Life on the Fringe: New York Times Bestselling Author Yasmine Galenorn's Caffeinated Ramblings

Fire and Ice

2012-02-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Blogging Over At Between Fire and Ice today.

Blessed Imbolc

2012-02-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

May your Imbolc be lovely, and may the coming season be one of growth and joy.

Yasmine

Adventures in Cat Land

2012-02-01T00:01:00.001-08:00

Sometimes having cats is an adventure. Like yesterday, when Caly andBrighid decided to get into it.

Caly likes to sit on the top of my hutch in a three-tiered metalin-basket. Yesterday, Brighid decided SHE wanted up there. Caly got jealous.Brighid didn't want to get down. Caly got up there with her. They were bothtrying to fit in the basket and neither wanted to share. Finally I chase Calydown. I look away and I dunno WHAT the hell happened, because next thing I knowthere's a tremendous crash. I look up in time to see two of my collectiblefaeries (including one expensive one) go flying off the printer table next tomy desk, along with a dragon statue, the new lamp I got, the tape, and godsknows what else. The lamp ended up upside down and thank goodness it didn'tbreak--it wasn't cheap.

My SAD lamps still works (the lamp ended up hitting it on the waydown)--thank the gods. My faeries both lost their wings, but at least the resinwings are in one piece so we can glue them back on (but that sure took thevalue of one of them down, it was a limited edition, out of stock, piece that Igot off E-bay and NOT inexpensive...however I collect them because I love them,not for the monetary value). The dragon statue was amazingly unharmed. Theother stuff didn't break. Caly and Brighid BOTH managed to shed their collarswhen they jumped...Caly’s landed on my desk and a while later, I finally foundfor Brighid's...

It was total mayhem at my expense. And both were so puffy tailed thatit was hard not to laugh...after I calmed down. My assistant ran in and whenshe saw that both cats were okay, she was just saying, "Breathe...now justbreathe..."

I looked at the cats--who were slinking away--and said, "Yeah,you'd better run!" But you know, that’s what cats do. Because…they’recats.

OH...and Shaded Vision releases in just a few days--next Tuesday! You still have time to pre-order. *grins* (Yeah, that's a suggestion). And my Shaded Vision contest runs through the end of next Tuesday. (No, you cannot enter on the blog--don't even try or I'll ignore it).

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2012-01-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

Shaded Vision Excerpt #3

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

We’re counting down to SHADED VISION’s February release with a snippet from Chapter 2!

You can read the first chapter of SHADED VISION in the back of COURTING DARKNESS, or up on Yasmine's site. So we'll be posting snippets from chapter 2 each Monday until the release date. If we find anybody reproducing this on other sites we'll stop and everybody loses out. That means: NO cutting/pasting/copying/sending through email.

Remember, you can pre-order SHADED VISION from Amazon.com or BN.com!

COURTING DARKNESS
CHAPTER TWO Excerpt #3
copyright 2011 Yasmine Galenorn, all rights reserved, do not reproduce
First Chapter
Excerpts Already Posted

I leaned into his embrace. Even without words, I could read his intent. He had my back, during the good times and the difficult. My heart swelled as the slightly exotic musk that marked him as part dragon swept around me, shoring me up, giving me strength.

Camille caught my eye and smiled. She understood. She knew what I was feeling because she had that reassurance, too. Having a dragon lover— even a half-dragon lover— brought with it a special sense of security. That security could be broken, but it took a lot to shatter the safety.

As if reading my mind, Trillian placed his hands on Camille’s shoulders. Ever since Hyto’s attack, my sister had pulled her men close to help strengthen her boundaries, and they’d been more than willing to help, in whatever way they could. Morio and she had started headlong back into their death magic rituals as soon as he was out of the wheelchair, Trillian had been teaching her how to fight street-dirty, and Smoky had been securing our land with his own crazed vigilance.

I looked up at Shade, intensely grateful for his support. “Thank you. Let’s go,” I said to the others. “We can’t do any more here tonight.” And with that, we turned and walked away— even though it was torture to think there might be more of my friends under the rubble— and headed for our cars.

So who am I? Taking a moment here to introduce myself, let me first say that some days I’m not exactly sure who I am. Oh, I know I’m Delilah D’Artigo, a two-faced Were, meaning one shape I shift into is a long-haired golden tabby who loves to get into trouble, and the other is my black panther self— ruled over by the Autumn Lord. There’s no memory problem . . . but I’ve been changing so rapidly over the past year, it’s hard to catch my breath, and sometimes I stare at myself in the mirror, wondering who’s looking back at me.

One of those changes includes the fact that I’ve also become a Death Maiden— the only living Death Maiden at this time. Most of the Autumn Lord’s servants are dead, their souls gathered in Haseofon to work for him, but I’m alive. And someday, he has promised I will bear his child via my lover Shade. How and when that’s to be, I have no clue, but it’s destined to happen, and I believe in Fate.

At first, the transformation into the Autumn Lord’s service was hard for me. When my sisters and I came Earthside a few years back, I was still fairly naïve. I believed in the goodness of people. Now— well, I’m still an optimist, but I lost my rose-colored glasses along the way. And I no longer automatically assume the best of everyone I meet. Now, I’m embracing my duties, and I feel honored to hold the title.

Along with my sisters— Camille, a wicked good witch, who is also a priestess of the Moon Mother, and Menolly— a jian-tu acrobat and spy-turned-vampire, we were sent over from Otherworld. We were members of the OIA— the Otherworld Intelligence Agency— and after the portals dividing the worlds opened, we were assigned Earthside.

At first, the people here opened up their arms to their magical brethren. At one time the two worlds were united and the reunion caught the heart of most of Earthside. But now hate crimes were on the rise as interaction between the Supes— supernaturals— and the FBHs increased and the novelty wore off.

Our mother was human— she’s long dead— and our father is Fae. Near the end of World War Two, when Sephreh was over Earthside on some secret mission, they met and fell in love. In the true nature of whirlwind romances, he swept her off her feet and took her back to Otherworld. Losing Mother was hard on our family. Losing our father’s support was even harder. But he turned his back on Camille, and in doing so, we turned our backs on him.

We resigned from the OIA and told our father that we’d return to duty when he came around to accepting Camille’s pledge to the Earthside Fae Queen’s court. Now we’re on our own, still facing the demon lord Shadow Wing, who intends to raze Earth and Otherworld for his own private amusement.

He’s after the spirit seals, and so are we. Originally one seal, the artifact was formed after the Great Divide, the time when the great Fae Lords ripped apart the worlds. They created the seal to keep Otherworld, Earthside, and the Subterranean Realms separate, then broke it into nine pieces, scattering them to the Elemental Lords to keep them hidden. Separate, the nine seals have kept the realms safe. If brought back together, they can rip open all the portals.

But sometimes things work as they will and not as we wish. The seals began to surface. They came to the attentionof Shadow Wing. And that’s where we come in. We were plunged into a race to find them as they made themselves known— hopefully before the Demon Lord gets hold of them. He managed to steal one of them from us before we could secure it. We’ve found five. So far the odds are in our favor, but the fact that he possesses even one of them puts everyone in danger.

Technically, we now work for Queen Asteria, the Elfin Queen back in Otherworld, who’s hiding the spirit seals as we take them to her. But in reality we work on our own, trying to ensure that the future makes it here in one piece without too much damage or demonic interference. Some days are easier than others . . .

“What are you thinking about?” Shade glanced over at me as I leaned back in the passenger seat, wincing. I had the beginnings of a headache and wondered how long before the side effects of the damishanya were going to hit.

“I’m wondering who I know among the dead. Which families I’m going to have to shatter with the news.” I rubbed my temples, glancing into the backseat at Chase and Sharah. “You guys have it worse . . . I know. I’m not complaining. It’s just never . . .”

“Never easy,” Chase said, finishing my thought. “Trust me, I understand and if I didn’t think you’d be a helpful influence, I’d never ask you to join me for this. I wish we’d brought Nerissa, too. This is part of her job. She’s a wonderful grief counselor.”

I pulled out my cell phone. “Let me give her a call and see how she’s doing.” The phone rang three times before Iris picked up. I ran down what we’d learned and where we were going. “Is Nerissa in any shape to drag herself out of the house and down to HQ?”

“Hold on.” Iris set the phone down, and as I waited, I thought about how entangled we’d all become in each others’ lives. After a moment, Iris returned. “She’s sober. I’ll have Bruce’s driver take her down to headquarters in the limo. If you could see that she gets home when necessary . . .”

“No problem. Bless you and bless Bruce. Tell her we’ll see her when she gets there.” I punched the End Call button. “Nerissa’s coming down.”

Chase grunted a thank-you. “Odd . . . how this has all worked out.” He didn’t say anything more, but I knew he’d picked up on my mood— I’d been around him long enough to tell.

We’d been involved, after he struck out with Camille, and we’d made a good stab at a relationship, but the rocks on that ocean were just too sharp to navigate. Now he was involved with Sharah, the elfin medic, and they seemed to be a more compatible couple. He’d hired Nerissa as a crisis counselor, and she and Menolly were promised to each other. One by one, our extended family kept growing involved in ways we’d never have been able to predict. It kind of made up for the isolation we’d first felt when we came over Earthside.

By the time we arrived at the FH-CSI headquarters, Morio was fully sober. Apparently alcohol sped through his system quickly. Camille looked vaguely ill, as did Shamas, and I was starting to feel as rough as they looked. But we were all clearheaded as we followed Chase and Sharah into the building.

The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation building took up at least four floors, though there was a rumor of a hidden level. The top floor housed the police headquarters and medical unit. First floor down was a highly secure arsenal. Second floor down— the OW offender jails. And on the bottom floor were the laboratory, morgue, and archives. Tonight, we were headed for the morgue— a place we had been all too often.

Nene Thomas--I Heart Her Work

2012-01-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

I just realized that all my faerie figurines that I collect are the work of Nene Thomas. Which must mean that I really love her work since that's what I've focused on. Here are two of my favorites (though I love the Crimson Bubble Faerie, the other two are my faves so far). Queen of Owls on the left, and Queen of Shadows on the right. I use them as inspiration.

What do you love to collect? Did you ever find yourself gravitating toward a certain artist or pattern of china or something without realizing it?

Yasmine

Fire and Ice

2012-01-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

Blogging Over At Between Fire and Ice today.

My Responsibilities as a Writer

2012-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Thispast weekend, on Facebook, I did a little venting. I usually ignore complaints on mybooks. Not every writer can please every reader—it’s a fact and that’s just theway it is. If I let the opinion of every person who doesn’t like my work botherme, I wouldn’t be able to write a word. I don’t read most reviews for thatreason. If people love the books, I’m thrilled. If people don’t love the books,there’s nothing I can do to change matters, because I cannot and will not changemy writing style based on what others want.

However,when someone tries to guilt me about the content of my work, 'just think ifteens picked up your books'...I get pissed. And that happened this past week, andquite frankly, after being snowbound for six days, I didn’t have my usualpatience when I received an email doing just that.

Yes, Iwrite dark stories, and at times they will be uncomfortable. Sometimes what Iwrite can verge on horror. It's what I do—it’swhat I write.

I'd becheating myself and my readers if I glossed over some of the uncomfortableelements I touch on. If I’d let Hyto capture Camille and she had emergedunscathed, I’d have been lying to the reader about his character. It would haverang false because yes, Hyto is a psychotic freak and to gloss over his naturewould have been cheating as a writer.

Now, tothe core of this post:

It is not my responsibility to concernmyself with who reads my books.
Itis not my responsibility to writebooks for all age groups.
Itis not my responsibility to decidewhether your teenagers should read these books or not—I know I have a number ofteenager readers. Whether they are allowed to read my books is between them andtheir parents.

Itis my responsibility to write books Ienjoy writing, to write them true to my vision, and to not be influenced by others.
Itis my responsibility to write thebest books I can at the time I am writing them.
Itis my responsibility to be true tothe characters and storyline, and advance/evolve them even when it takes theminto uncomfortable, dangerous, and frightening territory.
Itis my responsibility to meet mydeadlines, to promote to the best I can without interfering with my writing ormy personal life.

So, there’snothing to say when people write to me complaining about the nature of what I writeexcept, too fucking bad. There are many authors out there who write othergenres, other worlds, other stories that aren’t like mine. I highly suggestreading widely to find out which authors you are comfortable with, and whichauthors you aren’t--there are books I love and books I don't, authors I love to read and authors I don't care for. But I don't write to them to complain because they are writing what they need to write. I just may not want to read it. And I refuse tocensor my work to make some people comfortable.

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2012-01-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

Shaded Vision Excerpt #2

2012-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

SHADED VISION
CHAPTER TWO Excerpt #2
copyright 2011 Yasmine Galenorn, all rights reserved, do not reproduce
First Chapter
Excerpts Already Posted

“It’s bad.” Yugi saw us and hurried over. Second in command to Chase, the Swedish hulk of a detective had grown into a friend— he’d always been helpful to us. He was an FBH, but he was also an empath, and now he looked into my eyes and I saw him shiver. He turned to Chase, who stepped up.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here—” Chase started to say, remorse filling his voice.

“You can’t be on duty twenty-four-seven, boss. Nobody knew this was going to happen. We didn’t have any warning. Sure, hate crimes have been up, but nobody expected anything like this.” Yugi handed him a file. “Here are the details we have so far.”

“Run it down for us, please.” Chase fl ipped through the file, but it was too dark to read, even under the streetlamp.

Yugi nodded. “Sure thing. We got a call at ten forty-five p. m. that there had been an explosion, but we weren’t sure how big or bad. Fire trucks were on the way. Team assembled and headed out. We got here to find the building engulfed by flames, and the firemen weren’t able to put a dent in the fire. I noticed an odd smell, and I still can’t place it— it might be gone, but I can’t say for sure. By now my nose is filled with the smell of smoke.”

Camille and I stepped forward and began to sniff around. Shamas did the same. After a moment Shamas let out a shout, and we looked at him.

He turned to Chase. “Explosive all right, but not from Earthside. This is canya, a volatile magical mixture. Liquid— but it’s usually mixed in small amounts into a bigger bomb. While it’s sold in the back alleys of Otherworld, it’s illegal in most of the cities there.”

“Canya? Are you sure?”

“Trust me. I know that scent.”

Camille let out a long sigh. “The one place in Otherworld you could find it in any great measure would be the Southern Wastes.” She frowned. “And the Southern Wastes are controlled by sorcerers, goblins, and the Goldunsan Fae— who work their way into some of the northern mountains. The Goldunsan aren’t like us. They’re alien, a little like the seers of Aladril.”

“That’s the second time the mention of sorcerers has come up tonight. You think Van or Jaycee had something to do with this?” I stared at her.

Two sorcerers had escaped our net a few months back after seriously putting the bite on a bunch of local werewolves, and they’d done some heavy damage to Camille in the process. We’d done our best to capture them, but they managed to vanish. We couldn’t win them all, and we’d taken down their illegal drug operation and saved several werewolves from a horrible death. So, we’d counted ourselves lucky.

Sucking in a deep breath, she caught my gaze. “I don’t want to go there. I really don’t, but we’d better put that down as a possibility. Revenge, perhaps, for shutting down their Wolf Briar business?”

Wolf Briar was a skanky drug used to subdue werewolves. And the production of it required the torture and dissection of werewolves. We’d put a stop to an underground production line, but the main players had managed to escape and were still out there.

“Good possibility. They’re Tregarts, so they’d have access to the explosive.” I rubbed my head. Tregarts— humanoid demons who could pass easily in society— were becoming a constant issue. We weren’t sure how they were getting in from the Subterranean Realms, but since Shadow Wing had one of the spirit seals, chances were he’d figured out a way to make it work for him.

“There’s one other possibility that we can’t overlook: Telazhar.” She pressed her lips together.

We’d gotten word that Telazhar, the necromancer who’d trained Stacia Bonecrusher— a rogue demon general whom we’d barely managed to put an end to— had escaped from the Sub-Realms. He’d been deported there when he was kicked out of Otherworld. We had reason to believe he might be Earthside now.

“What if somehow he hooked up with Van and Jaycee?” I didn’t even want to entertain the thought, but we had to.

Camille shook her head. “If he does, we’re fucked. Sorcerers and necromancers together? They’d be such powerful allies, they’d rival a demon general. But since Van and Jaycee were connected to Stacia, that’s not a wild- card bet. We’d better check it out.”

Chase cleared his throat. “Keep it in mind, but let’s not start on that assumption. One thing I’ve learned: Never assume. Go by the facts, and conjecture all you like, but remember it’s just speculation until proven.” He let out a long sigh. “You say four died?”

Yugi’s jaw tightened. “Five. We found another body after I called you. Two are on the cusp— Mallen’s taking care of them back at headquarters. Sharah, you need to get over there. Mallen needs your help.”

As he moved to call an officer to drive her, I stopped him. “Can we go poke around the building?”

Yugi shook his head. “Not till morning. Still too dangerous to go in. The rest of the roof could easily cave, and then where would you be? The flames aren’t even doused yet. And we have to go through it with a fine-tooth comb for evidence, and also to look for . . .”

“For more bodies.” I clenched my teeth. I had too many friends from the Supe Community. Chances were, I knew at least one of the victims. “We’ll take Sharah to HQ. I need to see the victims, to see if any of them are . . .” I couldn’t finish the sentence. Instead, I asked, “Has anybody called yet wondering if the victims are okay? I imagine word about the explosion has made the news already.”

He nodded. “Yeah, a bunch of family members are waiting at the station. I was hoping you’d volunteer to come help. The news might come better from . . .” Pausing, Yugi ducked his head.

“From one of their own?” My voice was soft; I knew what he meant and there was no disrespect there. As I spoke, I felt an arm snake around my waist and Shade pressed against me, his lips brushing against the side of my head.

Fire and Ice

2012-01-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

Blogging Over At Between Fire and Ice today.

Making Choices

2012-01-18T00:27:00.000-08:00

Every day, we are faced with choices. Some of them really don’t matter—do I wear a red sweater or a crimson sweater? Do I want turkey or chicken? Should I watch a re-run of Friends or Spongebob Squarepants? But other choices, they do matter, and part of being an adult, in my opinion, is how you make those choices.

Some days, yes, you have to throw caution to the wind and go play. But I’m finding more and more, for myself, that my choices are more considered now. I am on low-carb. I could easily go over the 50 carb limit, and sometimes I do, but I try to keep those days very limited—mainly on special days.

Yesterday (well, today but before midnight), was my birthday. I had planned to go out to dinner with friends and yes, I was going to indulge—knowingly, accepting that it was a special day and I felt I deserved to let go a little. However, with the weather so freaky here, we had to postpone our plans. Which meant that no, we didn’t go out.

So, did I still eat whatever I wanted? Nobody would have known—except me and my body. And there was the answer. My body would have known that I chose to go over the carb limit, and since I’m still planning to go out with friends once the storms are gone and I still plan to eat whatever I want, it would have been cheating my health. And I am no longer willing to gamble my health by poor eating habits.

So I chose to have celery and some peanut butter. How many carbs? I ended up at 53. Three carbs over and that, well, that’s not too shabby. I consider today a good day. And I’m not hungry, and the celery and peanut butter—tasty. Oh, yeah, I would have preferred chocolate, but I wouldn’t have felt good about my choices.

I make choices every day—about work, about how I spend my time, about my ethical decisions. I choose to be the person I am—every choice I make defines me. Granted, some choices prove that there’s a part of me who’s still seven years old and a little devil, but overall, when an important decision comes up, or when I’m faced with want versus duty, I try to pick the choice that will make me proud of myself. That will make me look back and say, “I did what was right.”

So choices…whether it be celery or chocolate…the important thing is to think about your choice, and to take the responsibility for the paths you choose to take in life.

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2012-01-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

Shaded Vision Excerpt #1

2012-01-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

SHADED VISION
CHAPTER TWO Excerpt #1
copyright 2011 Yasmine Galenorn, all rights reserved, do not reproduce
First Chapter
Excerpts Already Posted

The room fell silent. I took a deep breath and barked out orders. “Smoky, Shade— you guys are sober, but I’ll be damned if Smoky’s touching a car.”

“I can drive,” he protested, but I shook my head.

“Right, and I can blow smoke and fire out of my mouth. Nice try.” I tossed my keys to Shade. “You drive my Jeep and take Vanzir, Roz, and me. Menolly, you’re sober. You can drive Camille’s car and take her and her men.”

Iris piped up. “Bruce’s driver can take Chase and Sharah. But somebody has to stay here. Someone not drunk out of their minds.”

“Right . . . okay. Smoky, you stay with Iris and the others. You can handle trouble if there is any.”

“Check.” He blinked, the smile wiping off of his face. Ever since his father had captured Camille, the dragon had taken security around the place to a whole new level. We practically lived in a compound now.

“Crap, is there any way we can get some of this booze out of our systems?” I didn’t want to go in drunk. And I had the feeling that— from now on— we wouldn’t be partying with booze. At least not all of us at the same time.

Iris blinked. “I can help— I’ve got an herb that works wonders, but the effects won’t be pleasant in the morning.”

“We have no choice. Can we all use it?” I didn’t care if we all had the dry heaves in the morning. Tonight, we needed to be on our game.

“Not everybody. But you, Camille, Shamas, Trillian, Sharah . . . it might also help Rozurial since he was Fae before he was turned into an incubus. I’d be hesitant to try it on Morio or Vanzir, though. I’m not sure about Nerissa.”

“Then bring it on. Shade’s fine. Nerissa’s staying here, so go ahead and try to sober her up after we’re gone. That just leaves Vanzir and Chase.”

“I don’t need it.” Trillian held out his hand. It was steady. “I had two brandies a few hours ago. I’m sober.”

Iris nodded. “Fine. While I might consider giving it to Chase . . . hell . . . just a minute!” She turned and raced for the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Smoky picked up Camille, tossed her over his shoulder, and headed up the stairs. “I’ll get her dressed for action,” he called over his shoulder. Trillian and Morio followed.

I pulled off my boots and asked Shade to bring me down a pair of mud stompers and a heavy denim jacket. The rest of my outfit would be fine. He nodded and dashed up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Iris reappeared and motioned for Menolly to help her. I followed them into the kitchen, where Iris pulled out a packet of a foul- smelling herbs, but instead of steeping them into tea, like I thought she was going to, she began packing them into gelatin capsules. Then she whispered some sort of enchantment over the capsules and handed me one of the giant horse pills along with a bottle of water.

I stared at it, finally slipping it into my mouth. I struggled to swallow it with a big swig of water. It began to open on the way down and I burped, an earthy, tangy taste filling my mouth. As I winced, Iris slapped a piece of bread spread with butter in my hands.

“Eat. It will help cushion the impact of the damishanya root.”

“Damishanya? Oh crap. We’re fucked. But yeah, it will help.”

Damishanya was an Otherworld herb that was as harsh as it was effective. I’d forgotten about it until Iris mentioned the name, but now memories of the root flooded back. The first time Camille, Menolly, and I had gotten pie-faced drunk— before our father gave us permission to drink— we’d sneaked some of the herb to keep our father from finding out. But he could smell the booze and herb a mile away, and we’d all suffered his wrath. We’d all been on cleaning duty for a week straight. He’d blamed Camille most, since she was the oldest and he held her responsible. She’d been on house arrest for two weeks.

As Camille and the others entered the kitchen, Iris doled out the capsules and food, and then we headed out for the cars. Roz had declined the drug; come to find out he was barely tipsy and just blowing off steam. He did, however, wash off the oil and dress. Vanzir stayed home— he was too wasted to be of any help in the field.

So Shade and I took Chase and Sharah with us in the Jeep, while Menolly drove Camille’s Lexus, ferrying Camille, Morio, Trillian, and Shamas.

As we headed down the driveway my thoughts began to clear. The root was working fast. With a poignant regret, I realized how much I’d welcomed shutting down my mind for a while. For just a moment we’d been able to let ourselves go wild, forget about all we’d been facing. But now, I realized just how much steam was left behind the barrier.

As we pulled into the parking lot at the Supe Community Council, I realized I was stone-cold sober. The hall— a small building that sat on a weed-infested lot with a parking lot full of cracks in the pavement— was smoldering. The smell of smoke saturated the air and it was hard to breathe. I opened the door and slowly stepped out of the car.

At first glance, I thought maybe we’d lucked out and the building hadn’t been hit too hard. But as the others joined us— with everybody but Morio looking relatively intact— we moved forward, and I realized that the place had been gutted by the fire and explosion.

I stared at the fractured hall, my heart skipping a beat. I was an integral part of the Supe Community Council. I could have easily been here. The planning committee for an upcoming dance was supposed to have met tonight. And what if this had happened during one of our monthly meetings, when we’d have up to a hundred members joining us?

The thoughts of what might have been began to run through my head, an unending stream of bloody images, un-til I realized a lump the size of a golf ball had formed in the back of my throat. Camille took my hand as we surveyed the damage. The firemen were still pouring water on parts of the building, but by now, most of the flames had burned themselves out. There wasn’t much left for them to feed on.

Fire and Ice

2012-01-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

Blogging Over At Between Fire and Ice today.

Etched In Silver, Camille, & Birthdays

2012-01-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

So, tomorrow is the release of Etched in Silver—the stand alone e-novella that first came out in the Inked anthology. Etched in Silver tells the story of when Camille and Trillian first met, long before the girls ever came over to Earthside, and explains their relationship and how it started out.We’re releasing it as an e-special so that the people who don’t normally buy anthologies would have the chance to buy it, and there are a couple of extras in it—the first two chapters of Shaded Vision, plus a little something I wrote a few years back. A very few of you may have seen it, in its first incarnation,but for the most part, most of you haven’t.

I love writing about Camille and her men. Weaving one woman’s life into three men’s lives—especially supernatural men—is a complex task, and I fully enjoy watching how the relationship meshes and changes as time goes on. I must admit, it pisses me off when people call Camille a whore—in my world, polyamory is absolutely acceptable and the morals of most humans don’t apply to the Fae.To me, a ‘whore’ is someone who doesn’t care who s/he sleeps with, who has sex for money, and who approaches the act, not with love, but with a business sense. And quite frankly, if that’s what someone chooses to do, then I have no qualms with them, either. But Camille—Camille loves her men, she loves sex, is highly sexual, and she’s happy being Smoky, Trillian, and Morio’s wife. For her, the ‘one-and-only’ concept doesn’t fit—and neither does the picket fence,minivan, and 2.5 kids average. While I have one husband, and pretty much plan on it staying that way, I understand Camille on a gut level. She and I are a lot alike, and I love being able to let her turn her sensuality loose with the men she trusts.

Next month, Shaded Vision releases—I’m so hoping to see sales go over the top, especially the first week. And I admit, I’d love to see a climb back onto the NYT print list (meaning the top 1-20 books). It’s harder to get there now, with the split in e-sales and print sales, but I can hope. ~laughs~ After Courting Darkness, you can expect a little more humor in this book—it is a Delilah book, after all, but the stakes are getting higher for the sisters and the storyline is going to remain tense.However, you’ll also get to see Iris’s wedding—which I had a blast writing—and this month and next month in the Moon Daughters Web Comic, Jayelle and I are exploring the wedding in ways I couldn’t fit into the book. So be sure to follow the comic, too.

So, back to work. I’m writing Shadow Rising, right now and am on a tight deadline. After this I write book 14—Haunted Moon, Camille’s fifth book.AMAZING that I’m going to be starting book 13 in the series in about six weeks!I am so grateful to all of you readers who keep me in business…thank you for buying the books and taking the sisters—and Cicely from the Indigo Court Series—into your hearts.

Next Tuesday is my birthday. I’ll be celebrating with good friends and good food (albeit, mostly low-carb), and I’m seeing this birthday in happier,healthier, and lighter than I have in a long, long time.

So Bright Blessings. And by next week, I’ll be adding one more year on the ‘age bracket’ scale, but ya know, that’s okay!

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2012-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

New Year, New Outlook

2012-01-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

Blogging Over At Between Fire and Ice today about New Year, New Outlook.

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2012-01-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

Over on Happy Twilighter's Blog

2012-01-02T11:58:00.001-08:00

Talking about music and my work over on HT's blog.

Happy New Year--Many Thoughts

2012-01-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I wasn’tgoing to, but I’ve decided to write a New Year’s Blog after all, for severalreasons. Now that I’m not on Twitter or Facebook very much, I actually have theenergy to blog as well as to do my work. Second, it feels like a good beginningto the year to say hello and to wish you a wonderful New Year.

The Solstice

We had alovely solstice—our Circle had a wonderful ritual and dinner, and for the firsttime in years, I really felt connected to the holiday again in a way more thanjust putting up the decorations. It’s been many years since I’ve worked inCircle with others, but things have meshed in a lovely way for several friendsand I to come together. And now that that I’m part of a Circle again, I find I reallyforward to spending more time away from the clamor of the net, and more time inprivate meditation. While I receivedsome lovely and heartfeltgifts for Yule, I think the best was the gift of celebrating it with goodfriends.

Toys

I boughtan iPhone and have fallen in love with it. Well, as much as I can fall for agadget. By the same token, I bought a Kindle Fire and am rather regretting it.It’s not quite what I hoped it would be and I still hate reading on screen.

Etched inSilver

On January12^th, the standalone e-novella of Etched in Silver is releasing. I hopethat those of you who haven’t read the story yet (first out in the anthologyInked) enjoy it, and I also hope you enjoy the little extra that I added in forfun. My editor loved it, and I hope you will too. And in addition, you’ll alsofind the first two chapters of Shaded Vision included.

MyBirthday

And mybirthday’s on January 17^thso I’m facing another sort of ‘new year’in a few weeks. I’m ringing in my birthday about 55 pounds lighter than I waslast year at this time, and a whole lot healthier. The low carb is working forme so well, and I feel so much better. And the exercise—well—that only helpstoo.

ScheduleThis Year

This yearI’ll be making three big trips—to Chicago for the Romantic Times Convention, toAnaheim for the RWA Nationals, and to New Orleans for the Authors After Darkconvention. My schedule is set—except for a couple local signings, that’s allthe traveling I’m doing. In addition, I’m writing three books again. I have myworkouts, my coven I’m working with, and a life to lead. So I’m officially amega-busy woman for 2012. ~grins~

SocialNetworking Back-Away

Now, toaddress an issue: I’ve received more than a few disappointed notes on Twitterabout the fact that I’m not there. While I appreciate that you enjoy mytweeting, the fact is that yes, while I still have my account, I have backedoff dramatically and am seldom there now and that’s not going to change.

I letTwitter suck away my time and energy. While I met some lovely people on Twitter—somewhom I have developed friendships with—I also found myself not getting workdone, and I was easily irritated by negative things I saw posted. So, I decided to back away.

Nowunderstand, I’m not saying Twitter is bad. But I was addicted. And that’s not agood thing. So from now on, I’ll be an occasional drop-by on there, to put outan announcement or to say hello, but I will never be there again with anyregularity again.

Mymoderators—Jenn and Phil—will make sure my Facebook is updated regularly. Andwhile I know some of my readers will miss me on both sites, I’m also sure themajority would rather I focus on writing books more than on entertaining peopleon Twitter/FB!

So, 99% ofmy online interaction is going to be limited to the blogs, and to my forums.

Yes, theforums are back—all user info intact—but this time, we’ve created a full fansite—the Moon Stalkers Site. ALL theperks—the avatars and icons and promo banners and book videos and all of thatfun stuff—is located in the same area.

And we’reworking on an Otherworld Wikipedia for my readers. The OW Wiki won’t beaccessible to change by anybody other than our team, so it’s not auser-interactive encyclopedia. We’re also working on some form ofpuzzles/crosswords for you to enjoy—we’re hoping to have that all up byFebruary but we can’t make an absolute promise.

The onlypart you have to register to use is the forums and chat room—the rest will beaccessible to everybody.

So, Iguess that’s it for my New Year’s Blog. I hope that 2012 is a wonderful yearfor you all (no, I do not believe it’s going to be the ‘end of the world’—too manycultures have had too many EOTW scares over thousands of years and frankly, Ithink it’s hype). I wish you prosperity, joy, and health this year.

Yasmine

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-12-31T00:30:00.000-08:00

Goals for the Coming Year

2011-12-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, another post about goals and the new year.

So the holidays are come and almost gone, and I’ve enjoyed this season,even though it’s flown by. Now it’s time to think about the coming year. Inever make resolutions—I plan out goals. Resolutions are usuallypie-in-the-sky, never-kept dreams. I don’t dream so much as I envision and putinto action.

This coming year, I have severalpersonal/professional goals I have been working toward:

·        To keep on my low-carb eating plan and workoutschedule. To increase the working out gradually.
·        To decrease the amount of time I spend onlinejust frittering away time. I have a heavy schedule this year for work, and Ican’t afford to spend much time on Twitter or FB. So you’ll see me briefly onTwitter now and then, and you’ll see more of my moderators—Jenn and Phil—on FB.They’ll be there to announce things, answer questions, etc. On the other hand,I will be attending three major conventions/conferences, and having 1 or 2local signings.
·        To get my fan site up on my website. There willbe a lot of fun things on it for you guys. I'm also trying to boost my career to the next level, so thinking about how to do so.
·        To keep to a sane, consistent blogging schedule.No more every day attempts. No more weeks between blogs. Overall, I’m going totry for two blogs a week (besides the comic announcements), one here, and oneon my Fire & Ice blog that I share with Anya Bast.
·        To attend to my spiritual/magical practices. I’mback to working with a group and it feels wonderful. I need to focus on myspiritual and magical sides more consistently.

Other than that, I’d like to read a few more books this year (sigh, Ialways seem to be too tired to read), and spend more time hanging out withfriends and my husband and cats.

So, what are your goals? Not your resolutions, but goals that you trulythink you’ll be able to achieve?

Yasmine

Fifth Yuletide Contest

2011-12-27T00:05:00.000-08:00

Win a present from ME (yes, me--Yasmine)! The last contest went up today and runs through next Monday. Go HERE to enter. Do NOT try to enter on the blog.

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-12-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

Blessed Midwinter!

2011-12-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

Have a wonderful Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hanukah, or whatever you may celebrate.

I'll be back on Monday the 26th!

Yasmine

Fourth Yuletide Contest

2011-12-20T00:05:00.000-08:00

Win a present from ME (yes, me--Yasmine)! Fourth contest went up today and runs through next Monday. There will be one more contests this month. Go HERE to enter. Do NOT try to enter on the blog.

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-12-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

A Merry Yuletide To All

2011-12-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

I wrote this poem in 2001, when I was still struggling with depressionover 9/11 and the aftermath. It’s been ten years since that stark, mind-numbingtime, but I still love this poem and think it truly encapsulates my feelings asto why we need to celebrate milestones.

Yasmine

A Merry Yuletide To All

(with my apologies to that wondrous and traditional children’s poem)
by Yasmine Galenorn copyright/2001--do not reproduce without permission

T’was two days before Yuletide and all through the coven,

The Witches were baking sacred cakes in the oven,
Astrologers were eying the stars for great omens
The bards were penning their stories and poems.
The Norsemen were blasted on grog and on ale,
The Celts hoarded mistletoe while it was on sale.
The New Agers were dreaming of angels of light,
As the snow piled up through the long winter’s night.

Yuletide was coming, Yuletide was near

And all that we craved was a little good cheer.
The trees sparkled with light in this season of snow,
This year gifts seemed bigger, or maybe not so,
Cookies and cakes and roast hams and roast geese
Filled the tables with promise, the promise of feasts.
Parties and dinners abounded this year,
Though underneath all lurked the presence of tears.

The rain in my town poured down, cold as sleet,

The skies overcast were, as usual, bleak.
I took a deep breath and I trimmed my fake tree,
(I’d rather not cut down a real one, you see).
And wondered again at how traditions brought peace,
And how these few baubles could make my pain cease.
The year had been hard, many lives had been lost,
And my heart surged with winter’s white frost.

I turned off the lamps and plugged in the lights

Circling the tree, they were shining so bright.
I curled by the fire, my cats at my feet
And listened to silence, and to my heart beat.
No elaborate ritual planned for Yule night,
Just a few friends and my loved ones held tight,
Just a few thoughts for those not as lucky as me,
For those sitting alone, by a mourning-dimmed tree.

As I curled by the fire, in front of my eyes,

A man dressed in holly showed up by my side.
“What the…?” I asked as the cats raced down the hall.
Home invasion? Freak psycho? Just a tad off the wall?
He shook his head and with a chill in his eyes,
Sat on the sofa and gave a soft sigh.
“My dear, I’ll save you the trouble to ask.
Answers you want, to give answers—my task.”

His breath swirled with ice, his hands crackled with frost

The Holly King had come visiting, (or perhaps gotten lost).
I offered him grog and I offered him cake
But neither treat would the ancient Winter King take.
I knelt at his feet, questions filling my heart,
How can we celebrate in times that are dark?
Are we just kidding ourselves anymore?
Does the Mother still care? Have we outlived our lore?

He put his hand on my shoulder, wiped a tear from my eye,

Leaned forward and whispered, “Tomorrow I die.
Tomorrow I meet my brother and fight,
Then descend into the long winter’s night.”
“Then why are you here?” I grabbed for his hand.
“You’re doomed, and yet you still travel the land.
You bring the beauty of winter, the keen chill of ice,
You’re here in my home, gifting me with advice.”

He held tight to my fingers, he would not let go,
His smile remained, his eyes clouded with snow.
“I bring you beauty because it’s my nature and force,
I travel the land—it’s our lifeblood and source.
I will die tomorrow, others have died today,
And not every trouble will vanish away.
And not every hunger will feed, not every tear dry,
But to ignore beauty for pain is to let your soul die.

He lifted my chin and whispered, “Listen to me,

Let go of the guilt, set it loose, set it free.
Be grateful for that which the Goddess has sent,
Help those who you can, and give prayers where you can’t.
Don’t deny yourself celebration and mirth,
For the joy that you feel, to more joy it gives birth.
Don’t dwell on the pain, on the death, on the tears,
You’ll only empower more anguish and fear.”

And I saw what he meant, a world driven by pain,

Where fear ruled out courage and kept us in chains.
Where tears became bars of a cage holding us in,
Where laughter and music and joy were all sins.
And I vowed that my magick would not build that world,
And as I so vowed, the energy swirled
And swooped and rose and the Holly King laughed,
He kissed me soundly and winked as he danced.

The lights on the tree grew bright, shimmering clear,

The gifts given with love no longer seemed shallow cheer,
The garlands smelled fresh, the rain turned to snow,
Then the Holly King said, “I really must go.
I’ve a battle to lose, a duty to season,
And as to my death—you know there’s good reason.
The world cannot live in perpetual cold,
Even the Holly Lord must fade and grow old.”

I reached up to his wizened face, gave him a kiss

As the room clouded over with fog and bog-mist.
He gave me a hug and then pulled back near the tree,
And as he vanished, he was waving to me.
I opened the drapes, the snow sparkled like gems,
Covering the trees—every bough, needle and limb.
And I fixed myself tea and thought of the night,
What a wonderful gift—the gift of clear sight.

Tomorrow our friends on our home would descend,

And we would be here to welcome them in,
We’d eat and we’d drink, exchange gifts, in the light
Of a fire that crackled all through the night.
And we’d mourn the Holly come Yuletide Day,
We’d turn the Wheel in our nouveau ‘ancient of ways’.
We’d drive back the darkness with song and with mirth,
And welcome the Sun King as the Goddess gave birth.

Third Yuletide Contest

2011-12-13T00:05:00.000-08:00

Win a present from ME (yes, me--Yasmine)! Third contest went up today and runs through next Monday. There will be two more contests this month. Go HERE to enter. Do NOT try to enter on the blog.

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-12-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

Winter Solstice

2011-12-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

People often ask me if I celebrate Christmas. The answer is a definite no.While some pagans celebrate both Christmas and the Winter Solstice due tofamily obligations, we only celebrate the Winter Solstice. While we often callit Yule, we are referring to the actual Solstice.

In our tradition, this holiday represents the rebirth of the Sun King(or Oak King), and the death of the Holly King. The Holly King rules over thewaning half of the year, from the Summer Solstice to the Winter Solstice, andthe Oak (or Sun) King rules over the waxing half of the year—from WinterSolstice to Summer Solstice. During Summer Solstice (known as Litha), the cycleis reversed—the Holly King strikes down the Oak King in battle, and when theOak King moves into the Underworld, the Holly King ascends to rule the season.

There are—and were—many holidays that take place during the wintermonths, including the Roman Saturnalia. But our traditions are morenorthern-European than Greco-Roman. Most of the decorations this time of yearhave their grounding in various pagan traditions, so truly, our Yule tree, is aYule tree, and the lights and sparkle represent the return of the sun. Oneorigin of Santa (well before Saint Nicolas) was the figure of the Holly King. SoI decorate—for Winter Solstice, not for Christmas, using the modernrepresentations of the decorations from the past that my pagan ancestors used.Lights instead of candles, ornaments instead of ribbons, etc..

The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. Held in late December, it is an astronomicalevent so the actual date can vary from year-to-year, but the holiday usuallyfalls on December 21st or 22nd. Checkyour almanac and account for differences in time zones. It may fall on December 21st on the westcoast, but December 22nd on the east coast.

During this time, we focus on togetherness, parties andfestivities. Before the modern era—even inthe 1800s and early 1900s, villages and towns were often cut off from oneanother by snow and ice. Entire familiesmight go through the harshest part of winter without seeing another soul. If the harvest wasn't managed properly or ifthe crops had been scarce that year, people died from starvation.

And so Midwinter came to represent hope—for the return of spring, forthe return of fertility and warm weather and planting season. In the far north, the sun actuallydisappeared--the longest night was trulythe longest night with the sun barely peeking above the horizon. It is no wonder that in agrarian societieswhere everything depended on the success of the crops that the return of thesun each year was cause for celebration. The Gods had been kind--the source of life was re-emerging fromdarkness. With the Sun King reborn, the days lengthened and the season ofgrowth once more overtook the land.

So what do we do? We hold ritual on the night before the WinterSolstice—the longest night of the year. We celebrate the rebirth of the SunKing to the Goddess, and the light from his brow strikes down the Holly King,and the cycle continues. The Goddess is eternal. The different faces of the HornedGod are cyclic, going from birth to the zenith of his power to death to birthagain. We drum, we dance, we chant, we make magic, we light candles torepresent the glow of the sun, we invoke the gods, we continue to turn theWheel.

Brightest Blessings this Yule,

May Midwinter be gentle on you.
Yasmine

*some of this information was contained within my book Dancing With the Sun

Memorable Gifts

2011-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Some of the best gifts I’ve ever received have been more nebulous thanthe actual item that it represented. In 1993, the second Yule that Samwise andI spent together, we had been married a little over seven months, and we weredirt poor. We managed to find a decent looking artificial tree (I can’t havereal ones in the house without getting too many allergy problems, and I preferthe ones we can use year after year rather than cutting a tree down every year)for half price, and friends gave us leftover ornaments they had tucked away intheir attics and garages. So we had a tree, and it was pretty, but we didn’thave money for gifts. I didn’t mind, for us, but I really wanted to givefriends something, so we spent days in the kitchen making dozens of cookies andpopcorn balls. And I painted rocks with runes on them for health and success (I’dactually sold those at stores for some time), so we had homemade gifts from theheart for friends.

I had saved enough to buy Sam a T-shirt with a lovely wolf on it, and Ididn’t expect much in return. We had each other and I was loved and it was allgood.

Come the night of Winter Solstice we held our ritual, and then openedour presents. Sam loved his shirt. I opened the box he’d gotten me and itseemed big for something I figured would be a pretty little trinket. Well, itwas filled with chocolate kisses and miniatures. I laughed—he knew how much Iliked chocolate, but he said, “There’s something under there.”

So I dug through the chocolate and found a box…it was a boxed set of myfavorite perfume—Opium—along with a small bottle of the lotion and shower gel.I knew that it had cost so much more than we had to spare, so I was a littleworried, even though I was thrilled. I asked Sam how he’d paid for it, and whenhe told me, I realized just how much that gift had cost in time and love.

He’d gone out every day for months, collecting aluminum cans (this waswhen recycling centers actually paid you money for them). He’d collected themfor three-four months, long enough to earn the forty dollars or so that perfumeset cost back then. When he told me, Irealized that the perfume, while nice, was icing on the cake. The real gift wasthe time and love he’d put into finding the money to buy me a present he knew I’dlove.

I never, ever have forgotten that Solstice. And our friends loved thecookies. And that’s the year we had our first open house. The open house becamean annual tradition and the only year we haven’t held it was the year my motherdied. She died in 2000, on December 16^th, the day before our openhouse. We spent that evening calling people telling them not to come. It washorrendous and painful to deal with.

But time moves on, and once again, we’re gearing up for our open house.This will be our 19^th annual get-together, except for the year 2000.And once again, we’ll open our house to friends, and the past few years, we’veeasily been able to buy gifts for our friends. But whether they come from thestore or the kitchen, or the heart though something intangible like the gift ofbabysitting or housecleaning or a picture you’ve drawn, it doesn’t matter. Whatmatters is the love that goes into the gift. And the knowledge that you arethinking of others.

What is the most memorable gift you've ever received?

Bright Blessings,
Yasmine Galenorn

Dear Santa...Letters from Otherworld

2011-12-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about my characters and decided to ask them what theymight write in their letters to Santa. So here are a few excerpts from theirletters that I co-opted when they weren’t looking. *grins*

DEAR SANTA…for the Winter Solstice...

Maggie: OOKIES!!! OOKIES!!! Cweem dweenk!!!

Camille: Can you please bring me an easier way to get in shape? Ireally hate the exercise bike and the punching bag, but I need to get intofighting shape.

Delilah: CHEETOS CHEETOS CHEETOS…and a clandinstine dream date withJerry Springer?

Menolly: I’d like to be able to do my own makeup. Please, can I haveone night where I can see myself in the mirror?

Iris: I want this damned morning sickness to go away! And I want theplanning for the wedding to go smoother. I can’t make up my mind on anything!!!

Smoky: I want my wife to feel secure again. I want to make her feelsafe.

Trillian: I want to be able to take a trip to Otherworld—just Camilleand I…to revisit where we first met and spend some time together in private.

Morio: I’d love to introduce Camille to my family. And have it work outfor the best.

Shade: I want Delilah to clean her cat box more often. And I want tostart planning our future together.

Nerissa: I want Menolly…to be mine. Forever and always. *smiles* And I’dlove a silk negligee in hot pink.

Rozurial: We have an X-Box…I’d also love a Wii system, a Playstation 3,and a spending spree at Games R Us.

Vanzir: I’d like to know what’s going on with my powers. And what Rozsaid.

Shamas: To finally get up the guts to tell Camille the truth about me.And a car of my own.

Chase: I’d love to figure out where my powers are coming from and whatexactly they are.

Misty: Merowwww…mew mew mew…marowwww…astral catnip…

So there you have it—the Otherworld Dear Santa letters!

So, what would you ask Santa for?

Yasmine

Second Yuletide Contest!

2011-12-06T00:05:00.000-08:00

Win a present from ME (yes, me--Yasmine)! Second contest went up today and runs through next Monday. There will be three more contests this month. Go HERE to enter. Do NOT try to enter on the blog.

Yasmine

Seasonal Decorations

2011-12-06T00:01:00.001-08:00

We always decorate starting the day after Thanksgiving and spend the next three days decking the house out. This year, we’veexpanded to some outside decorations since we now own a house. And for me,while there is a line I won’t cross, I love sparklies and I like my house toshine. So here are a few pictures of our home this year. And here’s a videothat I took of the outside lights—it’s a bit shaky but you can get an idea ofwhat we’ve done. The music is royalty free, I bought the license to use it, andno—it’s not attached to the lights, it’s just background music I used for thevideo. J

Our living room--the Victorian Tree.

My office tree.

The dining room, all sparkly.

The family room and the Northern Traditions tree.

The living room, again.

So, what kind of decorations do you like to put up? What traditions do you celebrate? Yuletide/Solstice? Christmas? Hanukah? Kwanza? Or perhaps something without a name?

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-12-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

Charity of the Months: Food Banks

2011-12-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

Jenn Price, my fan mail assistant, pulled together information on resources for food banks for us:

This is the time of year that people are usually thinking of what they are thankful for. There are a lot of people out there that are thankful for the help of their local food pantries which help them know they will have something to eat. These pantries generally get the food they give out from the closest food bank, and those food banks get the food from people who donate. I am going to do an over view of some of the more major food banks in the U.S. and will provide links to their sites.

First is the Northwest Harvest site which is located at http://www.northwestharvest.org/

The mission of Northwest Harvest is to provide Washington State with nutritious food to the hungry in a way that lets them preserve their dignity. They have a network of 325 food banks, meal programs, and high needs elementary schools. They have distribution centers in western, eastern, coastal and central Washington and they reach the rural areas where people in need might otherwise go hungry. They have been providing these services for 43 years and are big on promoting healthy eating. They have links on their site for you to find out how to donate or receive help.

Next is the Ample Harvest site which is located at http://www.ampleharvest.org/find-pantry.php

Their mission is to educate, encourage, and enable gardeners to donate their excess harvests to people in need in their local communities. They feel that a lot of America’s problems could be solved if we all valued our resources for the treasures they are. If you are a gardener who would like to donate your excess harvest there are links on their site which will tell you how you can do just that.

Second Harvest Food Bank out of Florida is our next site located at http://www.foodbankcentralflorida.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage

They supply more than 500 nonprofit feeding programs throughout the state of Florida. They help agencies that consist of Emergency Food Programs, programs that provide food for people with HIV/AIDS, shelters, and lots of others. Their main goal is to provide the food these programs need to feed those who come to them. They have links on their site where you can find out how to get involved in helping them to help others.

The California Associations of Food Banks located here http://www.cafoodbanks.org/About_Food_Bank_Funding.html

They have links to food banks in their association throughout the state of California. You can find out where to go to get food in your local area as well as were you can donate food. There is also a ton of information on food banks and what they do to help on this site.

Feeding America which is located here http://feedingamerica.org/

This program is the nation’s leading provider of domestic hunger relief. They distribute the food donated to them to food pantries to help those pantries feed the local hungry. They expect their partners to follow the same values as they do. Those values are to respect the dignity and worth of every person who comes to them for help. They have links on how you can get involved to help them with their mission to provide food to those in need, and they also have links for those who may need to find some help getting food.

The National Letter Carriers have a food drive every year to help “Stamp Out Hunger.” The site is located at http://www.nalc.org/commun/foodrive/index.html

All over the nation the National Letter Carriers collect food to help those in need. They have collected around 70.6 million pounds of nonperishable food which they then have delivered to their local food banks. There is information on their site on how you can help them with their food drive.

This last site has a list of local food banks and agencies that you can search for the one in your local area. http://www.foodpantries.org/ They have a list of pantries all over the U.S. so you should be able to find one near you. There are also several articles on the site about the different food banks and pantries as well as food drives. So check it out to find out how you can get or give help.

Remember to please donate to help those who might not otherwise be able to eat. As someone who has been in that position I know that my family and I wouldn’t have made it without the help of places like the ones above. So while you are being thankful for the things you have there are those that are thankful for what you have given to help them. They may not know who you are but they do know that you were kind enough to help them have the food they needed to feed their families.

Jenn Price

Winter Thoughts

2011-12-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Snow in our front yard last year.

It’s definitely winter, whether the calendar says it doesn’t start till later this month or not. Winter has never been my favorite month, but there is a beauty innate within the stark bare branches of the deciduous trees, the pouring rain (and occasional snow) we have, the overcast skies, and the bare flower beds. And even though I don’t like snow, I have to admit to being excited when we have snow—at least the first time or two, and if it doesn’t stay more than a couple days.

Winters here are primarily filled with rain and temperatures that run in the 40s and sometimes low 50s, and while the maples and mountain ash trees and the rest of the deciduous trees are bare, the cedars and firs and spruce trees all still have their needles, so the deep green against the silvery skies(and white of the snows when we have them) are gorgeous.

When I was little, I lived in eastern Washington, and the winters back then seemed brutal. Lots of snow and thick ice—I hated walking to school on that ice. It was so cold in my room that ice would form on the inside of the windows. We didn’t have central heat and there were no heaters upstairs. There were several weeks each year that I ended up sleeping on the sofa because it was just too cold in my bedroom. I didn’t like those winters…I still wouldn’t ever want to go back to them, but there was a beauty there, too. At night, I would turn off the lights in my room and watch down on the streets, as the snow would fall silently in the glow of the street lights. A bluish tinge seemed to fill the air and I would sit there quietly, watching, thinking, for hours.

I prefer the winters here. They’re easier for both Sam and I to handle,and our summers are temperate, as well. In harsh climes, summer can often be as hot as winter is cold.

What are your thoughts about winter? What’s winter like where you’re at?

Yasmine

First Yuletide Contest for December

2011-12-01T16:39:00.001-08:00

Win a present from ME (yes, me--Yasmine)! First contest went up today and runs through next Monday. There will be four more contests this month. Go HERE to enter. Do NOT try to enter on the blog.

Yasmine

This Wild and Weird Wonderful World

2011-12-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

Blogging over at Fire and Ice today!

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-11-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Have a lovely Thanksgiving and I'll see you next week!

Yasmine

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2011-11-23T09:41:00.001-08:00

So today, I have to run to Fed Ex. The contracts for my new Indigo Court books finally came (waiting on the contracts for my next set of three Otherworld books), and they are signed, sealed, and after today will be delivered. I always feel better once the contracts are in hand and official.

After I’m done at Fed Ex, we stop on the way home to get what I forgot to get at the store, and then I make pumpkin pies and low carb chocolate pie,and I’ll make the cranberry sauce today, and the gravy—gravy reheats easily. I’ll bake the ham today and again, tomorrow it will reheat easily. And chill the olives. Friends will be bringing a nut platter, and a cheese platter, and a fruit salad. Then tomorrow, roast the turkey, make the mashed potatoes, and all else will be a simple matter of reheating and enjoying the day.

Every year we host Thanksgiving for between 5-10 people. We started this tradition years ago and it’s become a yearly event…our friends are our family and while the number and some of the names change each year, we have a core group of friends who join us for the day.

Which brings me to the concept of giving thanks. Seriously, every day we should spend a moment, if only briefly, to think about what we have as opposed to what we don’t. I know that some people have horrendous lives. I had a rough childhood leading into a rough nine-year relationship that should never have happened. But most of us can find at least one thing to be grateful for.

I want to list a few of the things I’m thankful for. It’s a fraction,really, of what I have to be grateful for, but these are some of the ones that stand out in my mind today.

1. My husband, Samwise, who has always supported my success, who’s cushioned my tears, who loves the fact that I have a brain, who is with me after nineteen years. I’m thankful that two serious misdiagnoses on his health were just that: misdiagnosed, and that we are together, now, and love each other more than the day we met.

2. My cats. Just…my cats. I adore them. They make life happier. They’re my babies.

3. My readers—you guys and your support of my books helps me make a living doing what I love. Your support in buying the books keeps me able to write the books, and without that support, I wouldn’t have my dream job.

4. My friends. They are more valuable than gold.

5. Books. Books, all the wonderful books I’ve read,want to read, and want to write. Language, the written word, it’s all a vast playground for the mind and imagination. Words can move mountains. Words can change the world.

6. That I can earn a living at doing what I love.

7. The internet and all related companies that have forever changed our lives and turned science fiction into reality.

8. I’m grateful I’ve found the willpower to stay on my diet and exercise program, and to turn my health around.

9. The freedom to choose my spiritual path and not be forced into a religion I don’t agree with or believe in.

10. CAFFEINE. ESPRESSO. LATTES.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, peeps. This weekend I’ll be decorating for the holidays—I love the tradition of doing that. So will be taking off the entire weekend. And I’m thankful for that!

What are you planning for Thanksgiving? A quiet holiday at home? Dinner at the relatives? Dinner out at a restaurant? To play video games all day?

Yasmine

A Few Thoughts on Anne McCaffrey's Death

2011-11-22T15:02:00.001-08:00

Anne McCaffrey was a pioneer. She was the first woman to break the old boy’s club in SF/Fan and win a Hugo. And a Nebula. Then she went on to become the first SF/F writer to hit the New York Times, in 1978, with White Dragon.

But Anne was far more. To many of us, she was a beloved writer. One we may have cut our teeth on, or—in my case—I discovered her in my late teens.Anne brought dragons to life. She created a world—Pern—where dangerous thread falls from the sky, where dragons strafe and where men and women alike ride the great beasts. She created a world where crystals sing. She created magic. When I first read her work I was ecstatic—women, in SF/Fantasy, who weren’t weak,who took charge and ran with adventure.

When we lose a beloved artist, author, or singer, the fans mourn the loss of the “bigger-than-life” celebrity. But we should also mourn the loss for her family. Because beyond being a brilliant writer, Anne was a mother, a friend, and a wife. Her husband is dead, but her children live on, and I send my prayers and thoughts to them. They didn’t just lose a writer they admired and loved, they lost a mother. And many lost a dear friend.

Wherever you are, Anne, whatever afterlife awaited you, I hope you’re happy, and running with the dragons. And to your family: may you traverse the sorrow with as little despair as possible. May you know that your mother was a beacon to others. May you carry her legacy and her love with you forever.

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-11-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

Thanksgiving, Diet/Exercise, and Brighid Update

2011-11-21T09:03:00.001-08:00

A mishmash of thoughts for you today. So we got up yesterday to a layer of frost on everything, including the weathervane. Here’s the picture from my office. It’s supposed to warm up to the upper 40s early this week though, with heavy rains and strong winds. Think I’d rather have the frost than the wind, but around here, that’s par for the course.

We’re getting ready for Thanksgiving. Have everything we need for the most part, and Wednesday I make pies and low-carb chocolate pie, and cranberry sauce, and the gravy. I’ll bake the ham too, and we can just reheat it on Thursday. On Thursday we roast the turkey, make the stuffing, and the mashed potatoes. I’ll just reheat the gravy,the ham, and everything will be ready.

We always have friends over for Thanksgiving. Some years we’ve had 8-10 guests, this year we’ll have 5 coming to join us. We’ll use the good china, we’ll spend the day together talking and enjoying being in the company of friends. Some of our guests have been coming to our Thanksgiving for years and we may not see each other much for the rest of the year, but each year we gather together again, a family of friends, caring about each other,grateful that we’ve had so many years together.

WOO-HOO. And another little victory—I just went down another size in knit shirts. Started out in 4X and am in 2X on them now. That is a thrilling feeling. And skirts that I bought that were almost too snug three weeks ago fit fairly good now. I tried on an old skirt that was almost too tight back in April, when I started low-carbing, and it almost fell off me—way way too big now.I’ve gotten rid of most of the old clothes but that was hiding in the back o fmy closet. The combination of exercise AND diet is working wonders for me. I feel better, look better, move better, and don’t hurt nearly so much. So yes, I am making progress. My blood sugar’s almost normalized. I’m going off my blood pressure medication (I was on a low dose but now really need to wean myself off of it—with my doctor’s approval).

So those are good things.

As to a Brighid update. We take her to see our regular vet today. I hope they have the urine culture back by today but should be tomorrow at the latest because then we’ll know exactly how to treat this condition and whether it’s chronic or acute. My poor baby is a little scared of me, which breaks my heart, because I’m the one who wrestles her into the carrier. Hurts so bad to see her want to run away from me, though this morning at least, she let me pet her a little. I love my babies so much and hate the thought that they’d ever be afraid of me. But it can’t be helped. I’m the one who can get them into the carriers, so I have to cope with the tough-love syndrome.

And now, it’s on to work, time to begin Shadow Rising, which was going to happen this weekend but obviously didn’t. At least I have my playlist and synopsis and know what I’m doing. Kinda. LOL (Just like the beginning of everybook for me).

Yasmine

Tiring Weekend Already

2011-11-19T21:26:00.001-08:00

So last night was not fun. We had to make a midnight run to the emergency vet with Brighid. She had a UTI, which we thought had gotten cleared up but last night it seemed to return and we wanted to get her in right away—and our vet wouldn’t be open till Monday morning. So we took her in and turns out she has crystals in her urine. Not great, but treatable. Poor baby is not happy though, and we have to wait on a urine culture to find out exactly which treatment to use. But we have her on antibiotics again, and we got her a shot for pain, and she’s more comfy now. We also have to take the cats totally off dry food because it can be bad for cats with problems like this. We only put the kittens on dry chow to free feed them as they were growing and never got out of the habit—our older girls used to be canned food only.

But there were several emergencies there, and we didn’t get out of there till 3:30 in the morning, which was exhausting considering I’d been up since 7:00 AM. I felt so bad for this one couple who lost their pet while we were there. I’ve been through that, I know how devastating it is. But Brighid’s condition is treatable, and it may be chronic—it may not be—but either way it can be controlled and taken care of and we're on top of it.

I’ve got the playlist ready and am going to be starting on the writing of Shadow Rising tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it—going to be a kickass Menolly book. I know that term is overused but hey, it is what it is.

And that is about all my tired brain can think of tonight.

Blessings,

Yasmine

Preliminary Playlist for Shadow Rising

2011-11-18T11:18:00.001-08:00

Here's the preliminary playlist for Shadow Rising--Menolly's fourth book:

AC/DC: Hells Bells; Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
Adam Lambert: Mad World
Air: Napalm Love; Another Day; The Word 'Hurricane'
Amanda Blank: Big Heavy; Make it Take It
Android Lust: Fall to Fragments; Feel the Empty Mask
Asteroids Galaxy Tour: The Sun Ain't Shining No More; The Golden Age;
Sunshine Coolin'
Avalon Rising: The Great Selkie
Awolnation: Sail
Bangles: Walk Like An Egyptian
Beck: Nausea, Think I'm in Love
Black Sabbath: Paranoid
Blue Oyster Cult: Godzilla
Bon Jovi: Dead or Alive
Bravery, the: Believe
Buffalo Springfield: For What It's Worth
Celtic Woman: The Voice
Clannad: Newgrange
Cobra Verde: Play With Fire
Commadores: Brick House
David Bowie: I'm Afraid of Americans, Without You, Sister Midnight,
New Killer Star
Dead or Alive: You Spin Me
Depeche Mode: Blasphemous Rumors, Dream On
Devo: Working in a Coal Mine; Freedom of Choice
Doors: Maggie McGill; Hello, I Love You; Five to One
Fergie: Fergalicious
Finger Eleven: Paralyzer
Fleetwood Mac: Gold Dust Woman
Foo Fighters: All My Life
Foster the People: Pumped Up Kicks
Gary Numan: Cold Warning; The Hunter; Stormtrooper in Drag; Hybrid;
Down in the Park; Cars (Hybrid version); Dream Killer; Voix; Are
Friends Electric
Gorillaz: Every Planet We Reach is Dead; Dare; Stylo
Haysi Fantayzee: Here Comes the Beast
Hives: Tick Tock Boom
Kraftwerk: Pocket Calculator
Lady Gaga: I Like it Rough; Paparazzi; Born This Way; Poker Face
Ladytron: I'm Not Scared; Black Cat
Lindstrom and Christabelle: Lovesick
Lou Reed: Walk on the Wild Side
Madonna: Express Yourself; 4 Minutes
Marilyn Manson: Personal Jesus; Tainted Love; The Fight Song; Rock is
Dead
Men Without Hats: Safety Dance
Metallica: Enter Sandman
Offspring: Come Out and Play
Oingo Boingo: Elevator Man; Weird Science
Pink, Christina Aguillara, Li'l Kim, Maya: Lady Marmalade
Puddle of Mudd: Psycho
Rod Zombie: Living Dead Girl; Never Gonna Stop; Mars Needs Women
Roison Murphy: Ramalama (Bang Bang)
Saliva: Broken Sunday; Ladies and Gentlemen
Seether: Remedy
Simple Minds: Don't You
Soundgarden: Fell on Black Days; Superunknown; Spoonman
Seether: Remedy
Stone Temple Pilots: Dead & Bloated
Sully Erna: The Rise
Thomas Dolby: She Blinded Me With Science
Toadies: Possum Kingdom
Tori Amos: Caught a Lite Sneeze; In the Springtime of His Voodoo;
Professional Widow
U2: Vertigo, Elevation
Ween: Mutilated Lips
Woodland: I Remember; Morgana Moon; Blood of the Moon; First Melt
Yoko Kanno: Lithium Flower; Run Rabbit Junk
Zero 7: In the Waiting Line

I'm really looking forward to writing this book!
Yasmine

Paranormal Thoughts, Ideas, Books...

2011-11-18T09:47:00.001-08:00

I recently had three blogs go up on the Penguin website you might like:

Paranormal Thoughts

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

A Lifetime of Books

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-11-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic is up!

The Nature of The Career

2011-11-11T13:28:00.001-08:00

So, NIGHT SEEKER is on my editor’s desk now. One thing I’ve noticed ina lot of comments on Facebook and Twitter is that people really don’tunderstand the nature of being a professional writer. They don’t understand—andsome seem concerned—why I can’t take a month or so between books to rest.

Being a bestselling author doesn’t guarantee that you get to call theshots, but for me—it does mean that I get to continue doing what I love as longas the books keep selling at the rate they are. However, if I want to continueto make a living at my work, I have to write more than one book a year, andmore than two books a year.

So yes, like everyone else in this world who works for a living, I do haveto put in the time actually working—and writing includes more than sitting atyour desk eating bonbons. It’s damned hard work that takes talent, discipline,patience, and ambition. Not everybody can be successful at it, and contrary towhat some people hope, just because you can work a keyboard, doesn’t mean youcan be a professional writer. It’s like that with any career.

Writing a book involves so much more than the actual writing. Inaddition to writing, you have to go through the editing process, revisions, thecopyedits, and page proofs for each manuscript. And then you have promotion, administration,and if you do appearances—that sucks up a lot of time. That’s one big reason I simplycan’t make too many appearances (though as I said, next year I’m attendingthree large conventions—one in Chicago, on in Anaheim, and one in New Orleans).Another reason is money—I foot the bill for travel, and it isn’t cheap.

So yes, this isn't a hobby, it’s a more-than-full time career. I work60-80 hours a week, but then again, so do a lot of people who areself-employed. And ask any restaurant manager or anybody who has to work twojobs—a lot of people don’t get the standard 40 hour work week. Plenty of people work just as hard as I do. And hey, if you have a bunch of kids? Maybe you don't have deadlines like I do but you have round the clock work.

I love to write, and in order to continue to write, I have to make aliving on my work. I have the mortgage and bills and health care and food andpension funds to think about. (Which is why I bitch so much about the fuckingpirates who steal my work—stealing is stealing. Too bad if they don’t likebeing called thieves).

And no, I don’t get a lot of time off. But when you think about it, howmuch vacation time do most people here in the USA get? If you work for a goodcompany, maybe you’ll get two weeks a year, a few people I know get more, but Isuspect the vast amount of people out there don’t get more time off than thelegal holidays.

Yes, I work hard. I work long hours and sometimes I moan aboutdeadlines because they can be exhausting. BUT…I really consider myself lucky thatI love my work—that’s so much more than a lot of people can say. And I can makea living at it, and that’s why I work so hard—if I make a living at my work, Ican keep writing the books that I love to write, and that you love to read.

So please don’t worry about me having such tight deadlines. It’s partof the career. I may occasionally get exhausted, but I also have a lot of perksI love with this job, like working at home, and being with my cats all day, andgetting to spend time spinning stories about the worlds I love.

Yasmine

Mandy Roth and Michelle Pillow

2011-11-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Mandy Roth and Michelle Pillow write hot books. About sexy men. Paranormal even. Did I say HOT books? Heat level scorching? Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. ;) And they terrorize twitter with me. I met them originally through someplace I don’t remember, and three years ago, I was insane enough to let them interview me on their blog radio show (which ended up being a free-for-all of fun). Mandy and Michelle have their fingers in a lot of different pies right now, fruit pies and cream pies and just all flavor of things going on in their lives, and of course, when I asked them to guest blog, I knew what I was getting into, so here you go. This blog will tell you nothing about what they write/do, but it will give you a clue into what funny and entertaining women they are, and why I like them. (PS: go check out their websites and buy their books). –Yasmine

Mandy and Michelle:

It’s that time of the year at again. No. Not tax time—well, not yet. It’s the time of the year when people reflect on who and what they’re thankful for. In honor of this, we thought we’d open the discussion here about what it is you’re thankful for. Loves ones? Health? Happiness? Getting to read this blog post?

Here is what we’re thankful for:

Mandy: I'm thankful for family.

Michelle: I'm thankful for family and friends.

Mandy: I'm thankful for family, friends, and extended family, and extended friends.

Michelle: I'm thankful for strangers who are not my friends, who I've never even met.

Mandy: I'm thankful for friends of these stranger friends, who have passed, and who have not been born yet.

Michelle: Oh, yeah? Well, I'm thankful for the heaven and earth and stuff.

Mandy: Ok, fine, well I'm thankful for the otherworld, Elysian Fields, and Hades.

Michelle: I'm thankful for ghosts 'cause I get to hunt them.

Mandy: I hunt them, too.

Michelle: But, I'm thankful for it first.

Mandy: I'm thankful for vampires and werewolves and fairies and trolls and goblins and--

Michelle: You can't take all the paranormal creatures, Mandy.

Mandy: ..AND wood sprites and nymphs and...

Michelle: Ugh. *puts hands up to form a 'T'* TIME OUT!

Mandy: Banshees.

Michelle: I think we're off track.

Mandy: I'm thankful for Hugh Jackman.

Michelle: I'm thankful for the photographers who take pictures of Hugh Jackman.

Mandy: I'm thankful for studio executives who thought it was a good idea to get Hugh Jackman naked as Wolverine to run across the screen.

Michelle: I'm thankful for the pause button.

Mandy: ...and replay.

Michelle: I'm thankful for pasta.

Mandy: I'm thankful for Hot Young Strong Sexy Hot Sexy Italian Men.

Michelle: I'm thankful for Hot Young Strong Sexy Hot Sexy Italian Men who make pasta.

Mandy: Michelle, there is something a little wrong with you, but I'm thankful for it.

Michelle: What? It's pasta. And I'm thankful for you, too.

Mandy: I'm thankful for you.

Michelle: No, I'm thankful for you.

Mandy and Michelle: But, mostly we're thankful to Yasmine who let us come and high-jack her blog today.

Mandy: And Hugh Jackman.

Michelle: Yes, Hugh Jackman.

So, tell us, what is it your all are thankful for this year?

For more information on Mandy and Michelle, visit them at their websites: www.MandyRoth.com, www.MichellePillow.com, www.TheRavenBooks.com.

PS. I bet the readers are thankful that we are done being thankful. ;)

Master of the Hunt by Mandy M Roth

When the oracle warns Prince Aeson that his future mate is in the human realm and is in great danger, he wastes no time going in search of her. Problem is, he has no idea who he’s looking for. He’s never met her and the oracle couldn’t give him anything more than small clues as to who she is and where she might be.

Sent to one of his favorite hangouts—a sex club—Aeson is stunned when a beauty shows up on the arm of another man, a man void of emotion. He senses trouble surrounding her and something else—something that marks her as his. He doesn’t care if she is or isn’t the woman the oracle told him about, she’s the woman he wants. Anyone who dares to stand in his way will feel his wrath and, before the night is out, she’ll feel exactly what it’s like to be taken by a prince.

WARNING: This book contains hot, explicit sex and violence, dominant alpha bird shifting males who think they’re always right, even when they’re dead wrong and a woman who isn’t about to stand by and let them boss her around.

http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Master_of_the_Hunt.html

Seduction of the Phoenix by Michelle M Pillow

A prince raised in honor and tradition, a woman raised with nothing at all. She wants to steal their most sacred treasure. He’ll do anything to protect it, even if it means marrying a thief.

Prince Zhang Jin is a man raised in honor and tradition, so it is a great surprise when he is compelled to claim a stranger as his bride who has neither. Francesca La Rosa is hardly a match fit for a prince. Though beautiful, she is a thief with one thing on her mind--stealing the sacred Jade Phoenix of his people. But the mystery doesn't end there. With the aid of the spirits of his ancestors he must discover who this woman is, why she would destroy the Zhang Empire and most of all, if she could ever return the love that is growing in his heart.

http://ravenhappyhour.com/Seduction_of_the_Phoenix.html

Great News, and Travel Plans for Next Year

2011-11-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found out that I’ve been nominated for a Romantic Times Magazine (a leading mag in the industry) Career Achievement Award in UrbanFantasy, as well as Courting Darkness being nominated for a Reviewer’s Choice Award for 2011 best Urban Fantasy Novel.

This is exciting on a couple of fronts. One, in the Career Achievement Award category—I’m up against greats like Laurell K. Hamilton, Simon Green, and PN Elrod. I’m honored to keep such company—Laurell is a friend of mine, and while I haven’t met Green or Elrod, I know they are staples of the genre. Do I believe I deserve to win this award? Taken apart from the others, yes, I’ve got an excellent backlist and I’ve been in the business a long time. But I’m not going to compare myself to the others or their work and say I deserve it more than them or vice versa (and please, don’t do that here in the comments, either). We each have our own niche. I’m not as well known as some of them, but I have a large audience and I’m proud of the work I’ve done.

But it’s also exciting in this aspect: to be nominated WITH them…as one of their peers, it tells me that I’ve made a mark on the industry. That my work has been noticed, and in that sense, the nomination itself is an award. Do I want to win? I’d love to. Do I feel like I’ve already won? In some ways, yes, because just seeing my name in that list definitely is a ‘win’ on its own.

As far as Courting Darkness being up for best urban fantasy for 2011—I’m over the moon thrilled. I work damned hard on my books, and Courting Darkness was a difficult book to write, and I’m very proud of what it turned out to be.So do I hope I win? Again, I’d love to--I think I'm a strong writer and that it's a strong book. But the recognition, being picked as one of the top books for 2011, that again is a win in itself.

Now, onto travel information, and that ties in to the above news. I’ve finalized plans for next year. I will be traveling to three conventions/conferences. I will not be doing any signings apart from the mass signings AT these conferences but I will be there to at the conferences, having fun, signing, hopefully presenting on panels or the like.

April 11-15: I will be at the RT Convention in Chicago IL.

July 25-28: I will be at the RWA Convention in Anaheim CA.
August 8-12: I will be at the Authors After Dark Convention in New Orleans LA.
October 26-28: I will be at the Emerald City Writers Conference in Bellevue WA.

Any other signings will be local. And no, I’m sorry, I can’t come to(insert city here) for a signing so please don’t ask—it’s not going to happen in 2012 if it’s not listed above. We were looking at New York but in this market, it’s difficult to set up single author signings and there’s just not that great of a turnout at most single-author signings. And since I foot the bill for all my travel (and my assistant), no, the publisher is not going to send me out on tour, and they want me to have time enough to write three books like we’ve planned. But at least I’ll be getting out to several places this coming year.

And remember: you can always pre-order personally signed copies from Seattle Mystery Books if you order at least a day in advance of the actual release date—though it’s preferable to pre-order a few days in advance. And they carry a variety of my books that I’ve signed (not personalized) that you can order. Or you can get signed, personalized bookplates from me via the instructions on my website, as well as other swag.

Yasmine

RELEASING TODAY: COURTING DARKNESS

2011-11-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

COURTING DARKNESS

Buy

Read

and I hope, enjoy

And there's a new comic today, too!

Blessed Samhain Eve

2011-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Samhain Thoughts

2011-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

This will be the eighteenth year that my husband and I’veheld our annual dumbfeast for Samhain; it will be the 31^st SamhainI’ve commemorated, excepting the year 2000, when I’d been walking in the landof shadows so long it felt like I’d never break free. That year I could notface the abyss, having walked through it for two solid years as my motherwasted away from cancer, and knowing she was soon to pass through the veils.

Each year, our roll call of the dead seems to get longer,and the time leading up to Samhain seems to grow more solemn. The wind shaking the trees, the leavesspiraling in the air, the overcast gloom and rain that pours down on our areaof the country during this time brings home the mood of this season—the seasonof the dead. And I watch the gray skies,and think about the cycle of life and death, and the eternal turning of theWheel.

In our home, Samhain is a fond remembrance of ourancestors. And, it’s also the time inwhich we face death, and acknowledge the power of the inescapable end to mortallife. When we honor the elementalentities we call the Lord of the Flames and the Queen of Ice. When we call out the roll of the dead who includeour ancestors, our spiritual ancestors, our beloved pets, and our friends, weinvite them to visit, to share a meal, to return as shades from the lands ofshadow.

The Queen of Ice stands in her chill abode, sweeping acrossthe land, stilling breath, quieting the beating of the heart, opening her armsfor those who need rest. The Lord ofFire rages across the fields, burning the ties that bind our spirits to thisworld, laughing with joy at the power in deconstruction. They are a matched pair, they are namelessand yet named, they are the polarities of fire and ice, of flame and frost, andthey rule over the Underworld as mirrors of one another.

The costumed ghosts and skeletons and mummies of Halloween area simple reflection of the dead that do walk these lands, that are always withus, that pass through the shadow lands and return once again into life whenthey’ve rested, or who move on into realms of which we can have no clearknowledge during our time spent in mortal clothing. When we remember these shadows, when we paythem honor, we are immortalizing our line, we are creating new traditions basedon old traditions, we are creating a history for ourselves and our families, bethey extended family or blood-linked.

This Samhain, I will be remembering too many who’ve passed,and yet each year I know that list will grow. And I will contemplate what each person brought into my life, and what Ihopefully added to their lives. And Iwill remember and pay my respects to the season, and to the Lord of Flames andthe Queen of Ice, who await us all, and to whom we all must return.

Yasmine

Weres and Shifters

2011-10-26T00:01:00.001-07:00

I’ve never been a huge fan of Weres, though I like writing about shifters. But as I write more about them, I’m becoming more familiar with my world view of them. Weres—while fascinating—have never seemed terribly magical enough to me. Shifters, for some reason, seem more so. And I love writing about magical beings. I know it seems that changing into an animal does sound magical, but I have always viewed it more as a shamanic practice—one linked to a personal meshing with an animal spirit. I tend to prefer writing about beings who actually use magic.

I spent a lot of time as a kid watching TV shows and movies, and I watched all those old SF/Fantasy movies like “I Was A Teenage Werewolf”…later on came movies like American Werewolf In London, and the Prophecy and Cat People and The Company of Wolves. While I liked them (the remake of Cat People, especially), they didn’t have quite the magic that movies like Legend or Labyrinth or Sleepy Hollow did. Or the sensuality that the vampire movies did (except Cat People—that has to be one of the more sensual movies I’ve seen). Weres, for the most part, seemed a little brutish to me.

But writing Weres has brought me to my own personal understanding of these creatures. Delilah isn’t a full Were by definition, since her ability is a byproduct of her half-human, half-Fae heritage. But through her, I’ve come to realize that for the worlds I write, Weres are as much their animal self as they are their more human-like self. Delilah doesn’t just change into a cat, she IS part cat. She is as much cat as my Meerclar, only being Were, she’s also got a second nature—the one that’s half-human, half-Fae. The Were’s sensuality comes through their animal nature—or, their aggression, their elusiveness, etc.. In my world, they don’t turn into monsters, just much stronger versions of their animal selves. I never found the monster-werewolf appealing.

Shifters are different—Morio’s a shifter, a youkai kitsune (and yes, I know there are other spellings of that word, I checked with a friend in Japan to verify the one I use). He’s more of a neutral forest demon/spirit—and he has three forms. The full fox form, the demonic form, and then his human form. He’s not the same as a Were, because his demonic form is his true nature. The Koyanni—the Coyote shifters in my world, are in essence, Weres, but they for some reason prefer the term ‘shifter.’

I think I prefer writing about Weres when they’re part of a multi-faceted paranormal world. I couldn’t just write about them without including the Fae, witches, vampires, dragons, and all the other wonderful creatures out of legend and lore. I like Weres, but I need a little more magic with my fantasy. ;)

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic "A Ghost in the House" is up!

SNIPPET MONDAYS #5: COURTING DARKNESS

2011-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

We’re counting down to COURTING DARKNESS’s November release with a snippet from Chapter 2!

You can read the first chapter of COURTING DARKNESS in the back of NIGHT VEIL, or up on Yasmine's site. So we'll be posting snippets from chapter 2 each Monday until the release date. If we find anybody reproducing this on other sites we'll stop and everybody loses out. That means: NO cutting/pasting/copying/sending through email.

Remember, you can pre-order COURTING DARKNESS from Amazon.com or BN.com!

COURTING DARKNESS
CHAPTER TWO Excerpt #5
copyright 2011 Yasmine Galenorn, all rights reserved, do not reproduce
First Chapter
Excerpts Already Posted

Clearing the catch out of my throat, I stifled the impulse
to run toward the energy. As foreboding as it was, I still
longed to reach out, to touch it, to embrace the entity waiting
in the dark.

“What is it?” Delilah asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know, but it’s Fae in origin.
There are several beings waiting down this path. Something
dark and hungry— all scuttle and cunning. And the Hunter,
I think. He’s old and crafty, waiting in the dark of the night.
I want to shed my cloak and go running toward it.” I turned
to Chase. “Show us the portal, please.”

Another five minutes of ever- increasing energy and we
were standing in front of a shimmering blue field between
two trees, off the sidewalk, to our left. Chase had been
right— the thing looked just like a portal, only it had a distinctly
different feel from the ones we were used to. Which
meant it was either a different kind, or a mimic.

I motioned for Shade to join me. He was the most versed
in magic now that Morio was laid up, and he’d have a better
chance of helping me if some Big Bad came tumbling
through.

He leaned down and whispered, “This portal stems from
the ancient forests. Be cautious, Camille. Powerful beings
inhabit the woodlands of Earth.”

Smoky cleared his throat, eyeing Shade as his lips neared
my ear. I rolled my eyes. Dragons didn’t do all that well in
the same territory; even a half dragon like Shade had territorial
issues, but mix him with Smoky— whose full- blood
dragon testosterone put most alpha males to shame— and
we’d been breaking up sputtering matches for several weeks.
As polite as Shade could be, he was still, beneath it all, part
dragon, and that side had risen to the challenges Smoky had
pushed forward.

I took a slow step away from him to calm Smoky down.
Shade cracked a faint smile, and I realized he’d stirred the
cauldron on purpose.

“A real jokester, huh?” I mumbled, then turned back to
the others. “We can’t just walk through— we have no idea
where it might lead. This has the energy of the Fae Queens
written all over it, but I sincerely doubt they conjured it up.
They’d summon it to their Sovereignty if they summoned it
at all.”

“That makes sense.” Trillian stroked his chin. With his
glistening obsidian skin, he was almost lost in the dim light.
“But they might know what it is. What do you think about
asking them?”

Delilah and I glanced at each other. The idea of asking
the Triple Threat to come out here to help us wasn’t an easy
decision. As much as I respected Aeval and Titania, I equally
distrusted Morgaine. She might be our distant cousin, but
she was out for pure power— her own— and I wouldn’t put
anything past her in her attempts to claim what she could.

I slowly shook my head. “I don’t know, but—”

“Do you hear that?” Chase interrupted me, blanching as
he turned toward the portal.

“Hear what?” I listened but couldn’t catch anything different
from the energy I’d already been feeling. But Chase
looked like he’d seen a ghost. He wavered, his eyes taking on
a glassy look, then began to bolt toward the portal.

“She’s calling my name . . .”

I jumped to grab his arm, but he shook me off, like he
might shake off a leaf. I knew damned well that Chase didn’t
have the strength to do that.

I whirled to Smoky. “Catch him— don’t let him get
through that portal!”

Both Smoky and Shade rushed past me, but Smoky suddenly
stopped, bouncing back as if he’d hit an invisible barrier.
Shade was struggling, his steps sluggish and forced.

“I can’t move.” Smoky’s hair lashed out at whatever the
force field was, sparks flying every time the whips hit the
invisible barrier.

“I can barely slog through it,” Shade said, his voice
strained.

“Fuck! Come on!” I motioned to Delilah. We began to
run. It felt like I was running through mud, but at least I could
move. So could she.

Trillian was on our heels, and he passed us by, faster than
we were. “Elder Fae energy— pure, crystal Elder Fae energy,”
he shouted over his shoulder.

And then, the siren song enveloped me, a beckoning dance
that promised to last forever if I’d just embrace the energy. I
gasped, reeling from the desire to shed caution to the wind.
The wave of passion rolled over me like the scent of peaches,
ripe on the vine. Beside me, Delilah let out a choking sound
and dropped in her tracks, grasping at her throat.

Chase was almost to the portal. I paused, torn between
going after the detective and helping my sister. But Trillian
was within arm shot of Chase, and Delilah was struggling
for breath.

Making my decision, I grabbed her wrists and began to
drag her away from the mist that now encompassed us like a
sparkling fog. The siren song still lodged in my head, I did
my best to block it out as I pulled her to safety. Shade loped
in our direction, while Smoky was still trying to break
through the barrier.

Delilah sat up, wheezing. “I couldn’t breathe— it felt like
I was breathing water. Chase— what’s happening to Chase?”

Turning, I saw that Trillian was struggling to control the
detective, but Chase broke away, pushing him back. With a
wild, panicked look, the detective plunged into the portal,
screaming. The gateway exploded with a brilliant light, and
then— in the snow- filled night— it vanished, taking him with it.

Charity of the Month: Guide Dogs

2011-10-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yasmine: Sassy Outwater is a talented musician, producer, she writes, she's brilliant, and has a voice that won't quit. She's also blind and doesn't let it stop her from doing anything she puts her mind to. I had my assistant Jenn Price interview her for the blog. Please welcome them to the blog.

This month we will be spotlighting some very special animal heroes that walk among us. What heroes are those you may ask? Well these special animals are guide dogs. To help me tell you about guide dogs I asked a very special and talented lady named Sassy Outwater for help. She knows firsthand about how these animals can become a partner and family to the person they help. Here are some of the insights she has to share on this subject.

Can you tell us a bit about what guide dogs are and their job?

Your eyeballs ride around in your head. Mine walk by my side on four feet with a nose and a tail. Guide Dogs are basically a pair of puppy dog eyes that eat, shed, tornado-tail anything within reach, steal your spot on the bed and flip upside down in your lap to watch TV.

When they put on that U-shaped harness, Guide Dogs transform into the Navy SEALS of the service dog world. The little heroes brave trucks, trains, buses, planes, busy streets and strange places, construction, crowds and so much more to keep their blind handlers safe.

Guide Dogs are dogs specially trained to safely lead blind and visually impaired persons. Guide Dogs are unique from other service dogs because they must intelligently disobey the commands of their handlers when necessary. If I tell my Guide Dog to go forward, but there’s a tree branch in my way or an oncoming car, then my dog must choose to disregard my command, and then decide for himself what would be a more appropriate course of action to take. A Guide Dog must therefore be an independent, confident thinker--obedient, but able to take the initiative and make decisions about the life of the team at a moment’s notice. Guide Dogs lead their humans in a straight line, stop for curbs and steps, help us find things like elevators and empty chairs, pull us out of the way of cars we may not hear coming, help us find open doors on buses and trains, and so much more.

How old were you when you got your first guide dog?

I was seventeen when I was paired with Black Labrador Arlin.

Tell us a bit about the guide dog you have?

My current partner is Kodak, a seven-year-old male yellow Labrador. Kodak (Kody to his friends) and I have been together for five years now. He’s my partner in all things, my best friend, and my eyes. Everything in our lives is truly a team effort. Like cops or dance partners, one can’t function without the other very well.

How did you get a guide dog?

I’ve been totally blind since childhood. Instead of applying for my driver’s license when I was sixteen I put my Guide Dog application in the mail. It takes up to six months of interviews, meetings, applications, doctor appointments and example walks with Guide Dog trainers before a blind person is approved to receive a Guide Dog. A blind person applying for a Guide must prove he or she is able to competently travel with a white cane first. The blind handler must demonstrate an ability to orient herself in various environments, safely judge when it is safe to cross streets, and in other ways prove that she is an active person for whom the dog would be a definite asset. There are about twenty schools in the US who train Guide Dogs.

Once I was accepted to the school of my choice, I went to school for several weeks and lived on campus in a dorm with other classmates also receiving dogs. Instructors match dog to human and the boot camp begins. The team is put through rigorous training in every conceivable situation from quiet country roads and parks to bustling downtown streets. Cars are driven at the team to simulate real traffic checks where the dog must pull the human out of the way. Distractions are thrown at the team: anything from other dogs to loud noises and food. The dogs and humans must ignore all external influences and completely focus on one another to safely navigate. Training is hard, but the bond that forms between dog and human in a few short weeks is forged of love, mutual respect and trust. The bond continues to grow for the first year of partnership until it is more solid than words can explain.

Do you ever have any issues taking him into places such as stores?

Yes, over the years of having a service dog, I have been told I cannot enter certain establishments, from stores to restaurants to a hospital on one memorable occasion. But the law is on my side. As long as my dog is clean, quiet, and federally recognized as a service animal, then he may go wherever I go with the exception of the zoo and sterile areas of hospitals. Banning a working Guide Dog from entering any other public establishment could result in jail time, a fine, and some very pissed off disability advocates. My rule of thumb: if you tell me my Guide Dog can’t enter your restaurant, then you also have to tell every other patron to leave their eyeballs outside the door. Same thing.

Usually I encounter difficulty with people who are not from this country, and therefore are not used to our laws and the open view of dogs we hold in this culture. Calmly and quietly explaining that Kodak is a working, license service animal and that the law states he may go anywhere I do usually works. If not, a call to the cops does the trick.

Are there any misconceptions about guide dogs that you have heard?

The most common misconception is that Guide Dogs read traffic signals. Dogs are colorblind. The blind handler is trained to listen to the flow of traffic and tell the dog when it is safe to cross. It’s the dog’s job to watch for stray cars, keep the team in the crosswalk and get across the street safely and quickly.

If you are privileged to see a Guide Dog team in action, stand back and watch the dog work. Please don’t pet or distract a Guide Dog without asking. And never feed a Guide Dog. I know they’re adorable and gorgeous and we all want to run up and pet the hot firefighters and cops and Navy SEALS, but we can’t, sadly. Please treat Guide Dogs like you would treat any other working heroes, and accord them the respect and dignity their job deserves.

Please don’t be afraid to ask questions. The only stupid question is the one not asked, right? Use common sense. If I’m in the middle of buying groceries or relaxing over dinner with my lover, it’s probably not the best time to come up and ask if my dog can read the menu to me. But most blind people don’t mind answering questions, especially for young children curious about why there’s a dog in the middle of the grocery store. The more people we can educate about the miracle of Guide Dogs, the more accepted and loved they will be around the world, and the more freedom and independence blind people will have.

People often think blindness is a bad thing. But I get to be Kodak’s partner. Why would I want to see any other way?

I hope that after reading Sassy’s answers to my questions that you understand a little more about people who need these special animals to help them. Maybe the next time you are out in public and see someone with a guide dog you can feel more comfortable asking questions about their special helper.

There are many organizations out there that do train and pair people and dogs. I will share a few links to these places, and also to a site that gives contact information for several others as well. When you check out these sites you may want to have a tissue ready just in case. Also most have a donation page as well so even if you personally do not need a guide dog you can help keep these places open and available to those who do.

First I want to share the link to the school that Kodak attended. http://www.guidedogs.com This particular school is in California.

The next two were randomly picked from the last site I’ll share with you.

http://www.freedomguidedogs.org/ This school is in New York state.

http://www.guidedogsoftexas.org/ As you can probably guess from the web address this school is in Texas.

This last site has a list of several different guide dog school throughout the United States. It has their contact information as well as their website addresses.

http://www.nfb.org/nfb/guide_dog_schools.asp

Seasonal Decorations

2011-10-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

I love decorating for autumn. Actually, I just love decorating, but thereal decorating season starts in late August to early September. For one thing,we usually start into autumn early here compared to a lot of the US. TheSeptember rains start, the mist and fog spring up, and even though we’ll stillhave some warm days, we’re usually heading down into the upper 50s, lower 60s.I love the gloomy days and the fog and the mist, and when the rains come in.

So I start in decorating for autumn when we get near the end of summer.My decorations are a mixture of Samhain and general autumn décor. I have somefun ones—my haunted house, my pumpkin bobble head, my little witch bear in acauldron, the replica of a skull, but also garlands and candle holders andspecial candles and my bejeweled spiders.

I also have table cloths for theseason, as well as a Thanksgiving table cloth, and a special platter for the turkeycome Thanksgiving.

I watch several movies each autumn—they’re tradition. Something WickedThis Way Comes, Sleepy Hollow (the Johnny Depp version), The Innocents, TheHalloween Tree (which I WISH they’d get on DVD instead of VHS), Dead Poet’sSociety, Charlie Brown & the Great Pumpkin, and several others. And onThanksgiving Day, I always watch Little Women (the Winona Ryder version).

And then we have our ancestor altar--which stays up all year. It's where we focus our Samhain ritual, which is a dumbfeast for remembering the dead. It contains remembrances of those we've lost and loved.

So, what’s autumn like where you live, and what do you do for the autumnseason?

Yasmine

Vampires--Creatures of the Night

2011-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

I, like a number of authors, write about vampires (among a number of other odd creatures from legend and lore). My vampires are predators. They aren’t just humans with fangs, even if some of them may have, at one time, been human. One thing I knew right off—the vampire mythos in both my series had to have a set of rules and regulations. The vampires are deadly in both books, but in the Indigo Court Series they tend to be darker and much more arrogant. They know they’re at the top of the food chain and they aren’t shy about making sure everybody else knows it, too.

While I love the seductive view of the vampire, I couldn’t just leave it at that. For one thing, vampires are predators—they live on blood, they feed off of the living. And it is my firm belief that power and strength can corrupt—and when you are at the top of the food chain, it’s so easy to let that get out of hand. After a thousand…two thousand years…with no natural predators, the vampires in my worlds tend to lose much of their humanity, growing into their own race.

Menolly’s still a young vampire—very young—and she’s able to keep control over her predator nature. Most vampires can’t as they go along and either become like Dredge, or the rare ones who can keep control become like Roman—deadly but calculating.

In my vampiric worlds, silver hurts vampires, but holy objects and water do not. Garlic will repel them, garlic bombs can drive them back. Fire can burn them, the sun will kill them, a stake through the heart will kill them but stake them anywhere but in the heart and they live to heal up. Any scars they had before they died will remain, but if they are hurt after they’ve become a vampire, they heal up from almost all bruises, cuts, etc..

And the vampires in my Otherworld Series still have their souls—trapped in the body, unable to move on until they die the ‘final death’ and are released from their state.

And then, unable to leave well enough alone, when I was thinking about the Indigo Court Series, I knew I wanted to cross the vampires and the dark Fae and create the Vampiric Fae. But they had to be different—hence, they are not really undead, but instead—a mutation—seductive and alluring but ruthless, turning into hideous monsters when their real nature is revealed. They have less control over their natures than do the vampires, less ability to worth with the rest of the world. They are more primal, more animalistic. They drink blood, but they also eat flesh and suck out life energy.

Vampirism has many facets in literature, and each author creates his or her own addition to the mythology and lore. Which is one reason that you will never find exactly the same set of rules. I’ve actually had people tell me before that my vampires weren’t following the rules. To which I replied: “Yes they are—they follow MY rules for MY world.”

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic "A Ghost in the House" is up!

SNIPPET MONDAYS #4: COURTING DARKNESS

2011-10-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

COURTING DARKNESS
CHAPTER TWO Excerpt #4
copyright 2011 Yasmine Galenorn, all rights reserved, do not reproduce
First Chapter
Excerpts Already Posted

I pressed my lips together. There were so many things in
our world that were “just a little bit off” that the normality of
life had taken a backseat. “Yeah, I know. Show us, please.”

We scuffed through the snow, along the ice- covered sidewalks
into the heart of the park. Tangleroot Park gave me
the creeps, to be honest. I usually loved the outdoors, but
some woods are too dark, some places too wild for comfort.
Especially over here, Earthside.

The home of massive cedar and fir trees, Tangleroot Park
also housed a couple of ancient yew trees. The tree of death,
the tree of rebirth. A dark soul in a bright night, the yew was
one of the most holy of trees, and yet it calved off into a hundred
trunks, a hundred roots, all twisting in on the heart of
the trunk. The spirit of the yew belonged to the winter, to the
barren and fallow season, to the Underworld.

And the minute we began to walk toward the center of the
park, I could feel the yews watching us. Watching me. They
were curious, and their curiosity came creeping out, feelers
reaching for my energy.

Death priestess . . . dark moon priestess . . . we feel you
pass by.

Startled, I jerked my head up, but even though I glanced
around, I knew that no one walking on two feet had said
that. It was the forest. The yews.

I tried to keep my thoughts to myself, tried to rein in my
aura. Lately it had become a challenge not to blast it wide.
The more Morio and I worked together on our death magic,
the stronger I was becoming.

And when I backfired, the backlashes were more intense,
and more dangerous. As I cloaked up, warding myself
against prying eyes, we turned off on a side path, silently fi ling
through the snow-laden trees. A faint mist ran through
the park, sparkling and electric. Mist didn’t usually crackle;
something had to be infusing it for it to shimmer so much.

I glanced up at Smoky. “Something is feeding the mist.”

He gave me a faint nod. “I feel it, too. This is unnatural.”

Delilah slipped up beside us. “Shade just told me that he
senses Netherworld energy here, but there’s something more.
Something far removed from the spirit realm.”

Shit. What were we dealing with? As we wandered farther
into the flurry of white steam rolling along the ground,
my ankles began to tingle, and then the tingling moved up
my legs and before I knew it, I was shaking like a leaf.

“What’s wrong?” Smoky reached down and cupped my
elbow. “You’re trembling. Are you thinking about my father?”

“Yes, but that’s not what’s making me shiver.” I stopped
long enough to tell everyone what was happening. “Anybody
else feel it?”

Shade nodded. “I do, but it’s not affecting me as bad as it
appears to be hitting you.”

Chase let out a short sigh. “I feel something— a discomfort,
like a prickling— but I thought it might be the cold.”

“Hold on for a moment and let me suss it out.”

We had stopped near a bench. Trillian swept the snow off,
and I gratefully slid onto the seat. I pulled my cloak tighter
around me, then lowered myself into a trance.

“Just what’s out there? Who’s creeping around in the
fog?” The mesmerizing strands of energy clouded my focus,
and I shook them off.

Peel back layer after layer of sparkling mist cloaking the
reality behind the magic. Dig into its core, seek the central
thread. And there it is . . . a cold thread, a dark thread,
steeped in the energy of peat bogs and old forests and bonfires
deep in the grove at midnight.

Touching the strand, I sucked in a deep breath as it sang to
me, reverberated through me like an electric fiddle, ripping
out an ancient, keening reel. Like a live wire scorching the
inside of my eyelids. I caught a glimpse of sentinel fir trees
dripping with moss, and toadstools growing off downed
snags. Silhouettes flittered here and there— sparkling with
energy and yet the sparkles were shrouded in darkness.

Evil? Not really . . . and yet, not good.

Red eyes glimmered at me from the forest. An ancient
entity, male, old beyond reckoning, he waited in the shrouded
night.

Come, join my dance. You know you must, sooner or
later. The Huntress must dance with the Hunter as the moon
kisses the sun. Come, join me in a frenzied ring. You, guardian
of the Dark Moon.

I shook out of the web being woven around me and realized
that while I’d been in trance, I’d been warm— warm as
a summer’s night under the stars. I could still smell rich
roses, and honey wine, and the fragrant loam of the earth.
The winter snow around me glared, stark and unyielding,
and I longed to join the summons.

The Big Countdown To Courting Darkness Contest

2011-10-16T01:24:00.000-07:00

The Countdown to Courting Darkness Contest is going on for the rest of the month. Go check it out---one winner per day! And you only have to enter once.

And scroll down this blog to Friday's blog for my charity blog--goes on till midnight tonight. Cough up those comments, peeps, and I will cough up money for charity.

Yasmine

Black Cats & October...(advice for protecting your kitties)

2011-10-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

...it's October, and while Halloween is a lot of fun for a lot of people, there are a few nutjobs out there who like to hurt black cats--in fact, all cats. Be sure to keep your kitties inside as much as possible around the last week of October. Unfortunately, some wackos like to use holidays like Halloween as an excuse for cruelty.

A number of shelters will not adopt out black cats during Halloween week. I find this a sad commentary on people and their cruel tendencies. And just a note: black cats have the most trouble being adopted. Think about that the next time you go in to give a new kitteh a home. They need love just like all the other cats.

I know my little black gurl (and all my other gurlz) are--as always--staying indoors, celebrating Samhain with us safe and sound.

Also, be careful if you have candy sitting around--chocolate can be deadly to cats (and dogs). Make sure they can't get into the candy bowl! Also: remember candy made with Xylitol is deadly to dogs and cats.

Parties are also stressful times for many cats. If you're having a big party, you might want to make a comfortable place for your cats in a room where you can close the door--give them their litter box and food and water and a soft place to sleep. And watch out for decorations that have stringy parts or that might be small enough for them to swallow.

Have a safe and happy Halloween and Samhain this year--both you AND your furbles! And you might want to put a little food out on the mantle for any spirit kitties that might be wandering by, looking for a place to sleep for the most magical night of the year!

Yasmine

My Annual Charity Drive Blog

2011-10-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

Every year, I now make a tradition of holding a charity drive blog. I call on you to help me make this a success. Between now and ~~Sunday (the 16th)~~ Monday (the 17th) at midnight, for every comment, up to five hundred, I will donate 1 dollar to Northwest Harvest, fifty cents to both Meow Cat Rescue and Seattle Humane Society. Which means I will donate up to a thousand dollars to charity if YOU help me reach that.

What do you have to do? Just write a comment in the comment thread of this blog (one per person, please), and tell me one nice thing someone has done for you in the past year. Please, join with me.

While charity is vital ALL year round, during the winter months it is especially needed, with heating costs and the holidays making people feel the lack of resources so much more.

So take a moment to leave me a comment, please. And if you have the means, perhaps think about donating to the charities that need help. And, if you are one of those who need help, remember: there is no shame in asking. I've been there before. So have a lot of people. So when we have extra, we give. When we needed help, we asked. That is the way of life, in my opinion.

Yasmine

Dragons, Dragons

2011-10-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Blogging Over At Between Fire and Ice today about Dragons, Dragons.

Quick Recap of Geek Girl Con

2011-10-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Geek Girl Con. I wasn’t able to go for long, andusually I’m not into gender-specific events, but I have to say, from what I sawI was highly impressed by the way it was run, and by the friendliness thatseemed there. It wasn’t for women only, but it was a celebration of women ingeekdom—women in the SF/Fantasy/Superhero/Science tracks. My only complaint wasthat they put my workshop back-to-back with my signing, and then separated thetwo WAY too far apart. With my back issues, the only way I made it on time wasto stop the workshop early, get to the car, and drive around to the othervenue, and walk in a little late. But other than that, yes, I was impressed.

Their volunteers were plentiful and visible—in bright yellow shirtswith both the event name and “volunteer” in big black letters. They were hardto miss! And their was a wide variety of workshops available, as well as alarge vendors room.

My workshop was extremely well-attended, for which I am grateful, (though I have to say, the signing was not). Andyes, next year—if they hold it again—I am interested in returning. Because foreverything I saw, for a FIRST time convention, the Geek Girls have reallypulled it together.

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-10-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic "A Ghost in the House" is up!

SNIPPET MONDAYS #3: COURTING DARKNESS

2011-10-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

COURTING DARKNESS
CHAPTER TWO Excerpt #3
copyright 2011 Yasmine Galenorn, all rights reserved, do not reproduce
First Chapter
Excerpts Already Posted

Tangleroot State Park was ostensibly closed for the night,
but Chase was waiting near the front gates for us. A day
park, the 400- acre sprawl was a maze of picnic tables and
jungle gyms, huge maple trees and conifers. The maples
were bare- branched, naked to the sky, but the firs and cedars
towered dark and brooding over the area. Snow clung to
both naked limb and needled bough, creating a surreal,
cloaked feel to the park.

As we drove through the gates and parked, I quietly slid
out of the car and stood, gazing up at the giant sentinels that
guarded the grounds.

Something about woodlands and glades, parks and forests
during winter muffled my thoughts, sent me into a quietude
that I seldom found except within my magic and
meditation. They reminded me of my days spent in study
back home, when I first became a witch under the Moon
Mother’s watchful eyes.

Chase smiled tightly, raising his hand. His eyes glimmered
with magic. The Nectar of Life was taking full hold
of him. Just where he’d end up was a mystery none of us
could fathom, but watching his journey was fascinating, and
I hoped to hell it ended well for him. He’d helped us so much
and, although I’d started out wanting to smack him every
time he stared at my boobs, over the months I’d come to
respect and even like the detective.

As Delilah and Shade pulled in, a flicker of regret skittered
across his face but disappeared so rapidly I thought
I might be imagining it. Chase was dating Sharah now— the
elfi n medic at the FH-CSI— the Faerie Human Crime Scene
Investigation unit. They seemed casually happy together.

“Thanks for coming,” he said. “I know you must be tired
from your trip.” He searched my face. “How’s Iris?”

I shrugged. “Better than when we left. But it was hard— it
was rough on her. It was difficult on all of us. The Northlands
are a terrifying and harsh place. And I kept worrying
that we might run into Hyto. Speaking of which . . .” Chase
had to know. Hyto could wreak havoc on the city. “Chase,
Hyto’s hanging around here.”

Chase gave me a sharp look. “Smoky’s father? Here? In
Seattle?” A faint look of bewilderment skittered across his
face. Or perhaps it was denial. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I wish I were. Apparently, he’s stirring up trouble. And
we know he’s out to get Smoky and me. We just got the word
tonight. I don’t mind telling you, Chase, I’m scared spitless.
Dragons are dangerous— all of them. Even Smoky. And
Shade, who’s only half dragon. But a dragon with a grudge . . .
Hyto threatened me when we met. I know he’s more than
capable of carrying out those threats.”

Shuddering, I let it drop. There was nothing more to say.
Chase couldn’t do anything except keep a lookout. If he tried
to go up against Hyto, he’d be charcoal. Or worse. The memory
of Hyto’s hands on me, of his whispered threats, ran
through me like ice water, and I tried to shake it off.

“What have you got for us?” I asked, before Chase could
say anything else.

He paused for a moment, our eyes meeting. A fl are of
magic whirled in those dark orbs, and for a moment, I felt
pulled toward him— as if there were a connection that resonated
through both of us. It wasn’t sexual, but a deeper link,
one born of magic, of the dark of night.

“Camille,” he whispered. “What . . .” And then, as quickly
as the mind- touch flared, it vanished, and we were standing
among the others as if nothing had happened.

I shook my head at him and mouthed, Later.

“You were going to show us what you think is a portal?”
I didn’t want anybody else noticing what had happened.
Chase was going through so many transformations that a
bunch of nosy questions weren’t going to help him. But I
decided to privately have a long talk with the detective. We
needed to test him, find out just what sort of magical talents
were emerging.

He stood there for a moment, pensive, then nodded and
motioned for us to follow him. “Yeah, this way.”

As we fell in behind him, he explained how he found it.
“I got a call on the tip line, of all things, telling me there was
something in the park that wasn’t right.”

“Male or female?”

“I honestly don’t know. But I sent Shamas and Yugi out
here and they found this . . . thing. It reminds me of Grandmother
Coyote’s portal. But it’s . . . different. It doesn’t have
the same feel, if that makes sense.” He frowned. “Like when
you see an impersonator. Maybe he looks like the real thing,
but there’s something off . . .”

Welcome To the Witching Season

2011-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

I’m revisiting part of a blog I wrote a few years back. I love it so much that I want to resurrect it, even though I’ve updated it a bit. It still holds true.

Welcome to the Witching Season.

It’s autumn now, and the fat, glossy argiopes are spinning their webs across paths, their strands sparkling with morning dew. I carry a stick when I go out the door to bring down the webs. I’m afraid of spiders, though I find them fascinating. Our new home here is a haven for them—we took down what we called the ‘spider hedges’ that were filled with them. Now I have flowers in place of the boxy hedge work, and a gargoyle statue, but I still suspect the spiders will find a way to weave their webs from the roof of the house to the garden bench and the Japanese lace maple.

October here brings the fall of leaves—a whirlwind dance of bronze and spotted yellow. Standing in our yard, we see the mists and fog and the scent of rain-soaked cedar and fir greets us in the morning. Later, on a day here and there through the month, sunlight breaks through the clouds and dapples the grass through the latticework of the leaves still hanging on the trees until the next big windstorm. The faint odor of mushrooms and moss creep out from the tree trunks. The windstorms usually start in October and the 520 bridge over to Seattle can be a little dicey.

I awake during the autumn. Summer seems a long, irritable dream even when I'm busier than I want to be (and I'm always busy). But when autumn hits, it brings with it new beginnings, busy-ness, passion and tales and adventures. Publishers are back in their office, kids are back in school, there’s a bustle to the air that invites productivity. The holidays are coming, better get things done, time to make apple crisp and pot roast and serve it in a lovely terra-cotta colored tureen at a table with placemats and water goblets and candles gently burning to take away the chill and tiredness of the day.

I write better when the mist and rain are swirling. Even though I often crave the warmth of summer, the shrouded nights call to me, the gloomy days set me at a melancholy ease, the rain reassures me. I watch it pound down outside my office window, and it sweeps me away to magical lands, to dark and fantastical forests, to the first steps of long journeys.

In the mists, I see Smaug, and the distant fires of Sauron. I catch a glimpse of dragons flying in the sky, and there—there—a man with living tattoos that cover his body. And delving further, I'm inundated with visions of the Fae from my own worlds, as they fight their unearthly battle and rip apart the worlds during the Great Divide. Demons hide in the mists, and trolls, and Fae Queens who are so beautiful they terrify. And through the fog, I hear the murmur of drums from the African veldt, the song of the siren, the wail of the Bean Sidhe. Pan pipes call to me from the shadow the trees, and the very real elementals I sense in my life on a daily basis present themselves as models so I might create their fictional versions -- the Autumn Lord and Grandmother Coyote and the Moon Mother and Old Shag and Myst, Queen of the Indigo Court, and Lainule—the brilliant and beautiful Summer Queen.

Yes, my life is steeped in autumn mists, and has been for many years. The love of shadow and darkness and mist is embedded within my astrology chart, the love of mysticism and magic and things that go bump in the night.

With my mother's death some years back, with seeing friends pass through the veil, with over thirty years of working magic under the Moon, how can I avoid my fate -- which is to walk in the shadows, occasionally crossing into a warm and sunny meadow for a stay? And why would I want to? Read The October Country by Ray Bradbury or The Shining by Stephen King or The Other by Thomas Tryon and tell me they don't set your heart pounding. I dare you! I know they do mine.

I’m a bestselling author, yes, and I do write as a profession/career, and I have to pay attention to the industry from a business point of view, but I also write from love. From passion for the genre. From the heart of the magic that exists both within my actual life, and within the depths of my imagination. I write about the “autumn people” as Will Halloway’s father called them in Something Wicked This Way Comes. I write about creatures hiding in the mists, about fog that rolls in, shrouding mystery and magic. Autumn haunts me, and I long for it even though I'm crying out for some sun by February. I crave the soft embrace of the mist and chill outside the window.

Yasmine

Bright Blessings,

Yasmine

The Magic in My Worlds

2011-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Blogging Over At Between Fire and Ice today about The Magic in My Worlds.

Interview with Marie Vaccarello--the Model for Delilah

2011-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Marie Vaccarello is very special to me, because she’s the model that Tony Mauro chose for Delilah. I thought it would be a lot of fun to interview her about her work, and her work on my book covers. You can find Marie here on Facebook. --Yasmine

YG: Marie, you’re the model that Tony uses for Delilah. How long have you been modeling? When did you first know that you wanted to be a model?

Marie: I’ve been modeling full time for close to 6 years now, but I first got into modeling when I was 15 years old. It has been something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I was 13 when my fascination started. I saw a show on TV about a young girl that got discovered, and it all seemed so wonderful to me. They showed her daily life of going to castings, doing runway shows, etc. I remember after seeing that, I went to my room, got all dressed up and started practicing in front of my sisters, my runway walk…hahaha. I think that same day, I told my Mom, this is what I want to do when I grow up. :)

YG: What kind of training have you had? And what do you think about shows like Top Model?

Marie: I haven’t had any formal training in modeling. It all has been basically self taught. I take advice from friends, fellow models, and photographers, and use that to improve myself on each shoot I do. I think Top Model is a great show, and I watch it whenever I get a chance. Aside from the drama on the show at times, I do think it’s helpful to anyone that wants to get into the industry. There are a lot of good tips, and it gives you a look into what it’s really like for models at shoots, and runway shows. I study closely and have used some of what I’ve learned on the show, in my work.

YG: You’ve been on every Delilah cover so far. When you were approached about Changeling, what did you think when you found out the shoot was for an urban fantasy book cover?

Marie: I was approached by Tony Mauro back in 2006 I believe, to do the cover of Changeling. I remember being so excited, because it was my first big gig, since I got back into modeling again. I was a little nervous as well, because I had never done anything like this before. I had always seen those types of books at stores, and admired the beautiful artwork on the covers….so I was definitely honored that I was able to be a part of it. :)

YG: Delilah’s a two-faced Were, with both a golden tabby and a black panther side. She is also half-Fae, and half human. You do very well on encapsulating her energy with your expressions. What do you do to get yourself in the mindset when shooting her covers?

Marie: Usually before Tony and I shoot, he tells me a little bit about the character for the particular book. I take that, and through my expression and body language, try to bring out what I feel the character is all about.

YG: What would be your ultimate cover shoot, if any goal/wish could come true?

Marie: I would love to someday be on the cover of Vogue, or Harper’s Bazaar Magazine.

YG: Who are your favorite models in the industry? Who are your role models, both in business and personally?

Marie: There are so many people who I admire; it’s hard to pick just a few! Hmm..I guess I can say my favorite models are, Tyra Banks, Agyness Deyn, Kate Moss, Milla Jovovich, and Lily Donaldson. My role models in business and personally are, my family, friends, models and photographers I’ve worked with. I have met so many amazing people through my years in modeling, and I look up to them all. They have all inspired me, and have helped me tremendously in my career. I don’t know what I’d do without them!

YG: Take us through a day on a cover shoot for one of my books, if you will.

Marie: Usually at a cover shoot, I’ll arrive at Tony's studio, and we’ll go over wardrobe, discuss what the upcoming book is about, to give me an idea of how the character should be portrayed by me. We shoot for about 30-45 minutes; get a nice variety of shots, then that’s it! It’s a pretty laid back, type of shoot. Always a great time shooting with Tony. :)

YG: Okay, a quick meme here. I’m going to list Delilah’s faves, then you list yours. *grins* Just to prove to people that you are Marie, and Delilah is Delilah, even if you pose for her.

	Delilah’s Faves	Marie’s Faves
Foods	Cheetos, Cookies	Fettuccini Alfredo, Olives
TV Show	Jerry Springer	Cupcake Wars – Food Network
Weapon	Lysanthra—her silver dagger	Don’t care for weapons too much
Music Group	CCR	A Perfect Circle
Drink	Milk (alcoholic: Demented Zombies)	Milk
Animal	Cats	Cats

YG: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working? What kind of hobbies do you have?

Marie: I enjoy Bike Riding, Camping, Hiking, Photography and Cooking. Those are mostly the things I do in my down time, in between shoots.

YG: Thank you, Marie, for not only being a fantastic model for Delilah, but also for answering my questions here. It’s been fun to get to know the woman behind the ‘face’ who embodies my character.

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-10-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic "A Ghost in the House" is up!

SNIPPET MONDAYS #2: COURTING DARKNESS

2011-10-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

COURTING DARKNESS
CHAPTER TWO Excerpt #2
copyright 2011 Yasmine Galenorn, all rights reserved, do not reproduce
First Chapter
Excerpts Already Posted

“Mind your manners.” He rolled his eyes and headed
toward the door. “I’m going to go release this one outside so
he can go home. Camille, my love, think twice next time. We
could have simply given him a cloak to wear.”

I snorted. “Whatever. It’s not going to hurt him. But hurry
it up because Chase needs us in Tangleroot Park.”

As Smoky carried the struggling mutt up the stairs, I
turned to Menolly. “What are you going to tell your patrons
up there? They have to have some plausible explanation.”

She frowned. “Fire troll?”

“There’s no such thing.”

“Most of them won’t know that. Tonight it’s mainly a
bunch of Earthside Supes and Faerie Maids up there. I could
tell them that dragons turn into pixies and they might believe me.”

I chewed on the inside of my lip. “You’re probably right.
Tell them we subdued him. But we’re going to have to tell
Queen Asteria the truth. That poor elf has a family somewhere
and you can bet, ten to one, they’re back in Otherworld.
I don’t think he’s going to willingly oblige us by being
homeless, without next of kin.”

Menolly chewed on her lip. “Yeah, I know. Let’s go. I’ll
have Derrick bring the body down here until we can identify
him. You guys go on ahead. Call if you need me.”

As we threaded our way out of the bar, it occurred to me
that with our luck, Santa would come riding into town with a
sawed- off shotgun. Considering that I’d met the Holly King
when I was a young girl, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit. He
was a terrifying figure and it never failed to awe me just
whom the FBHs would invite down their chimneys without
asking for references.

Leaving Menolly to tackle the damage control at the bar, we
headed over to Tangleroot Park. The snow was falling
lightly, and the soft swish of my windshield wipers kept up a
lively rhythm. Trillian was riding shotgun, Smoky sprawled
in the back.

I glanced at Smoky through the rearview mirror, wondering
whether it was a good time to discuss what the daemon
had told us, but decided to wait. We already knew Hyto had
it in for us. Mentioning it would only set Smoky off, and I
really didn’t want a pissed- off dragon in the backseat. Even
one whom I loved.

As the asphalt sped by, I thought about the past year. So
much had happened. When my sisters and I were first sent
over from Otherworld, we didn’t have a clue as to what
waited in store for us. We learned the hard way, all too fast.

* * *
I’m Camille D’ Artigo— that’s Dee-Ar-tee-go. At home I’m
known as Camille Sepharial te Maria, because in Otherworld,
Fae take their mother’s first name as a surname. When
we came Earthside, we just started using our mother’s last
name.

Either way you slice it, I’m half- human, half- Fae, and all
trouble, at least according to my husbands and my sisters.
I’m married to a dragon, a youkai- kitsune, and one of the
dark, Charming Fae. Simultaneously. That doesn’t go over
well with some of the Earthside community who call me a
slut and a whore, but I don’t give a fuck what they think. My
mores are my own, and if loving three men is a crime, I’ll
happily play criminal.

By heart, soul, and trade, I’m a witch, recently promoted
to priestess. The Moon Mother rode me on one hell of a rough
trial, but I walked through the shadow and— like Ishtar—
came out of the Underworld triumphant. In the wake of
destruction, a new path opened, upon which I am preparing
to embark.

My sister Delilah— a two- faced Were by nature and a
Death Maiden by calling— is second born. Until recently, I
worried that her naïveté would be her downfall, but she’s
toughened up and come to accept herself for who she is. She
seems much happier now, less angsty. Delilah had a twin
who died at birth. Arial watches over her, in leopard form,
and the two have met in the astral realm.

And then there’s Menolly, who was a jian-tu—a spy/ acrobat—
until she was tortured and turned into a vampire back in Otherworld.
Last winter, we managed to dust her sire, one of the
most vicious pieces of fi th that ever walked the Earth. Menolly
runs a fine line, controlling her predator nature but accepting
who she is. But even in death, she’s my baby sister.

Together with our lovers and friends, we’re fighting a
demonic war, alone except with scattered help from the elves
and a few other Supes we can trust. We’re on the trail of the
spirit seals— nine artifacts broken from a single treasure
formed by the Elemental Lords and the ancient Fae Lords
when Otherworld split off from Earth during the Great
Divide. We’ve managed to find several of them, but Shadow
Wing snagged one, which makes the danger more precarious.
The rest are up for grabs, and we’re trying to prevent
him from getting hold of any more. Every spirit seal the
demon lord possesses brings him one step closer to the day
he manages to break through the portals, to raze both Earth
and Otherworld to the ground.

And we’re the only ones standing in his way.

Brain Candy Friday: Talking About The Weather

2011-09-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Everybody always thinks of the weather as boring. But I get fascinated by storms. I’m all too aware of the damage they can cause, but I must admit, hurricanes—especially—have always fascinated me. And tornadoes, and windstorms, thunderstorms, also. The forces of nature are incredibly powerful and even amidst the destruction they can cause, they are tremendous and awe-inspiring to witness.

Here, in the Seattle area, we get flooding and rain, some pretty intense windstorms. We don’t get a lot of snow, though a couple of years ago we were snowbound for eight days because nobody’s prepared to drive in this weather and most of the cities are built on hills and slopes.

One of our worst windstorms I remember was in 2006, when we had hurricane force winds howling through the area. There are some pretty intense videos on Youtube of the aftermath. I’m presenting a few of them here. So what kind of autumn and winter weather do you get in your area?

Yasmine

The December 14, 2006 Windstorm (some great vids posted on Youtube):

Shadows of a Ghostly Kind

2011-09-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Blogging Over At Between Fire and Ice today about Shadows of a Ghostly Kind.

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic "A Ghost in the House" is up!

SNIPPET MONDAYS #1: COURTING DARKNESS

2011-09-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

COURTING DARKNESS
CHAPTER TWO Excerpt #1
copyright 2011 Yasmine Galenorn, all rights reserved, do not reproduce
First Chapter
Excerpts Already Posted

Smoky was all for killing the daemon, but I shook my head.
“Better to keep Trytian on our side. After all, he did warn us
about your father. And if we kill the thing, Trytian will be in
our face about it. Right now, we don’t need that.”

“We can’t just let it run around the streets loose. What
will people say?” Shade stared at me for a moment, then
burst into a peal of laughter. “I can’t believe I just said that,
considering some of what you’ve told me about your exploits,
but still . . . a daemon?”

Menolly held up her hand. “Let me attend to it.” She disappeared
inside the room, and a moment later she came out, the daemon in hand. He flashed her a guilty look, then cleared his throat.

“I’ll cause no more trouble. Any return message for Trytian?”

I blinked. What the fuck had she said to him? Oh well,
whatever it was, it seemed to have worked. “Tell him we’ll be
on the lookout and do our best to stop the dragon. Tell him . . .
thank him for the information. He didn’t have to tell me.”

The daemon nodded, then started to head for the stairs.

“Wait!” I called out. He turned around. “Let me cast a
cloaking spell over you. You simply can’t go wandering around
the streets looking like you do.”

A sly smile stole across his face. “You want to try, girl?”

I nodded, even though Trillian and Menolly were both
frantically shaking their heads. Motioning for them to stand
aside, I began to work up the magic that I knew for cloaking
spells— if I could just get him to pass for human, that would
solve the problem of people on the streets. Then we’d just have
to explain to the folks up in the bar that they’d seen a crazed
lunatic wearing a costume who had a thing against elves.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think this is wise—” Trillian began
to say, and Smoky, for once, chimed in on his side, but I
brushed away their fears, too.

“My magic has grown stronger since I’ve been working
with Morio. And there’s no other way to avoid incurring
questions that we do not want.”

Disguise spells, or cloaking spells, weren’t all that hard—
at least not for the average Moon Witch. Given my background,
there was always the chance I’d muck it up, but I was
ever the optimist, and besides, I was the only one here who
could even try to cast a spell.

Without further ado, I focused on the daemon and summoned
the Moon Mother’s power into my hands, willing it to
flow into the creature’s aura. With a tingle raging through
my fingers, like pins and needles pricking a thousand nerves,
I began to rearrange the shape of his energy field, focusing
on smoothing out the bumps and modifying the color.

Even if we could get him to pass for a Supe of unknown
variety, chances were the Seattle Tattler wouldn’t be getting
calls about some hellish creature rampaging through the
streets. Maybe a weredog or something . . .

With one last shove to set the energy, I blinked and stood
back. The daemon began to shift form. We all waited with
pent breath, and then as the spell settled into his aura, I let
out a gurgle and face-palmed my forehead. Not quite what
I’d been going for.

The daemon stood there, on all four feet, tail wagging,
staring up at me. “What did you do to me, woman? I didn’t
think you’d actually be able to do anything. I heard you were
a bumbling idiot! How long am I going to look like this? A
poodle? Are you serious?”

He took a threatening step toward me and nipped at my
ankles, but Smoky leaned over and scooped up the daemon.

“Do not threaten my wife, even if it is with rabies.”

“I don’t have rabies, you idiot! I’m not actually a dog!”

“Um, I hate to differ with you,” Menolly said, “but you
are for now. And it could last ten minutes or it could last ten
days, knowing my sister. I advise you get back to the Demon
Underground before the dogcatcher sees you.”

The string of obscenities that issued forth made even my
ears hurt. Apparently, my mind hadn’t been as focused as I’d
thought, because he was nowhere human or Were looking.
In fact, he was a very ornate white poodle, clipped in the
typical powder- puff stereotype. With two glaring exceptions:
both his eyes and his toenails were brilliant red.

“You look like some sort of wacked-out hellhound,” Trillian
said. “I’m sorry, dude. My wife tends to fritz out on her
magic a lot, but it does work, contrary to what Trytian seems
to have told you.”

“Put me down, you lunatic, and let me out of here now!”
The daemon dog snapped again, and Smoky promptly curled
his thumb and index fi nger together and gave him a thunk on
the muzzle. Not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to
humiliate.

Blessed Equinox

2011-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Paranormal TV Shows

2011-09-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Blogging Over At Between Fire and Ice today about My Favorite Paranormal TV Shows.

Forums Are Closing

2011-09-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, my website forums are not being used much--not enough to justify the time it takes for upkeep and making sure spammers don't get in. So I regret to say I'm closing them down. Facebook has suddenly become "the" place to be and I can reach thousands of my readers there, where my forums are seldom used. So I'll be here--my blog--posting as usual, on Facebook and, a bit less--still on Twitter.

Yes, I AM on Google+ but hardly ever check it and don't plan on making it a regular stop. I just don't have the time to hop around to every venue. And while I prefer my blog and Twitter, the truth is that on Facebook I reach more actual readers--I have the feeling that a lot of people who follow me on Twitter aren't readers of mine. And while yes, I enjoy interacting with them, that's what the social networking is primarily about for me--reaching my readers.

Oh, and another note: just reiterating what it says on my contact page. If you write me a long diatribe about what a bad writer I am, and about how if I just took YOUR advice I might actually write something worth reading, don't expect an answer, and expect me to think you're some cranky bitch, a writer wannabe who's jealous because s/he can't get published, or just some troll. Because that's pretty much the way the letter came across. Saying you don't care for someone's work is fine, but writing a long detailed letter bitching about it to the author, well...think you need to get more of a life. And that, my friend, is MY opinion.

Of course not everybody likes my work, and I don't expect it. But um...if you don't like it, go read something else and don't bother me. Because I don't need, or want, a collaborator or advice from someone who has never written a book. I've been in this business for a long time, I've got 27 books on the shelves that I'm proud of, and hey, this is what I write and how I write. It's not going to change just because a person here or there doesn't like it.

What matters is I have thousands (and I do mean tens of thousands) of happy readers, my editor is happy, and I'm happy with my work. And that--is what counts.

So yeah...there are my thoughts today. A tad bitchy but we all have our moments. *grins*

Yasmine

New Moon Daughters Comic Is Up!

2011-09-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

The new page of the Moon Daughter's Comic "A Ghost in the House" is up!

Breast Cancer

2011-09-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

I am here to talk to you all about breast cancer. This terrible illness has touched so many lives in some form or another. Yasmine and I recently put out a call on the internet for people who wanted to share how this illness touched their lives to get in touch with me. I was contacted by several terrific people who agreed to answer just a few questions, and I am going to share their answers with you now.

The first person who got in contact with me is a wonderful lady by the name of Elicia.

Was it you or someone else in your family who had/have breast cancer?
It was someone else, one of my Aunts and a few close family friends.

When were you/that person diagnosed?
Umm about 6 years ago I think...I don’t know like I said there have been a few

Have you participated in any walks or other charity events for awareness?
I haven’t yet but my mother and sister do and I plan to attend the next one. It’s done on the track at our local high school and there are people that camp there and stay all night.

How has this illness effected/affected you?
Personally I first found out as a young teen that it ran in my family and truly I started checking myself very young even before 18.The reason I started sooner is I know the sooner its caught the better, I guess you'd say the effect on me has been awareness.

The next person who contacted me was a terrific man named Simon who is from the UK.

Was it you or someone else in your family who had/have breast cancer?
It was my mother who found a small lump and at first being afraid didn't get it checked out. Which she did regret at a later date.

When were you/that person diagnosed?
In 1988 when I was nearly 17

Have you participated in any walks or other charity events for awareness?
I have done the Bristol half Marathon for a Cancer Hospice and Macmillan nurses and a few money raising events / auctions

How has this illness effected/affected you?
It gave me quite a bit of stress in my late teens / early twenties mainly through lack of sleep, one eye, one ear open listening for calls for help in the night and general worrying. It has also given me a positive outlook on life with regard to enjoying ones time, being alive to enjoy life and making the most of the people you have around you. However I can be less tolerant of people’s silly problems.

What is a message you would like to share with others about being effected/affected by this illness?

Positive, positive, positive thinking and upbeat behavior. It's really tough at times but I know it helped my mother and my little sisters that I kept cheerful and kept smiling. Take the positives out of the day and don't dwell too much on the negatives. If you feed the negative vibe it just gets stronger and harder to control. It's really hard and personally it was quite draining but just that little bit of laughter, love, sharing problems and fighting onwards through it all together works well. At times my mother didn't like to feel she was any less independent than she had been before she got ill. It was quite important not to pussy foot around too much or be overly helpful or smothering with her so she felt that she was in control and dealing with her illness too. I found that support is given in many ways and at many levels and it's not all about being nurse maid.

I then heard from a very sweet lady named Doris.

Was it you or someone else in your family who had/have breast cancer?

It was my mother that had breast cancer in 2003.

Have you participated in any walks or other charity events for awareness?

Yes, I have participated in several charity events for the awareness as well as donating to Cancer Awareness.

How has this illness effected/affected you?

Well, myself personally, it has made me more aware of women’s annual health check-ups. How fragile life is or maybe i should say how short. My mother’s cancer came back last year. They said it was a different kind from what her breast cancer was, but it was on the same side (right side). It was on her bronchial tube. When they found it some had moved and had attached itself to her brain. She died this past March 28. So I guess I can say it has affected me very strongly. Doing things like this, talking and the Cancer Awareness helps me to work through it I think. Every woman from 16 up to death needs to have their yearly exams. I cannot stress that strongly enough. When you first find out about someone close to you having cancer it is like a hole in the bottom of your stomach opens and it is a black pit left. After that you just have to take everything one day at a time.

What is a message you would like to share with others about being effected/affected by this illness?

To share something I guess is to have your check-ups. And that I can happen to anyone. No matter how much money, or lack thereof, that you have. It doesn’t matter cancer doesn’t discriminate, young or old, rich or poor it doesn’t care it will or try to take someone that you love.

This next lovely lady to answer my questions is Jodee.

Was it you or someone else in your family who had/have breast cancer?
Since I have known several people with breast cancer, I will say them in order of diagnosis (or when I was told about them having breast cancer)

A very close family friend was diagnosed with breast cancer in her late 20's around 1989. In 1995 I found out my best friend’s mother had fought and survived breast cancer. In 1999 my mother was diagnosed with the very early stages of breast cancer. Then in 2001 I was tested because of a lump in my breast but it turned out to be a cyst.

Have you participated in any walks or other charity events for awareness?
I have muscular dystrophy so I am unable to participate in the active fundraisers for breast cancer but have been involved in pink ribbon sales (merchandise & ribbons), morning teas and a few raffles to raise money for research.

How has this illness effected/affected you?
As a bystander to those who have gone through breast cancer it is scary & made me feel helpless. It's hard watching someone go through something like that and harder still when someone dies after fighting it for 20 years. My best friend's mother survived after having both breasts removed, my mother was treated before it progressed too far. Watching others go through what they do to beat breast cancer shows how strong those people are and their strength helped me be strong to offer them support in any way I could.

What is a message you would like to share with others about being effected/affected by this illness?

For others out there that are in the same position as me and are unfortunate enough to watch a friend or loved one go through breast cancer, my advice is to be honest with the person and talk about your emotions and encourage them to talk about their emotions as well. But most of all just offer support and be there. Don't try and do everything for the other person because it is important to them that they still retain some sense of independence. Just be there for company with a cup of tea and offer an ear when they want to talk and help with things to cheer them up.

The last person who contacted me was a very sweet lady named Jenni. After I share her answers to my questions I’m going to share a bit more of her personal story.

Was it you or someone else in your family who had/have breast cancer?

My Aunt & Step Mother.
I do have unexplainable masses they look at every 6 months now.

When were you/that person diagnosed?

Both Diagnosed in 92. Step died in Dec 95. Aunt Died in March 2009. The masses in my left breast were found in2005

Have you participated in any walks or other charity events for awareness?

Breast cancer awareness walks & picnic. Cancer awareness auctions.

How has this illness affected you?

Watching anyone you know and love go through the process of living and then dying with breast cancer is a very rude awakening to death and illness. I know for me, it taught me to hold on a little harder while hugging, say I love you as often as I can. Most of all never ever stay angry at those I love. We don't have a clue how long we will be together on this plain. I had to dig deeper than I ever had to find the strength to be supportive. As a nurse’s assistant you would think it would have been natural, Let’s just say I was a bit angry and bitter for about a month. I snapped into shape though and pitched in as much as I could.

What is a message you would like to share with others about being affected by this illness?

Breast Cancer is not picky. It does not discriminate. It will get its hooks into anyone it can. Please be diligent about breast exams and mammograms. They really don't take that much time to get done. Especially when the alternative is a horrible long painful illness, while your family and life pass by. Life is for living. Stay as healthy as you can.

Jenni lost her brother that she was extremely close to not that long ago. Even though she lost him to a different illness it hasn’t been very easy for her to deal with his loss. She also told me that her annual mammogram just happened, and they found some calcified masses which were biopsied. The biopsy on her masses came back inconclusive so they wanted to check them again in six months, but Jenni is trying to get them rechecked in three months. She just really does not want to take the chance of waiting too long.

Men I want to say to you that though most breast cancer cases that you hear about are women you guys need to be vigilant too. This is not just a women’s illness men can get it as well, so please all of you male and female check yourself for lumps. If you do feel one don’t wait go to your doctor and have it checked out.

If you would like to find out more information on how you can help raise awareness and money for a cure for this disease go to the sites I am sharing with you or look for one in your local area.

First is the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

This foundation is trying to raise awareness through education and also to provide mammograms for those who cannot afford them.

This next site is one I’m sure a lot of you have heard about before it is the Susan G. Komen For the Cure site.

This foundation provides not only support to those who are battling, or know someone who is battling, this illness, but also has several walks to raise money for finding a cure.

Next up is BreastCancerAwareness.com.

They have forums and blogs to help, and they also raise money for finding a cure.

Lastly I want to share a link to the Breast Cancer Site.

They have a special thing on their site where you click daily and help raise sponsor money to help those in need get much needed mammograms. They also have a store where you can get all kinds of awareness things like jewelry and more.

As I said before please check yourself regularly, and if you find something out of the ordinary get it checked out immediately don’t wait until it is too late.