Book News and Networking, with Jane Beckenham, + Excerpts
News & Networking
Phew!
Only BloodWorks is waiting in the works. If I have any time left, I'd like to get Art & Soul, Artifact, and Sqweams rewritten and out to publishers this month, but the month is going quickly...
WIP: my haunted house story is sitting at 38,400 words, and I only plan on bringing it up to just over 50K. You'd think I'd be able to just whip that out, wouldn't ya? It's going veeeerrry slowly.
Other things: I have interviews this week on both Crystal Adkins' new interview site, and the Fallen Angels Review Blog (scroll down until you find my work). The FAR blog has numerous excerpts from my books, so if you'd like a sample of my writing, please pop over there in thanks to Cindy for doing such a nice job. Crystal is also working hard to develop her two sites (interview and review), so please consider paying her a visit. 
Friends of Note: Jane Beckenham has been nominated for Aussie Author of the Year (2007), and it's not too late to vote for her.Jane writes romances, in a variety of genres. About Jane:
"Author Jane Beckenham found literature at a young age. In books she discovered dreams and hope, stories that inspired in her a love of romance, and travel. Years later, after a blind date, Jane found her own true love and married eleven months later. Life has been a series of ‘dreams’ for Jane. Believing that she can ‘just do it’. Dreaming to learn to walk again after spending years in and out of hospital. Dreaming of raising a family and subsequently flying to Russia to bring home her two adopted daughters. And of course, dreaming of writing.With her family growing up, life, apart from scraping every moment she can at the computer, is a round of playing mum's taxi service, all the while wondering what her hero and heroine are up to behind her back! Writing is Jane’s addiction - and it sure beats housework. Jane is a member of the Romance Writers of NZ and RWA (America). She teaches creative writing and is always doubly thrilled when her students have success. Over the last few years Jane has judged for RWNZ, plus NTRWA and says that it is always great to read others’ work, and to be able to encourage them and of course learn from other writers.Jane is presently writing across the genres, with both contemporary and historical/time travel novels in print. But what she likes the most is a sassy heroine and a true blue hunky hero."
And, of course, an excerpt:
“The island is remote, accessible only by boat or helicopter. A generator will provide power and thankfully there’s running water,” she said feeling more in control with every passing second.
Control? Who are you kidding, Carly Mason?“You are a mine of information, cara mia.”She pulled back a bit, pushing herself into her seat to give herself some space from him. “You don’t have to do the cara mia stuff, yet.”Marco shrugged. “Perhaps not, but it is the language of love.”“Love?” she croaked. “Si. We should practice.”Oh, no. No. No. “Over my dead body.”“That’s no fun, at all.”“This isn’t about fun, Mr. Valente,” she countered.“It’s not?” He gave her a teasing frown. “And here I thought I would have four days of fun, sand, and...”“You’re playing a part, Marco Valente. Remember that. Acting. It’s not real.”“Then, let us see how well we can act, hmm?”Carly spun away, riveting her gaze back to the golden sands glittering under the full heat of cloudless February sky. Oh, Lordy. This was going to be harder than she expected. Remember it’s a game. Yay!*** Tempter (I may want to stick this in a book some time): functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans indicate that culture has a physiological impact on the brain, that can be seen in brain activity patterns. Culture has long been thought to affect development in terms of eating patterns, environmental influences, and tastes, but it can now be seen to affect perspective and judgment. Alterations to brain activity occur in exposure to other cultures for as little as six months. Read more. Sounds like an excellent reason to travel, and definitely contradicts the "old dogs can't learn new tricks". It may never be too late to change our outlook!
Save Your World: learn and donate at the same time. Free rice is donated for every correct word. I LOVE this charity! 
Now, an excerpt from one of my books - Trolls (paperback), methinks. Enjoy! A dust devil whirled lazily in the heat, spinning in aimless gyrations.
Devils without...devils within? He scuffed the dirt, watching the dust motes drift across the cave mouth—bright bits of sunlight curtaining the darkness...
Idly, he scuffed his way inside. Only a few steps, from there to here, and his mother would never know. The dirt he’d stirred swirled around him, and he blinked to clear his eyes.
He heard it before he saw it. Behind him, there came a whisper in the dirt, and the first of the incessant rattles began. The dried husk rasp was joined by another, and another.
The boy twisted slowly, his limbs unnaturally stiff. The day was so hot...yet he’d never felt so frozen in his life. His heart started pounding in racing thuds within his chest.
He wasn’t the only one who’d come inside to escape the heat. Gooseflesh danced across his skin as the rattling tempo increased.
Snakes, and more snakes. He’d scuffed his way into a nest...
The biggest snake was in the entrance now, blocking his way. Two smaller ones slithered toward him, and one slid over his shoe. He stood there, trying not to move...trying not to do anything. Outside, beyond the snake guardian, another dust devil rose, swirled and died.
Like me. Eleven-year-old immortality vanished in an instant, as death rattled at his feet.
One was coiled up near his toes now. When he twitched, its coils tightened, and the head lifted into strike position...
Reason fled. He leapt for a dark gap in the rock, slid in a rain of snakes and dirt and ran for his life. Faster and faster, finding his way by feel alone, panic nipping at his heels with the sharp-fanged tension of a serpent’s bite.
Down, through the dark, away...
He was moving far too fast, and he should have anticipated obstacles. But he was only a child, trying to outrun his monsters. When he tripped over the lamp, he never expected to fall...and keep on falling.
There are things far worse than a serpent’s bite...
Cheers, ND Melody
Thanks, www.mikesfreegifs.com and www.wilsoninfo.com, for the animations!
