Daring-Do

Back, way back when I first started writing, I belonged to a particular editor's group called the Frogpond. It was mostly composed of writing tadpoles, beginners in the astonishing, bewildering world of publishing and romance.

One of the frogs was a writer named Amarinda Jones. Right off the bat she wrote a story duo titled Swift of Heart and Last Man Standing. They're imaginative romances set in contemporary Australia and a parallel world. And of all the many, many stories Amarinda has penned since then, they are still my favorites.

I re-read them last week. At the end, I had that satisfied smile all readers have when they finish a good book. There's romance, betrayal, daring-do... Just what we all look for when searching out new stories.

If you'd like to check them out, just click on the book covers!  

Or check out her webpage at AMARINDA...

anny

Last Man Standing by Janet Davies from Cerridwen Press

I seldom get too excited by the men on our covers. They're attractive, but -- they're men. Young and cookie cutter pretty. The young man that posed for the cover for Last Man Standing isn't pretty. He's attractive, masculine, and perfect for the character of Alex, the hero of Last Man Standing.



The book is the sequel to Swift of Heart which I reviewed a while back. While strictly speaking you could read this book as a stand alone because Janet did such an excellent job of providing backstory for the book, I'm one of those people who insist on reading books in sequence. And that's my personal recommendation.



Swift of Heart is the story of Mackinley Swift, a warrior from another dimension, and Stephanie Hart, regular girl about town from Brisbane. Alex Navarro is Mac's best friend. And the heroine of Last Man Standing is Stephanie's sister, Amy Hart. Cozy arrangement there. No problems with the inlaws this way, right?



Alex arrives from his home dimension to warn Amy that she's in danger. She doesn't take the news very well. She handles the sudden attraction between them with even less enthusiasm. But Alex is not put off by her prickly attitude. Inevitably, they become lovers, fall in love and Alex panics because....there is a prophecy.



It's been my experience that if at all possible, men will choose the worst interpretation of the future. I believe it's in their genes. Alex automatically decides that he will endanger Amy if he stays with her so after repudiating her, he returns home.



Fast forward a few months..."I am not the father." Surprise!



Does Alex ever acknowledge parentage? Do they catch the bad guys? Do Amy and Alex get together in the end? Or does she keep insisting that she won't have him even if he's the Last Man Standing? Quick, go directly to Cerridwen Press and grab your copy of the delightful story Last Man Standing by Janet Davies.


Anny



Check out Amarinda's blog tomorrow to catch the new twist on the Saga at http://www.amarindajones.blogspot.com/ and then drop by and leave an encouraging word at Kelly's blog at http://www.kkirch.blogspot.com/ because there are always days that will be made better by an encouraging word.

Laughter IS the best medicine...

The last two or three days have been pretty rough and tough for me. No... I'm not going to discuss why, but I do want to say a hearty thank you to my blog mates. Because after offering to do almost anything I needed, they kept me laughing.

I think that laughter is vastly underrated. I have a friend who is battling cancer. We talk fairly often and mostly what we do is laugh--giggle like a couple of school girls. What else are we going to do? Crying leaves you with ugly red eyes.

Now if you read the blogga saga regularly, you know that general silliness is not difficult. It just seems to sort of come to us naturally. As a matter of fact, I think we have to rein it in a bit or it gets away from us.

So I spent a good portion of this evening snickering. It's always better to go to bed with a smile on your face than a heavy heart in your chest. Oh, I know that underneath, there are still things to deal with. But the load is lighter because of laughter. And that's important.

Often when we have family and friends far away, suffering all sorts of things we wring our hands and say, "Oh, I wish I could do something to help!"

Well, I'm telling you what to do. Find a way to share the laughter. It might be a silly card. It might be flowers. It might be a letter reminding them of better times or an email with a cartoon. But never forget that whatever the problem is, it's easier to deal with a smile on your face than with teary eyes.

In my life time I have dealt with a pile of disasters and grief. Anyone who has lived, has done the same. But I have observed that those people who can laugh in the midst of tragedy live longer, more productive lives. That they can laugh is not a sign of callousness. It's a sign of deep feeling, cushioned by those little flashes of amusement. Without the cushions, the feelings would drag them down so that they couldn't function.

Next time you see someone laughing in the midst of catastrophe, smile because laughter is the best medicine.

Anny

Speaking of laughter... Oh, my. Go see what Kelly has done with the blogga saga now at www.kkirch.blogspot.com and then of course check in on Amarinda for her usual unique Australian take on life at www.amarindajones.blogspot.com Also, pop in to http://www.cerridwenpress.com/index.asp and have a squizz (I love that word) at Amarinda's newest release Last Man Standing, under her other name, Janet Davies. Isn't that young man on the cover scrumptious?

In search of the frog bead

I feel that there should be ominous music with a video of some gorgeous woman in a trench coat sneaking around shadowy doorways when I read my title. It may come to that before it's all over. I am determined to find a frog bead. Why? Well, listen to my story...

In the spring, I will be attending an author's convention. Several of my fellow authors and I share a lovely editor who established a chat loop just for us. It's called the frog's pond. My editor is a frogaholic. Anyway, quite a few of my fellow frogs will be attending the author's convention--some of them traveling astonishing distances to get there--and I wanted to make a little momento for each of them.

Enter the frog bead.

Beading is one of my hobbies so I thought what could be better than making each of them an item using beads? And what could be cooler than using a frog bead in that item? Right? Well, it would be a fine thing if I could actually find one... or two.

I've searched the local craft stores.

I've searched the local bead shops.

I've searched the internet.

I've found fish, leaves, turtles, hearts, flowers...but no frogs. However, I will persevere. I have six months to locate the frog beads and when I find them, you may be sure that I will snap them up to the last bead. Who knows when I'll need a frog bead again? I believe in being prepared.

So while I go off in search for the elusive frog beads, I'll leave you with my episode of the Blog Saga for entertainment.

When last we saw Jonas, Rafe, and Shade, Rinalda had just informed Rafe that she was going to have his baby...

Jonas looked her over with a connoisseur’s eye and snorted. “Not in this lifetime, I bet. Rafe, you’re a feeble-minded jerk if you fall for that one. That’s the oldest trick in the book. Ask her for proof.”

Shade shot him a nervous glance. “Proof? What kind of proof?”

“DNA. Pregnancy test. That kind of proof,” Jonas retorted impatiently. “What kind of place is this, anyway?”

“DNA?” Queen Zahara seized Jonas by his ear and dragged him closer. “Tell me of this D-N-A!” she demanded.

Jonas shrugged. “It’s a way to tell for sure if the baby is really from one of them.” He pointed to Rinalda. “First of course, you have to find out if she’s even pregnant. My money says ‘no’ and I’m usually correct. I think it’s a ploy to get something from you, Queenie. What do you have that she wants?”

Queen Zahara glared at Rinalda in sudden comprehension. “The kingdom! You witch!”

Rinalda grabbed Rafe’s arm and tapped him with the peeler. With a poof of smoke, they vanished.

“Now see what you done,” Zahara snarled. “She’s taken Rafe!”

“I didn’t do anything,” Jonas protested. “I saved your kingdom!”

Zahara looked at him with an arrested expression. “That is true.” She released his ear and circled him, taking in his muscular figure and well endowed package. “Hmmm.” Leaning closer to his neck, she sniffed and then licked his neck. “Mmmm. Yes, I think you just might be the one. I’ve looked a long time for the right one…”

So what does Zahara have in mind for Jonas? Where are Louella and Emmeline? And Where did Rinalda take Rafe? Stay tuned to find out what new territory Kelly explores on Monday at http://www.kkirch.blogspot.com/ and of course if you missed yesterday's episode drop by Amarinda's blog at http://www.amarindajones.blogspot.com/ to catch up! Actually, drop by there and look at the yummy man on the cover of her upcoming book, Last Man Standing. Yes, yes, I know he's too young for me, but he is pretty and that dragon tattoo...

Anny