And the winner is...

The winner for the Five Favorite Things Blog Hop is Kimberly Holgate, according to random.org! She's the lucky winner of a copy of Irish Rising. I hope she enjoys it.

This weekend was a very productive weekend. I cleaned my house, especially the kitchen. I even had to get Mr. Marie involved in the washing and putting away the dishes. It was that big an undertaking! I'm not proud of it. I let everything go while I was finishing Bound in Evil.

The house is decorated for Christmas but unfortunately I can't seem to find the wreaths we put on the doors. This upsets me because we don't put up a Christmas tree because of the cats. My husband is afraid of choking  hazards with the cats.While he's going to be a great dad and always look for potential hazards, around Christmas it really sucks! I used to decorate a mean tree. I think of all my Disney ornaments laying in boxes and it just seems wrong.

Also a little disappointed that I didn't receive my first round of edits this weekend. I received a nice note from my copy editor on Tuesday stating, I would receive my edits by Sunday. Well, on Saturday morning when I hadn't heard from her, I decided to email. I didn't receive an answer until late last night. So obviously, no edits. She said she hadn't realized how long the book was and she was going slow and steady with the edits. Hmmmm... now when things are simply stated like that my mind races.

1. It is so bad that it needs A LOT of editing. I'll be the first one to admit I'm not the best editor. I can read, and read, and read. Most of the time, I'll not catch the problems because I read it as it's supposed to be read in my head instead of what's on the page.

2. She never mentioned anything about the content she read. Does she hate it? Does it suck? I've had good responses from people who have read pieces of it but...

Insecurities are buzzing right now. One of the reasons is that my editor in chief didn't read it when I submitted it. On one hand, she has faith in my ability and just sent if off to the editors. But what if it really sucks?

I guess I'm feeling a bit needy today. Yesterday was the hubby's birthday and it was great for him but a lot of planning on my part (and money). This year, he wanted high ticket items. I was able to give them to him because next year we will be focusing on paying for an adoption. I'm also trying to squeeze out one more trip to Disney in May. My entire family is going for my sister's 40th birthday celebration. I missed out on my own because of the rounds and rounds of IVF. I don't want to miss it now.

Time to get ready for work!!! Five more days until vacation, not that I'm counting. School is going to be a tense place today and that's all I'm going to say on the subject.

Peace out,
MRD

Five Favorite Things Holiday Hop

Raindrops on roses,

And Whiskers on kittens,

Bright copper kettles 

and warm woolen mitten

Brown paper packages 

Tied up with string

These are a few of my favorite things

Some of the Secret Cravings Publishing Authors are having a blog hop this weekend showcasing our favorite things. The last is one of our favorite books to give away. The hop will run today and tomorrow (the hubby's birthday!!!) You have many opportunities to win. First comment here to win a copy of my book Irish Rising. Then you have an opportunity to go over to the Secret Cravings Readers Page on Facebook to make a comment for a chance to win. Lastly, go over to the main SCP blog site to win. Wow! So much winner, just call us Oprah, of course without the vast quantities of money (Although Santa, I've been really, really, really good this year!!).

So we begins...

Favorite Food

This one is difficult because I love a lot of food. Food that's not good for you but if I had to narrow  it down to a favorite, it would be chips. Now you're saying, "Marie, that's not specific enough either." The thing is, I will eat any type of chip. I'm an equal opportunity chip eater. The hubby says, "If you were Superman, chips would be your Kryptonite." He's is totally correct. I don't even keep them in the house because I will go through them like a Hoover vacuum cleaner. I mean it. Don't even get me started on Doritos! I have literally made myself sick eating a whole bag. *Hangs head for a moment* Not my most "shiny" moment... oh well.

Favorite Place

My favorite place in the whole entire world is Disney World. Yes, you read it right, Disney World. My sister and I are two of those people if you gave them a trip every year, we'd be making the trek down south to visit Mickey and Minnie. My sister only decorates her Christmas trees with Disney ornaments, not to say I don't have my fair share. I love the hotels, the food, the rides. I don't even mind the heat in August. Although, when we went on our honeymoon it got extremely hot between the temperature and the humidity to try even the vast quantity of my patience. At one point, after an extremely long and hot day, we returned to the hotel. In the lobby, a child of twelve was having a meltdown in front of their equally hot and tired parents. At first, you felt sorry for the couple. NO one wants to have their older child have a meltdown in public. As we got closer, the kid picked it up a few notches, he started jumping up and down screaming at the top of his parents. "I WANT MORE MONEY." Well, maybe it was the heat, or the teacher in me that can't stand a bratty child but for some reason I felt the need to dispel some advice (those of you that know the real mean, know I'd rather swallow my tongue than do something like this.). My husband, sensing with his "hubbysense" must have realized I was going to do something terribly out of character, grabbed my hand and started dragging me through the lobby, a lot faster than my hobbit-size legs could go. As I was dragged by the chaos, I shouted out, "I wouldn't give that kid anything but a time out!" I was immediately put to bed with "heat exhaustion" but since it was the honeymoon, it totally worked out in my favor! ;) 

Favorite thing to do

It's really a toss up between writing and reading. Although, I do love a good movie marathon in there. I'm a creature of habit. Every time I veer out of my comfort zone, something happens. Really, I'm not making it up, "says the fiction writer". I tried camping and hiking. I went on a trip with my husband and brother two summers ago to the top of Mt. GETMETHEFUCKOFF. It was cold, even in August! The final bear in that coffin was when a bear walked through the site and banged on our food locker all night. When the sky finally began to gray with the first morning light, I demanded we break camp and go home. Sorry... my ideal vacation is above. I need a bed, someone to cook my food, and definitely no real bears taking stroll possibly eating a "Little Marie" in the middle of the night. I told my husband I will eventually try camping again but it will have to be at a safe campsite, with running water, showers, and real toilets. A woman has to have some standards!!!

Favorite person

My husband... aw... It's true. For all of the times, he totally frustrates me and makes me angry, he also makes me laugh. I truly married my best friend. I enjoy spending time with him above other people. Sometimes, I think my writing is the hardest on him. When I'm deep into a story, I totally ignore everything and that includes him. So, it's been almost a week since I sent off Bound in Evil to my editor. I've been spending a lot of time with him to make up for weeks and weeks of ignoring him and then falling into the bed for a coma-like sleep!!!

Favorite Book

Asking an author to choose their favorite book is like asking a parent to choose there favorite child. So, I'm going to highlight the book that never seems to get the same attention as the others. Maybe because it's the middle book right now, I really don't know.

Irish Rising

Famous romance writer, Kim Green went to Ireland with her two cousins to research the setting of her new book and have some quality girl bonding fun. She’s in the business of writing about love. She didn’t expect it find her on the street in a sleep Irish town with a sexy, “I want to drown in your chocolate eyes” pub owner.

Duncan Murphy never believed in the old family legend. The idea a trapped mermaid granted his family the ability to recognize their one true love was absurd to him until he spots a sexy American across the street from his pub. Something deep within him recognized her as his other half

They’re drawn together in an explosive first encounter. Life is blissful until a misunderstanding threatens to tear them apart. Is their fragile newfound romance something legends are made of or the misguided belief in an ancient fantasy? 

Comment to win a copy of Kim and Duncan's hot story. What are a few of your favorite things?

Also stop by the Secret Cravings Fan Page to see about other contests and things to win

http://www.facebook.com/secretcravingspublishing

Another place to hop off to is the Secret Cravings Readers page on Facebook. You can found out all of the other places to go to get some holiday goodies.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/256038187798868/

Lastly, (wow), join us on our Secret Cravings Blog Homepage to find out all the other authors on this hop!

http://SECRETCRAVINGSPUBLISHING.BLOGSPOT.COM/

All I can say is that Secret Cravings is the place to be this weekend!!!

Peace out,
MRD

SCP Five Favorite Things' Giveaway

Channeling the spirit of Oprah, some of the authors at Secret Cravings Publishing are having a giveaway blog hop. Each author, starting tomorrow will be putting up a list of our five favorite things. The last thing will be about favorite book to give away. All you have to do is comment and you're entered. So come back and visit me tomorrow to see the goodies I'll be giving away!

Peace out,
MRD

Hump Day Hook Blog

Hi all,
It's Wednesday again and Wednesday is Hump Day Hook. A time when some of the writers at Secret Cravings Publishing give you a little tease of something either old or new. I'm back out of the intense writing cave to start participating again.

More on the good news front, I received word from my line editor last night. She should have the first round of edit from Bound in Evil to me by Sunday. This is one of the reasons why I love being an author at Secret Cravings. I've had the same editor for all of my books. So she knows me and my writing style! Woo-hoo! I don't know about you but I really like edits. It's a process that will only make my story better.

So to celebrate my upcoming release of Bound in Evil, I'm going to give you a little tease. At first here is the cover... which I absolutely love.

Bound in Evil is the first book in my new paranormal erotic romance series. Isn't it both hot and creepy and the same time?

Now a quick look at Bound in Evil.

The scratching came first. Nate heard it coming from beyond the circle of birch trees in front of him. It sounded like something with long nails scratching, scraping, and trying to dig itself out of its grave in the earth. The earth finally cracked and bubbling out of the fissure, a mixture of black mud and rotting leaves. The smell of decay practically choked the breath out of him. The ungodly wailing coming from the monster caused Nate to freeze in his spot. It grew and grew, muck building upon muck, until it had somewhat of a human form, its eyes just huge, deep black caverns, worms wiggling viciously trying to get away from the creature.

            Even though his blood ran cold, Nate stood his ground. “I’m not afraid of you.” They were brave words but when you don’t have anything else, you use what you have.

I hope the small snippet intrigues you and leaves you wanting more for my upcoming new release.

Peace out, 

MRD

A great thanks...

I am overwhelmed with the amount of support  that all of the SCP authors received during our Wounded Warriors Blog Hop. When I signed up, I was extremely leery about getting thirty comments. On a normal day, I usually receive two. I already resigned myself to the fact that no matter what I was going to make my donation. Yes, I did get my normal commenters (love you two) but colored me shocked when thirty-nine other people also commented. It is a testament to people's passion about our former service members that this charity helps.

I have been a super bad blogger lately. In all honesty, blogging is last on my list but I am going to try to at least blog twice a week. If I do more, then I'll consider it a bonus.

SUPER GREAT NEWS!!!

Bound in Evil is finally completed. I sent it off to my editor and it topped the word count at fifty-five thousand words. The relief I felt was overwhelming yesterday. It's not that I didn't enjoy writing the book because I did. I actually think it's one of the best things I've ever written but I also found something out about myself. I don't like writing under a deadline. For most people, a deadline would spur them into action and help them write more. For myself, it creates a writer's blog so big you'd need Paul Bunyon's hatchet to chop through it.

So I'm going to breath for the next few days. My house looks like a bomb had hit it. I haven't cleaned in about two weeks. I love Mr. Marie but a housekeeper, he is not! There is not one Christmas decoration to be found. People on my block are going to start talking soon. I'm never this late with the decorations. Also forget about paperwork with the day job, it's going to take me until Christmas to dig out of that mess. Lastly, I'm going to read. I can't remember the last time I've read a book. I think as a writer, it's good to recharge the batteries by reading some good stories. Maybe that was part of my creative problems with writing this book. I was so focused on the writer in my that I neglected the reader and I think they go hand in hand.

So hopefully in the next two weeks, life will turn to "normal" for a while and then I'll start writing Bound in Deceit, Seth and Gemma's story.

Peace out,
MRD

Wounded Warriors Blog Hop

The holidays are a crazy time. We worry about presents, and decorating (for me I'm finishing the last few thousand words on Bound in Evil. We, at Secret Cravings Publishing, would like to give back to the men and women who have served our country during this holiday season. So during this blog hop, for thirty comments, each of us is giving $30 to the Wounded Warrior Project. Its a wonderful worthwhile charity.

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

I'm giving away a copy of Fated Mates and Saddle Up to one lucky commenter. Tell me about one of your favorite holiday memories. Don't forget to leave your email, so I can get in touch with you for your prize.

Please go back to the main Secret Cravings Blog Hop page to visit the other wonderful authors on this hop. If you're unfamiliar with my work and want to check out my books, click on the links at the side of the page.

http://SECRETCRAVINGSPUBLISHING.BLOGSPOT.COM/

Peace out,
Marie Rose Dufour