In the reflection of the water ball fountain at the Virginia Zoo.

Posted by Kristina in Musings at 12:37 AM Permalink

I have no idea where the first half of March has gone and why I haven’t managed at least to check in here. So sorry for those of you who might actually read my blog. I hear Facebook is making blogs obsolete, which makes me a little sad as I still regularly read at least two dozen blogs, even if I can’t manage to keep mine updated!

The first half of March has been spent working, if you can call doing what you love work.  (I guess sometimes it does feel like work, though I forget those times pretty quickly.) I’ve been selecting stories and editing Steamlust: Steampunk Erotic Romance, which is now available for pre-order on Amazon! (This is the formerly titled Corsets and Clockworks.  Though I’d grown attached to the old title, I like the new one just fine.

I’ve done some writing lately, too.  I’ve actually subbed two stories recently, which is impressive for me these days.  Once Steamlust is shipped off in another week or so, I’m going to spend a couple of weeks dedicated to writing, writing, writing.  Just writing. Sounds like a dream, actually.  I also pitched a few new anthology ideas-- a couple that I’m particularly excited about, so I hope to have a new announcement (or two) in a few weeks. 

Speaking of books… Dream Lover: Paranormal Tales of Erotic Romance is just six weeks away from being released!  Ohhhh… a new book!  I can’t wait to get my copies. Reviews are starting to pop up, like this 4-cherry review at Whipped Cream:

From mermaids to succubi to vampires, the Dream Lover anthology has it all. Stuffed full of authors both new and familiar to me, I found something to satisfy every mood I might have, as well as every mystical creature I’ve ever thought about imagining. I loved how the stories all had a similar thread running through them, but were all different enough to stand out on their own. Each will grab your attention and draw you into its own world for a moment or two before returning you home again. If you’re a lover of the exotic, erotic, and extraordinary, then this is by far the anthology for you.

Yay!! I l know I shouldn’t read reviews, but I can’t help myself (I suspect most writers/editors are the same way), so it’s always lovely to receive such glowing praise.  I’ll be doing some readings and promotional things for Dream Lover, which I’ll keep you all updated about.

I also spent a good part of March (and the last part of February, actually) sick, sick, sick.  Four solid weeks of some sort of illness.  Multiples illnesses, possibly, including an upper respiratory infection that led to an acute asthma attack that landed me in the hospital for a day in the half.  Not fun, not fun at all.  But the illness(es) seem to have passed, my energy is coming back, I’m doing well, baby is doing well and life is good.

So, what’s been going on with you?

Posted by Kristina in Musings at 08:01 PM Permalink

For the first year since I can’t remember when (and certainly since they started nominating so many movies), I have seen all of the Oscar nominated films!

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Whew! Before the nominations were announced, I had only seen Inception and Winter’s Bone (believe it or not!), so I had some catching up to do. I wrapped it up last night with The Kids Are All Right and now I can have some fun and make my Oscar picks!  So, here they are:

Best Picture: Inception (but I’m torn between that and True Grit)

Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Actress in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Actress in a Supporting Role: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3 (But I didn’t see the other 2 nominees)

Art Direction: Inception

Cinematography: True Grit

Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland (I didn’t see it, but the costumes look stunning)

Directing: The Coen Brothers, True Grit

Film Editing: Black Swan

Music (Original Score): Inception

Music (Original Song): “We Belong Together,” Toy Story 3

Visual Effects: Inception

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Winter’s Bone

Writing (Original Screenplay): Inception (But I would love it if The Kids Are All Right won)

I left out categories where I didn’t see any of the films (documentary, foreign and short film categories, for example).  Maybe someday I’ll make a point of seeing all the films that are nominated in any category. Though that’s probably far too ambitious.  The only other person I know who seems to be as into the Oscars as I am is Neve Black, who is attending an Oscar party that sounds awesome.  It’ll be just me and the television tomorrow night, for however long the awards last… and maybe some snacks to get me through the night!

So, what about you?  Who will you be rooting for on Oscar night?

Posted by Kristina in Musings at 08:06 PM Permalink

Dream Lover: Paranormal Tales of Erotic Romance was reviewed by the lovely and stylish Lucrezia Magazine. It’s a bit more than your average book review, with some history of the romance genre and classic tropes. I disagreed with the reviewer on a few general points as it relates to the genre-- in terms of language usage and what constitutes a romance-- but overall it’s a thoughtful, balanced review.  Here is a snippet:

It is difficult to approach the subject of the paranormal without traversing familiar themes, the authors within this anthology visit familiar and new territories. Within Dream Lover there are familiar creatures such as mermaids (and mermen) as well as ghosts. ‘Love Resurrection’ features a Ghost and Mrs Muir relationship with a contemporary sexual twist. ‘Dreaming by the Sea’ features the erotic reunion of a mermaid and merman. These themes are all fine and well and -in terms of the sex – indeed erotic, but I was also looking for different takes on the paranormal, and hoped that I would not come across a tome that was partially dedicated or obsessed with romantic vampires. Thankfully Dream Lover features a variety of dream creatures or paramours.  ‘Devil’s Food’ stood out in terms of its alternative setting, a bakery in Hellsedge, featuring a baker heroine who encounters a ‘dark’ broody customer of the fairy kind. ‘Living Off Lovers’ opens with suspense and a vivid psychological journey from the perspective of the heroine, whose tone deviates from the standard romantic (submissive) heroine commonly found in romantic fiction.

(Thanks to Nikki Magennis for the link to the review!)

Posted by Kristina in Musings at 11:23 AM Permalink