FFW: Centuars, Dragons and Mermaids

For FFW, we are discussing creatures of sorts. I've written a novel and my main character is a snowy-white centaur. In my novel, he is one of the most powerful creatures in this magical world--even above the elves. He falls in love with an elfin princess, but she's been chased away from her kingdom by a band of rogue humans. Together, they traverse the lands gathering help to fight for her kingdom.

I've written a high fantasy novel that mentions a dragon in passing, but I have yet to write about one!

I started a mermaid novel--inspired by my hubby in a hot tub at a 
bed and breakfast with bubbles clouding him in.



I've written an epic high fantasy novel of elves with goblins and dwarves. No humans.


I started writing a novel involving fairies long ago. I wonder if my muse could still inspire me?

I could go on with unicorns and Pegasus and all those fantastical creatures! I have a novel brewing for Medusa, too!

I wonder what FFW palz have said about their fave creatures? Let's check them out! Alex J. Cavanaugh, Anastasia Pergakis, J.D. Brown, Deirdre Coppel, M. Pax, and Jeffrey Beesler.

What is your favorite creature to write about, or have dreamed about writing?

Are You a Prolific Reader?

Have you ever heard of a makeup artist who doesn't wear makeup? Or a chef who doesn't cook at home? What about a writer who never reads?


I have to admit that I'm way out of the loop of the hottest reads out there. As a writer, I'm bustling about editing, writing, critiquing, endorsing, illustrating, blogging, networking, marketing, setting up appointments--not counting real life motherhood and outside activities--and reading.


What, reading?


I read. A LOT! I read self-help books and many authorly friend books for book reviews. I read my own books--ahem, does that count?


I have friends who are in the same situation as I am: they are avid readers of the books they review. Does that make me like the fashion model who slums it while she's off duty?




How do you manage to keep up with the greatest and latest of books and write and edit and critique and endorse and blog and...and...?

Star Trek As We Know It Blogfest!

The creative Ellie Garratt is holding the splendiferous Star Trek As We Know It Blogfest--woooooot! To read other entries, click here!

Before I go onto the other stuff, let me tell you that Data is my mostest, favoritest character--GO DATA!

"The Host"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
Dr. Crusher and her affectionate patient
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 23
Directed by	Marvin V. Rush
Written by	Michel Horvat
Featured music	Jay Chattaway
Production code	197
Original air date	May 11, 1991

I'm such a hopeless romantic!




Oooh! Can you see why this romance author loves this episode? I was so enamored by the love here, but so CRUSHED at the end. I cried. No, I bawled my eyes out and I was only a teenager then!

I was also intrigued by the romance between Will Riker and Deanna Troi. Their little interludes had me coming back for more in hopes that one day . . .

they would end up together.


I'm so glad they married at the very end. 

Finally . . .






What are your favorite scenes?


chart image courtesy of Wikipedia

How to Create Your Own Blog Comment Signature

Have you ever felt a bit down when you clicked on a Blogger's profile picture and it takes you to a page where you there's no link to their blog? Or they have five blogs and you can't figure out which one is their main one?

I feel it's important to leave a way for people to find you on the internet when you blog. It's like giving your phone number to a great friend you don't want to lose touch with!

What I do is leave a signature with my every comment when I visit friends' blogs:




♥.•*¨Elizabeth¨*•.♥
Can Alex save Winter from the darkness that hunts her?
YA Paranormal Romance, Darkspell coming fall of 2011!




I've had several friends ask me how I did mine, so I feel it's high time that I share the love! So I'm going to show you how you create your own signature!* It's quick and painless, I promise!


1. Go to "new post" on your blog.
2. Type in what you want your signature to be:

♥.•*¨ Elizabeth ¨*•.♥

3. Open another tab on your browser and open your site there, cut and paste the URL from the navigator bar onto the highlighted words of your signature:

♥.•*¨ Elizabeth ¨*•.♥

4. Click the "edit html" tab at the upper right corner of your "compose" window of your new post. To begin your blogging adventure with your new signature feature, copy and start pasting this html code after your every comment!

5.  I would save this post as a draft with some future date so far that it will always be at the top of your "edit posts" list for easy access when you go blogging 'round. (You'll always need to open it under the "edit html" to have it appear with the live links!)

By the way, this is so silly but it was so HUGE when I discovered it for myself. You see the little hearts around my ♥.•*¨name¨*•.♥? I cut those from Facebook and pasted them to a "new post" window and they stuck! I'm so happy! Experiment with all the cute symbols you find on FB and see if they'll stick. Certain ones don't.

I would LOVE to see your cute signatures right now in my comment area below. Let's show them off!

Do you have any cool tricks you'd love to share with us?

*Some blogs don't allow html codes and will leave behind all the little symbols.

Are You Afraid?

Let's face it. It is human nature to be competitive. Ever since those diaper-clad days, we wanted everything for ourselves and refused to share. It is natural. It is a learned behavior to be selfless.

As a writer, I've come across many writerly people. As a whole, writers love to share because it's a mutualistic relationship. We learn from what we give and we learn from what we take. Where does our competitiveness come to play?

To some extent,  we want to keep all the glory to ourselves. Why should we mention our marketing strategies that worked fabulously for us? Why should we endorse another author's work if it might be the next bestseller and leave ours behind? Why should we share our little cool gadget thingies that work great for us?

Writers are of a different breed. Being a writer is a lonely kind of thing. We don't meet at a huge building, plugging our laptops in and taking a lunch break at noon in the lunch room. We don't have life insurance we can apply for at HR. We don't carpool together to work so that we can spend 8 hours of nonstop pure blissful writing... (Imagine such a place????) No, we work when we can--between the cracks of life.

I know that I've come SO far because I gave so much of myself and made so many writerly friends. I have not lost one thing by sharing my writerly secrets. There are people out there that refuse to share because it is their hard earned sweat and blood, or maybe because they are narcissistic. 

Writers are human despite of the many faces we wear as we become every MC we write about. 


So, the question is, are you afraid to share your writerly secrets? If you are, why? If not, share away! ;)


Click here for some fun writerly quotes!