Back from Armadillocon...
It was quite awesome and I will do a write-up when I get a chance.
The flight back was not awesome. About a minute into take off we hit turbulence. The plane shook and dropped and then dropped some more. It was like riding a rollercoaster, except at ten thousand feet in the...
Ingredients...
Banana Bread:
Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
(Click for...
Nalini and Meljean...
Today is the release date for BURNING UP.
I want to talk a little bit about Nalini and Meljean.
I think what I like best about Nalini and Meljean’s writing is the touch of tenderness their romances possess. It sounds kind of corny, but hear me out.
In our adult life, most...
Innovation vs Imitation...
In fiction writing, one often hears a phrase, “There are no new ideas. Only new execution.” To some extent, it’s true. The core of a good fiction story is its characters and people haven’t changed much over the last few thousand years. We still yearn...
Bring me a shrubbery!...
In an email conversation about our upcoming cover, our editor made a joke about a shrubbery. The book features a lot of forest settings.
Now the phrase is stuck in my brain. I can’t get rid of it. At the most inopportune moments Michael Palin pops into my head, declaring,...
Today I Bring You…...
Ilona’s Blushing Geisha:
2 parts TY KU Sake
1 part pomegranate juice
2 parts Sence rose nectar
1 part Sprite (I use the diet or zero calorie variety, because the regular stuff is too sweet.)
The classic recipe omits Sprite, so if you want the “grown-up” recipe,...
On Research, Writerly K...
People often ask me how much we have to research for the books and how does it affect our time. This is how:
Yesterday:
Gordon (my husband and co-author): What is it?
Me: I need a thing.
Gordon patiently waits until the remnants of the manuscript clear out form my head as my brain...
The Heroines...
This was more difficult than I expected. As always, tongue firmly in cheek.
Ilona’s Compendium of Leading Ladies.
The Rebel
The Rebel defies conventions. She knows the rules and she actively opposes everything they stand for. She’s brave to the point of being...
The Heroes!...
In her last post Nalini mentioned that the hero in a novel she read made her mad. That got me thinking about some of the leading man types we see in romantic novels today.
Disclaimer: tongue firmly in cheek.
Ilona’s Compendium To Leading Men
The Aristocrat.
He’s urbane...