comics such as X-Men, Justice League, and others helped me to feel more accepted internally since externally I was an outsider. In my own way, I began emulating the superheroes I read about. Their ups and downs and mine followed a similar path as I grew up. But there was more–I realized they truly made a difference in the world and still–I felt helpless.

Then in 80s, Band-Aid and Live-Aid came about and in that moment, I had an epiphany that’s lasted every year since. Give to charities that can do the bigger things while I do the smaller things to make a difference. So began my 2 decade gifting to organizations that truly are superheroes. In fact, seeing famous people also giving of their time and effort reinforced the fact I was doing what was right for me.

Then as everyone knows, my first muse- my mom passed away in January of this year. But my mom was also a superhero. *smiles softly* She took care of those less fortunate. Volunteering at her local senior center and even while ill with lung cancer, Mom helped out others by taking them grocery shopping when they had no other way and by listening to those who just needed a shoulder to lean on. My mom, the superhero. Growing up I didn’t see her uber-human abilities, but I always knew she had strength beyond that which I comprehended. Through the years, I saw my mom both as human and more than human. The past seven months with her fight against the lung cancer that finally conquered her lungs, I saw the true power of my mom. She wasn’t afraid of dying, she wasn’t afraid of living, she just wanted us to be loved and taken care of. At her passing, she was still a superhero.

How do we live the superhero life when we’re limited by our lack of superhuman skills? We help those unable to help themselves, we fight for what’s right for mankind, we take the hard path because it’s the right one, and we remember that even superheroes enjoy themselves in those moments of peace and prosperity.

Be a superhero– stand up for what’s right. Help others. Read a book to others or read one for the pleasure it gives you. Stand up and be counted. Acknowledge the blessings and gifts you were born with. Sometimes what we consider a curse is truly a superhero power in disguise.

I am so thrilled with the reviews for The Shimmering Flame, my first Terran Realm story for LSB.

From Steph B. of The Romance Studio . . .”…a fascinating tale. Even though it is set in the modern day, so much of the story has to do with the past and the ancient people that it reads more like a historical in many sections. But it isn’t like a time-travel, you are aware they are in the present with all of the technology too. I love the classic good verses evil battle theme…. I can’t wait to see what will happen next in the sixth book of this series.” Overall rating: 4.5 hearts Sensuality rating: Explicit

And from Kyraninse of Night Owl Romance . . .”If you like your heroines feisty and your fantasy red-hot, this is a gem that you shouldn’t miss…Jeanne Barrack spins a wondrous tale and has a deft hand with characterization. Brigid is a believable, likable heroine and Ethan and Gabe are truly the stuff of which dreams are made of.”
Reviewer Top Pick
“The Shimmering Flame” available at: http://www.terranrealm.com/
Visit at: http://www.jeannebarrack.com
http://www.loose-id.com/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=29
http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/
http://www.collector-series.com

I’m a huge fan of science fiction. Have been since I can remember. So I’m thrilled to announce my release of Spaceport:Bounty from Changeling Press.

ISBN (13): 978-1-59596-936-1

Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi , Erotic Romance

Theme(s): Interracial, BBW, Men and Women in Uniform, Spaceport

Series: Spaceport

Length: Novella

No one knows better than Alexis Donovan how the universe turns around IAS patrols. You play or you’re spaced. When she’s given an offer she can’t refuse, she has no choice but to bring in the bounty, alive. A mark’s a mark, right? But what’s a girl to do when the man she has to bring in is the man who haunts her sleep at night?

A courier exchange gone wrong has sent Mack Hernandez into a whirlwind of chaos. Torn from the family he tried to save and thrust into Spaceport Adana, he does what he can to survive. An incredible encounter… or two… with a bounty hunter has him walking a fine line between life and death. What starts out as a struggle for freedom between the two sends them careening headfirst into a cover-up big enough to blow the Haze patrol sector apart.

When the heat turns on and the adrenaline rides high, can they keep their hearts strong and steady?

Here’s a free read about their first encounter.   Enjoy!

Dark Elves I: Taken and Dark Elves II: Mastered are now available in print at Amazon.

Buy it at Amazon

Blurb for Dark Elves I: Taken:

Diana is infuriated, humiliated… insanely aroused. Who do these black-skinned, white-haired, sex-oozing devils think they are making her into a broodmare and sex-slave? She won’t do it. Who cares if the damned elves were created as sex toys for a goddess? Or if each and every dark elf that visits her is a well-trained, exquisite lover. Or if Commander Salin makes her mind and body hum with desire and pleasure she’s never before experienced? She won’t submit. She won’t. Will she? Read the rest of this entry »

I like ebooks. I do. The royalty percentage is better, the turn around is quicker, and I think there’s more of a connection with both the pub and the reader.

However…

It’s nice to hold a print book. It’s great to see your name on the cover. It’s awesome when there’s some gorgeous artwork depicting some of your favorite characters and you get to hold it in your arms and just breathe it in.

I’ve been lucky enough to do that a few times. I got to do it again today.

My print copies of Dark Elves: Taken arrived today. It’s also available on Amazon (see the link).

Thanks once again to Anne Cain for fantabulous cover art!

woohoo! Go me! I’m an EPPIE award winning author as of Saturday night.

That’s the award and me showing off the “BITCH” bracelet my friends got me the night before (they love me, *sniff*)

The story that won, in case you’re interested, is Rated X-mas: Spiritual Noelle, which is a side story in my Leashed series.

Shades of Fyre
Series : Elemental Guardians
Cynnara Tregarth

Erotic/ MC/IR/Paranormal
Time Travel Fantasy romance
ISBN: 978-1-60435-133-0
Cover Artist: Nikita Gordyn
Editor: Nikita Gordyn
Word Count: 88,114
Release: March 6th, 2008

http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=125n

In a world that fights its battles from one extreme to another, there exists a society that is dedicated to balance and the Universal Elements—The Circle of Elemental Guardians.

The Elemental Guardians answer only to the Council of Ma’at–the Ultimate Elemental Justice and their goal is simple– to keep balance for all life. Charis Windstrom left the Elemental Guardians when their ways differed from her own on a mission gone wrong. What she never expects is to find links of the Guardians in ancient Egypt or that her curiosity would result in the unleashing of an ancient evil.

There is only one person who can help her and he’s not giving up his secrets easily. Dr Nate Tolemy is not all what he appears, even if he’s the Adept of Fire.

Fate forces Charis Windstrom and Nate Tolemy back together for one more mission. The last time they were together, Charis was engaged to another man, but the immediate soul connection to Nate scared her. Now he was her salvation as they follow the bloody trail of the ancient evil. Yet Nate is still keeping secrets from Charis. Part of him fears what she’ll do when she finds out the truth about his history, his former life before becoming an Adept Elemental Guardian. Part of him knows there is no other woman for him in this life or any other.

Neither one of them realizes that the ancient evil has many plans and it includes the destruction of the Elemental Guardians and the descendants of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten.

Will Nate and Charis get past their differences, the fear of attraction, and even the fear within themselves in order to work together and stop the ancient evil before it gets enough power to rule the world?

This week marks a tragic time in my life.  Gary Gygax, the co-father of Dungeons and Dragons passed away.  Before he passed, he asked that we all remember him as “…the guy who really enjoyed playing games and sharing his knowledge and his fun pastimes with everybody else.”  So this post is in honor of him.

I remember my first taste of D&D came in the form of a Saturday morning cartoon Gary had created.  I was fascinated with the possibility of being drawn into another universe (through a roller coaster, no less) and given powers you had no idea how to control.  My Mother still tells me about how I’d go around and put on little plays for them involving the acrobat and the thief (the only two female characters, plus Uni the Unicorn ROFL).

Fast forward to high school where I picked up my first Dragonlance novel: The Dragons of Autumn Twilight. In the 1st of the chronicles trilogy I was sucked in.  It had less intensity and obsessive seriousness than the Epic fantasies I’d been reading up until that time.  What can I say?  I’m a sucker for a good page turner.  My imagination started sparking.  The Epics I’d read until that time were so exhausting to read (BUT enjoyable!) my mind never considered writing one.  With the Chronicles trilogy, however, my imagination had been ignited.  I’d hoped to continue following that path of love with all the other books in the Dragonlance universe.  While a few were absolutely awesome, most were inconsistent and uninspiring.  My frustration increased with each book until one day my Mom yelled at me to write a book then, dammit, if I was going to keep throwing them against the wall.  *wall thumper: a book so bad you throw it against the wall in anger and/or frustration*

I went on to write really bad fiction…more like fan fic, really.  Really BAD fan fic.  LOL.  But I also started playing D&D.  When a Dungeon Master (the tale spinner) suddenly decided he didn’t want to play anymore, I was shoved to the DM spot. (I think I’d talked smack at the time…not a good move) Let me tell you, there is nothing more terrifying in the world than being the DM for six guys who could flay you for breakfast with their wit.  I thought I was out of my league.  So they gave me two days to prep. LOL.  No one offered suggestions and I, in my infinite teenage wisdom, refused to ask.

So I set it all up.  Man, it was tough.  Maps, scenerios, character cards for non-playable, yet key, characters, and a storyarc.  Who knew DM-ing was so tough!  My first night I still remember with embarrassment.  Mostly b/c I should have known they’d go on their own and do whatever they wanted.  Hadn’t I been playing with them for over a year?  I had one week to prep for the next round.  This time they wouldn’t get me.  I had a story dammit and no willful character was going to stomp all over me.

The next round was a little rougher but they were starting to relax and enjoy themselves.  Weeks followed.  Sometimes we had so much fun we’d meet on Sundays too. Finally a month and half long storyarc was done and I was exhausted.  We’d battled epic monsters and demons and the foundations of the world had been shaken.  I’d tracked every one of my NPS characters, some living and some sacrificed for the greater good of the story.  Man I remember how it tore me apart.

The guys were laughing and joking about how much fun they’d had.  I was packing up the DM stuff I’d been loaned by the previous one and my mind had blanked.  It was like I was closing off a chapter of my imagination.  Crazy stuff.  One I would become familiar with later in life.  I was exhausted, mentally just numb. This is the part that I most remember.  One of the guys said, “Damn that was an intense storyline! Awesome work for your first time. When does the next one start up?”  I’d laughed (hysterically, I think) and said I wasn’t sure.  Later that night I got a call from the former DM congratulating me on my storyarc.  I asked him how he’d kept it up for so long and he laughed and said something I’ll never forget and keep to my heart even now.  “It’s the story you’ve got to love.  You have to want it told bad enough that you’ll face anything, any obstacle to get it done.”  I wrote those words down.  He went on to tell me that he’d lost the love of the story and it killed him to try and play a game without one in his heart.

Fast forward to *cough* years later.  I still hold those words to my heart and I fear I’m addicted to storytelling.  Thank you Gary, for introducing me to a world where I first let my imagination soar.   You will be missed.  Thank you for letting me reminisce about how I got into writing.

Much love,

Dawn Montgomery aka Angel

Spring…it’s almost here.  Every year, I get really impatient with Winter at about this time.  But recently, I’ve been thinking about our ancestors and how they made it through a harsh Northern winter. We complain about the price of oil, but imagine chopping down trees and splitting logs to heat your non-insulated home.  How about the food stores that had to be dwindling about now.  The signs of Spring must have made our ancestors delerious with joy!

I read a romance novel recently that took place in a Michigan village back in the pioneer days.  Who says romance is a genre without merit?  I was plunged right into that struggle for survival.  When the young, unmarried heroine became pregnant, winter was just beginning.  The father was trapping for furs up in Canada and knew nothing about her plight.  Similarly, she knew nothing about his.  Would he live through the winter to return to her or should she accept the only marriage proposal she was likely to get in her newly discovered condition? 

Romance novels can stretch our imaginations, test our values, and make us grateful for what we have.  Today’s heroine would have medical care, social workers to help her plight, food, shelter and a way to communicate with her lover.  

Am I glad I live in this time since I live in the frozen North in another state that borders Canada?  Damn right!  I’m not pregnant (thank goodness) and my husband has made it home each night (thank goodness) I have plenty of food with more at the grocery store when I need it.  Am I grateful?  When put into perspective, yes!

Would I have found that perspective without a romance novel forcing me to reflect upon the way it could have been? Perhaps, but I doubt it.  Sometimes we get caught up in our own little modern struggles and forget about the basic ones.   

 This winter has been a rough one.  It has snowed a lot!  If we get a couple more storms we might break the records set in the 1800’s.  My husband has to snow-blow our driveway and the paths for the propane and oil guys to deliver our central heat–again!  Poor us.  I’m out of milk, I need to get to the bank and post office and the convertible is lousy in the snow.  Damn, I might have to cancel my massage appoinment!  Boo hoo!

Then I think about those winters in the 1800’s.  Wow.  We ALL had ancestors that had to make it to Spring.  I think about how I feel at this time of year and the overwhelming joy I feel when I see those little signs of spring.  I wonder if it’s a carryover from our ancestors.  Or if there is reincarnation, are we, inpart, reacting as our former selves would?

I don’t have the answers, but I sure do think about these questions and more when a romance novel transports me to another time and place–or any other reality.  I don’t write historicals, but I admire those who have researched and recreated those times for us.  Perhaps in the future people will wonder how we made it without teleporters and food replicators.  But for now, I think I’ll just be grateful for the ability to sit at my computer in my warm home and use my imagination to write romance novels.  Even if we’re out of milk. 

Ash