Category Archives: Uncategorized

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A Labor of Love


For the last three days I’ve been blogging about colloquialisms. Our lives are peppered with them. Many have surprising origins — like the term slush fund has a nautical origins, and all of a sudden comes from Shakespeare. Surprisingly, a good deal of those compact quips so familiar to our day-to-day have only a handful of sources.  In many cases, if it didn’t come from  Shakespeare, and it’s not Nautical, then there’s a good chance it’s a quip with Biblical origins. Though there are loads more than I’ve mentioned here,  those three sources give us so many of the common ones we all know and use every day. Loving words like I do, especially evocative words, it’s only natural that I’d get into colloquialisms.  Like quotes, they often encapsulate exactly what needs saying in the moment. When you’re a writer, it doesn’t get better than this!

moseToday, I’ll give you a few Biblical examples. I have the large groups separated alphabetically. You might catch  a repeat with an extra word now and then.

A:
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush * A broken heart * A drop in the bucket * A fly in the ointment  * A labor of love * A law unto themselves * A leopard cannot change its spots * A man after his own heart * A multitude of sins * A nest of vipers * A peace offering * A sign of the times * A two-edged sword *  A wolf in sheep’s clothing * All things must pass * All things to all men * Am I my brother’s keeper? * An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth * As old as Methuselah * As old as the hills * As white as snow * As you sow so shall you reap * Ashes to ashes dust to dust * At his wits end 

B – I:
Baptism of fire * Bite the dust *By the skin of your teeth * By the sweat of your brow * Can a leopard change its spots? * Cast the first stone * Charity begins at home * Don’t cast your pearls before swine * Dust to dust * Eat drink and be merry * Eye to eye * Faith will move mountains * Fall from grace * Fat of the land * Feet of clay * Fight the good fight * Fire and brimstone * Flesh and blood * For everything there is a season * Forbidden fruit * Give up the ghost * Go the extra mile * Good Samaritan * Harden your heart * Heart’s desire * Holier than thou * How are the mighty fallen * In the twinkling of an eye * It’s better to give than to receive *

L – S:
Labor of love * Lamb to the slaughter * Law unto themselves * cast the first stone * Let there be light * Letter of the law * Living off the fat of the land * Live by the sword, die by the sword * Love thy neighbor * Man does not live by bread alone * Manna from Heaven * Many are called but few are chosen * My cup runneth over * My heart’s desire * No rest for the wicked * Nothing new under the sun * O ye, of little faith * Out of the mouths of babes * Peace offering * Pearls before swine * Physician heal thyself * Pride goes before a fall * Put words in one’s mouth * Put your house in order * Red sky at night; shepherds’ delight (I know this with sailor instead of shepherd) * Reap the whirlwind * The root of all evil* See eye to eye * Set your teeth on edge * Sign of the times * Skin of your teeth * Sour grapes * Spare the rod and spoil the child * Strait and narrow * Sweat of your brow *

T – W:
Tender mercies * The apple of his eye * The blind leading the blind * The breath of life * The ends of the earth * The fat of the land * The fly in the ointment * The fruits of your loins * The letter of the law * The love of money * The powers that be * The root of the matter * The salt of the earth * The skin of your teeth * The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak * The strait and narrow * The sweat of your brow * The wages of sin * The way of all flesh * The wisdom of Solomon * The writing is on the wall * Thou shalt not kill * To everything there is a season * Wash your hands of the matter * Weighed in the balance * White as snow * Wolf in sheep’s clothing Writing is on the wall You reap what you sow

And these are only the ones I thought commonplace. There’s a LOT more.

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I’m in three blog hops at once this week sharing excerpts and offering prizes. What’s more, using my other blogs for hops means I can share colloquialisms  here! Come see.

The Hot Summer Nights Hop
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

The Wet and Wild Blog Hop (last day and last chance to win!)
http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

The Hop Against Homophobia
http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com

And that’s not enough! Tomorrow I’m doing the Sneak Peek Sunday. I might offer a peek at my soon-to-be-released Enchanted Skye. Or…I might offer a snippet from my MO (5-year-in-the-making, 500k, 5-book, recently returned to, as-yet-unnnamed, magnum opus — my labor of love. Hey that’s biblical!  :D

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~ Coming Soon ~
TRRSizzlingSummerReadsFinal2

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Thar She Blows


Wordie I am, in the last post I mentioned how colloquialisms tickle me.  Surprisingly, those compact quips so familiar to our day-to-day have only a handful of sources. If it didn’t come Shakespeare, and it’s not a Biblical quip,  then there’s a good chance it has Nautical origins.

Today, I’ll give you a few Nautical examples.

sailorsA shot across the bow * All at sea * Anchors aweigh * Batten down the hatches * Between the Devil and the deep blue sea * Broad in the beam * By and large * Close quarters * Cut and run * Edging forward * Fathom out * Get underway * Give a wide berth * Go by the board * Hand over fist * Hard and fast * High and dry * In the offing * Know the ropes * Loose cannon * On your beam ends * Panic stations * Plain sailing * Push the boat out * Shipshape and Bristol fashion * Shake a leg * Shiver my timbers  (or depending on what Pirate you’re talking to Shiver me timbers)* Slush fund * Taken aback * The bitter end * The cut of your jib * Three sheets to the wind * Tide over * Walk the plank.

Slush fund??

I’m in three blog hops at once this week sharing excerpts and offering prizes. What’s more, using my other blogs for hops means I can chat like a sailor here! Come see.

The Hot Summer Nights Hop
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

The Wet and Wild Blog Hop
http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

The Hop Against Homophobia
http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com

Now… back to my novel in progress. That should be novel(s). I’ve recently returned to my long standing labor of love — my MO — my as-yet-unnamed magnum opus.

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~ Coming Soon ~
TRRSizzlingSummerReadsFinal2

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Method or Madness?


I really get a kick out of wording. I’ve mentioned how I love a good quote, but colloquialisms tickle me too. Curiously, many of the compact little quips so familiar to our lives have only a handful of sources. I’ve recently read that if it isn’t Biblical, and it isn’t Nautical, then there’s a good chance it’s Shakespearian.

Today, I’ll give you a few examples from Shakespeare. will
Who knew the Bard was so ensconced in our day-to-day conversations?

A foregone conclusion * All of a sudden * As dead as a doornail * As good luck would have it
* As pure as the driven snow * At one fell swoop * Be all and end all * Come what come may
* Eaten out of house and home * Fair play/Foul play * Fight fire with fire * Good riddance
* Heart’s content * High time * Hot-blooded * I have not slept one wink * I will wear my heart upon my sleeve * In a pickle * In stitches * In the twinkling of an eye * Lay it on with a trowel (thick) * Lie low * Love is blind * Make your hair stand on end * Night owl * Out of the jaws of death * Pound of flesh * Rhyme nor reason * Send him packing * Set your teeth on edge
* Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep * Star crossed lovers * Such stuff as dreams are made on * The be all and end all * The Devil incarnate * The game is up * There’s method in my madness * Thereby hangs a tale * This is the short and the long of it * There’s the rub* Too much of a good thing * Truth will out * Up in arms * Vanish into thin air * Wear your heart on your sleeve * Wild goose chase  * Woe is me

Sound familiar? There are a LOT more Shakespearean colloquialisms  out there. This handful seemed to me to be the most common.

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So you might have noticed my blog has a new look. I tried to create this look when I first made the blog, but for the life of me I had a devil of a time (nautical colloquialism) figuring out WordPress.  In many ways it still frustrates me. My main Muse Calliope would have used her stylus and pressed her words into her clay tablets.  I use my laptop to write my stories and update my blog.

A few months ago, I went searching for a new blog format that would allow me to post easily. I tried a lot of different sites — Blogspot.com, Blog.com, Wix.com, etc, and I have blogs all over the place as a result. Some, I’ll never return to. They’re simply placeholders for me on the web. One I can’t figure out how to get back into to make changes, and absolutely no response though I’ve asked twice for help. It’s just floating out there like the Flying Dutchman.

A curious thing happened by chance n early spring. I had the opportunity to take part in a blog hop that wanted steamier excerpts from the participants. Well, rules are rules and WordPress has rules regarding adult content. After they mistakenly suspended my blog several months back, I wasn’t about to give them a real reason to take it down. The thing is, the mechanics for this blog are so hard to figure out, I haven’t put an Adult Content block on it (Not that any underage person wouldn’t just click to the next page). 

Enter Google’s blogspot.com aka  Blogger. It has a pretty straight-forward settings panel so I created my adult content post there. I found it fluid and easy and once I learned how to make a pretty blog with it, I made several satellite blogs. And just because I can, I’m in three blog hops at once this week sharing excerpts and offering prizes. What’s more, I can chat about Shakespeare here!

Now… how about I find time to write more books…

Come see.

The Hot Summer Nights Hop
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

The Wet and Wild Blog Hop
http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

The Hop Against Homophobia
http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com

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6-books

~ Coming Soon ~
TRRSizzlingSummerReadsFinal2

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Contemplating Weather


wozsepia-thumb-500x363-12401Like any child of the American Midwest growing up on the old Wizard of Oz movie, I had an early concept of twisters and weather. The recent deadly storms in Oklahoma have reminded me I have a phobia — lilapsophobia, aka a tornado phobia.

The roots of my phobia run deep into my early childhood. Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, put me on the end of Tornado Alley. And whether or not we got one was dependent on Lake Michigan. If it added heat to the turbulent atmosphere we could be in trouble. If it added moisture we’d send potential woe to Indiana and Michigan.

tornadoalleyThey say 90% of US tornadoes occur in Tornado Alley…something to do with cold dry air coming down from Canada to meet the warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. This meteorological  dance macabre takes place in the wide channel between the Rockies and the Appalachians.

My first encounter with extreme weather came in 1967. I remember it was a warm day in April, my birthday had passed. I was in public school at the time and it was recess. This was back in the old days when hazards weeded out the stupid kids and taught you how to be careful. I remember the monkey bars could really break your neck, or at the least, knock out your teeth. I saw that with my own eyes a few times.  Back then most playgrounds were patchy ground and gravel. You just knew if you fell, you were going to be picking that gravel out of your knees.

That day, anyone could see the weather was changing and we were going to have rain shortly, but the teachers felt 30 minutes of being outside was a good idea. Within minutes the sky changed. That was the first time I’d ever seen a green sky. The wind came out of nowhere and the sound of it was terrifying. I was this skinny little girl in a dress and the gravel whipped against me and left me with welts and cuts on my bare legs. The kids rushed to the doors, but this was shortly after the Our Lady of Angles fire when schoolchildren were trapped inside a burning school because the doors opened inward instead of out. Our doors opened out.

The pile of screaming kids jammed against the door preventing the teachers from letting us back in. I remember the principal running from the side of the building. He must have charged out the front door and ran to the back to move us away from the doors so they could be opened and we ran inside. Back in those Cold War days with the threat of Russian bombings, we had drills where we crouched below our desks (like that would make any difference what-so-ever). We crouched now. The storm passed, and later, the sorry basketball hoop at the far end of the gravel playground was bent at an angle and neighbors were out dealing with broken windows and the trees that had fallen.

That summer, my sister and I went by train to California to visit relatives . It was a marvelous train called the California Zephyr. I spent most of the ride in the dome car looking out the massive windows. I loved watching the sunrises, sunsets and mountains, from that car. In the wee hours of the morning, when we were half way through New Mexico, the train slowed. Morning in the dome car revealed the reason. A tornado hit just before dawn and the tracks needed to be cleared. So there I was, in the dome car as usual with lots of time to stare at the sights. And the scene burned into my brain. Especially the cow carcass hanging from the tree and shell-shocked bloody people holding one another.

tornadoStorms came and went through my life and some bothered me more than others. Many years went by and I swallowed my anxiety as best I could for my childrens’ sake because parents do their kids a disservice letting them witness anxiety of any magnitude. My husband knew. I wish I could be as fearless as my family but I’m not. The three of them make me crazy that way. I’ll sit out a bad storm in the basement by myself and they’re outside with the sky churning overhead so I can add envisioning the funnel cloud touching down long enough to pluck them off the driveway to the rest of my anxiety!

Anyway…my kids were young teens and we were hired to do a living history portrayal in southern Wisconsin one particularly oppressive July weekend. We put up our camp quickly because it was obviously going to rain, and after decided it was too hot to build a fire for cooking dinner. We ended up driving to a Subway for sandwiches. No sooner did we get our meal when the siren went off. A moment later, a father and daughter come running into the Subway shouting “It’s right there!”. We were sitting ducks.

Everyone ran to the washrooms and hunkered down against the wall of sinks and we covered our children with our bodies as best we could. One woman in there with us started sobbing and babbling, and in all honesty I wanted to clobber her for scaring my kids worse than they already were. As quickly as it came on, the sirens ceased. Fearing the worst for our camp we loaded into the car. The next thing we knew the sirens went off again. At the nearby police station, an officer was waving us in. We ran there and got under the tables. It went on for hours. Literally hours. We were in a historic F-5 tornadic supercell. By the time it ended, our camp was blown to bits and the small group of history presenters had taken cover in a cinder block pool house at the park. The town put us up in a hotel overnight. I was numb.

My next experience happened several years later and was close to home..very close to home. The sky that afternoon ranked as one of the weirdest I’d ever seen in my life. Not greenish but a deep slate gray. I was driving and dropped my husband off to close our gates and went to turn the car around to pick him up.  As I turned my eye caught a bizarre sight — a white hourglass against the slate gray. I was dumbfounded. My mind worked it. What was that?? It couldn’t be a tornado, tornadoes are funnels and tubes. Not hourglasses in the sky. Then I saw the debris. Coming to my senses, I remembered I left my husband at the gate and I sped there. I picked him up and headed home. He dropped me off then went to help some people whose car had been blocked on the road by a fallen tree. I ran to the house and nearly got knocked to my knees. Inside, I stuffed my birds into a paper bag and grabbed my house rabbit and put them in the basement. I stayed upstairs for once. In full fret mode, I paced. My kids were out, where were they?? My husband was out there with that misleading hourglass. Was he ok?? A few minutes later he returned with a family of four and two teenage girls crying hysterically. We all went to the basement. Lesson learned: tornadoes come in many shapes.

So yes, I have lilapsophobia. My experiences and anxiety pale by comparison to what those who faced the tragedy in Oklahoma went through and are still going through. My heart goes out to them and wish them all strength and healing.

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6-books

~ Coming Soon ~
TRRSizzlingSummerReadsFinal2

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Sneak Peek Sunday!


Sneak Peek Sunday Banner It’s Sneak Peek Sunday!

The love story that began in Loving Leonardo continues in Loving Leonardo -The Quest

Blurb:

Art Historian Nicolas Halstead never could have imagined a book Leonardo da Vinci created for his lover Salai existed, let alone lead to subtle declarations of love worked into da Vinci masterpieces. Nor did he ever picture himself a married man in a polyamorous relationship.

Happy and content, lovers Nicolas, Ellie, and Luca embark on a quest to learn all they can about the greatest mind of the Renaissance. But their world takes a devastating and deadly turn that sends Nicolas into the seedy deviant underworld of Victorian London. It soon becomes clear that Conte Acario Bruno lives, and the madman wants far more than Leonardo’s book. He wants Nicolas dead and Luca for himself.

Here’s my Sneak Peek from Loving Leonardo – The Quest
Setting the Stage: Separated by tragedy, the lovers reunite. Following the book and finding the hidden messages in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpieces must wait. There are pressing issues to discuss.

I shook my head.

Ellie echoed the sentiment. “Don’t, Luca. How could either of you have suspected he’d survive such a fall?”

It wasn’t the reunion any of us wanted. Matters were far too dire. By necessity we spent the next hour or so discussing Bruno in London. Our conversation lingered on the need for caution. My fatigue weighing heavily, there came a point where I simply couldn’t absorb any more. I rose from the settee and held my hands to them. “I’ve experienced such heartache this week, I can’t think anymore. I’m so very tired. I haven’t had a full night’s sleep since before our storm at sea, and my soul needs respite. Come to bed. I want nothing more than to hold you both and escape these anxious thoughts.”

It didn’t take long to bare ourselves and slide between the linens. I laid between them wishing like hell my mind had a valve or a key with which to shut down the specters looming within. I wished I could simply lose myself in loving. But I didn’t have a means to close my mind to the ticker tape thoughts that ran endlessly. Thomas had always been my connection to the world that lay beyond titles and privilege — an enviable salt of the earth who might go where he wished and do as he pleased. Through his connections to other servants, he knew the rough side of London. Anything I’d learned about the city’s seedier side I’d learned from him. If he didn’t know, he’d know someone who knew someone who did. But Thom was gone. I had no such connections and I felt as helpless and vulnerable as a quail chick without a wing to hide under.

A madman was out there in a dark corner, an insidious spider weaving his web and waiting for the day I’d innocently stumble into it. Bruno wished to hurt me and how I saw it, he had several ways in which to do this. Scandal, of course. But I found it hard to believe my social ruin would be enough for the man. I loved four people alive in this world, Ellie, Mrs. Fletcher, Grannie, and Luca. Coming at me through any of these precious souls would cause me pain.

Bruno had already been responsible for my best friend’s death and it chilled me to think he might have known what Thom meant to me. A small shiver ran up my spine as I had a sudden perception. A passage from the Book of Matthew flashed before my mind and I knew: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Whatever the man proposed to do to me through any channel he found, the end would see me mutilated. I knew it as surely as I knew my own name.

LL 1&2

In ebook and Paperback On Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Anderson/e/B004XDGWL6

Watch the Trailer

Get your ebook autographed with Authorgraph!
http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/RoseAnderson_

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6-books

~ Coming Soon ~
TRRSizzlingSummerReadsFinal2

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Sneak Peek Sunday


Sneak Peek Sunday Banner It’s Sneak Peek Sunday!

Here’s a bit from The Witchy Wolf and the Wendigo (book 2) ~

Blurb:
An ancient hatred seethes in pastoral Wisconsin. Denied access to the White spirit world of the ancestors, ancient shaman Eluwilussit finds himself in the Red Realm and receives a terrible gift from the forsaken spirits dwelling there. Blaming Ash for this misfortune, as well as Aiyanna’s death, he vows to be rid of the other shaman once and for all.

Meanwhile, Ash declares his love to Livie and reveals the truth of his existence as a Witchy Wolf. Warned that Eli is coming for him, Ash sends Livie north to the reservation hoping John’s family will keep her safe. In the inevitable confrontation to come, only one shape-shifter can live, or both will die.

Here’s my Sneak Peek from The Witchy Wolf and the Wendigo book 2 Eluwiulussit
Setting the Stage: In the sweat lodge, Ash trances and finds himself in the White Spirit World where he discovers  the other shaman followed him. Needless to say, they are surprised.

Not understanding any of this, Eric frowned in confusion. “Followed you?” He then asked the question he knew lay on the tongues of the other men. “Who are you Ash RedLeaf?”

Ash put his hand out to his peers. “I desire you above all others to know me as I am. I am Ashkewheteasu.”

Joseph shook his head in disbelief. “We are to believe this?”

Recalling how Old Edgar addressed the young man, Omashkooz looked Ash over from head to toe. “The Ashkewheteasu? Ashkewheteasu the Witchy Wolf?”

Ash smiled. Had he been in their place, he might find it hard to believe as well. With that he assumed the form of an eagle and flew into the white sky, circling twice before landing. Changing back, he told his stunned companions, “I am simply who I am.”

Each man standing there believed there was truth behind every legend, no matter how farfetched or astonishing that truth appeared to be. The Spider proved this recently. And now the greatest Manidoowadizi of legend was standing before them after unbelievably transforming into an eagle and back again.

The Witchy Wolf and the Wendigo

Book 2 Eluwilussit

Witchy1&2

Buy On Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BRWJMU4

Watch the Trailer

Get your ebook autographed with Authorgraph!
http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/RoseAnderson_

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6-books

~ Coming Soon ~
TRRSizzlingSummerReadsFinal2

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Just a spring clean for the May Queen


I love Spring. The green in my yard defies description. I know I couldn’t do it justice, and I live and breathe descriptive words. For years my family held a very large spring party, just because. Upwards of 40 guests would gather to renew friendships on a lovely day. We’d share, we’d eat, we’d drum and sing around a huge blazing fire. We’d always have a large project — raising a stone, planting a tree. Sometimes there would be dancing and archery, occasionally a craft. And as so many of my friends are artists and mead makers, we’d have a show and tell, and sipping too. Most would camp out and I’d serve a breakfast buffet the next morning. Fun times. Last year when my health crashed we passed the torch of our spring gathering to a much younger family. After so many years, I miss it.

A lot of people celebrate this time of year. The roots to rejoice the ending of the lean months of winter go back to who knows when. But from then to now it’s the same sentiment. We’ve survived another winter. I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. Sad and recent news of an old friend’s diagnosis triggered thoughts and images better left buried. I lost two siblings to catastrophic disease. Terrible business that. Many of my dearest friends are older. A sad consequence of that is there are less chairs around the breakfast table than there were a decade ago. My heart aches to picture me eating alone on some far future date but my belief construct holds the door open. I’ll meet up with them all again. Thermodynamics says it’s so.  :)   Yes, I am a science nerd.

So I tackle the house each spring. I’ve mentioned before how I purge the unnecessaries from my life every year. People ask me why I do this. That’s easy. It’s because of Winter. Winter forces me to take stock. I sit locked up with my nine months of accumulated clutter — those shortcuts, incidences of laziness, declarations of a busy life, and inexplicable hording (how many rubber bands and wine corks does one person need?), and the whole time I think this and that must go. It’s a time to count important things. It’s a time to discard the unimportant, for really, we aren’t the same person we were a year ago. Some things just no longer fit us. Health issues being what they are, my “annual purge”  is way off schedule. When my arthritis cuts me some slack, I’ll finish. I have one closet left. But that doesn’t mean I’m not shoveling out. I’ve trained my eye on the laptop.

CaptureWith Loving Leonardo – The Quest out the door, I figured I’d clean up my files. Good grief. The job makes my remaining closet look like a small task.  The problem stems from harvesting files as fast as I could off the old laptop before it burst into flames. The new computer asked me if I wanted to keep both files or condense. I kept both, all, and extras. How can one person who knows better be so flippant with file names?? As the boss of this company, I’ve a good mind to put a reprimand in my folder. But then I’d lose it in the rest of the mess!

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LL 1&2

Witchy1&2

2books

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The Romance Reviews

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Jumping the Tracks &


I’ve said before, I’m shy. I’m far more reserved outside the realm of the written word. The internet has been good for me that way. I can say what I want to say and do it without feeling like I’ll implode. I can be anonymous to a degree. Before I walked away to pursue an author’s career, when my professional life called for the occasional public appearance, it was all I could do to stretch beyond that shyness to see to things that needed doing. After, I often felt like I’d been dragged behind the bus for several miles. For three long years I was the Chairman — the person in charge.  Talk about emotionally draining.  It’s hard to put on a face, a public presence, when you’re shy.  As a consequence of that shyness, promoting myself and my books doesn’t come easy. I was here recently doing just that:
http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/interviews/author-spotlight-rose-anderson-2

With the launch of Loving Leonardo – The Quest (or LLtQ for brevity’s sake), I have the usual promotion to do. I did quite a bit of that this past weekend. As I mentioned above, it’s exhausting!

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I find myself with the usual after feelings.  It’s like anticipating each film adaptation in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You wait, you watch, you wait for the next. Then you come to the end. You get a boost when the DVD’s come out and you watch them all like a fiend. Then they’re over. The Hobbit just doesn’t fill the void but you’re willing to see the rest even though you’re not that into it. The thing is, you’re not really anticipating. You’re in a different mind set.

 Now what’s next for me? I’ve considered writing another Loving Leonardo while the Victorian language, history, and personalities are fresh in my mind. And I may do that for those very reasons. Always testing the trend, I began a story last year — another paranormal with potential because it’s based upon a family legend. I love facts I can shape and form into a story. Well, I got off to a great start then the idea for Loving Leonardo came to me like I was possessed, so I switched trains. Three books later….

So with this Isle of Skye tale I just can’t seem to get back into the groove. It’s a great concept story (if I do say so myself). I’ve written 35,000 words and stopped, wrote some more then stopped. I’ve written and stopped several times more. I want to finish it but I got off at the depot and I can’t seem to get back on that train. I have to ask myself why. Last night as I drifted off to sleep I asked some pointed questions about this story. Like all contemplations, one thought led to another.

Have I matured in my writing since I began this story and three books later and I’m just not that author  anymore? (That does happen. My writing is vastly different than when I began.) Or, is it because my business plan called for five erotic romances to learn on and this is my last? Is this some message from my subconscious that says I haven’t learned enough to tackle the magnum opus just yet?  Hmm…  This requires more thought. I have a few things to do first, then I’ll read what I have so far and try finishing the story again.  I can always test the trends and make larger changes. Or I can just delete and take it off the slate completely. Not every story is meant to be told. Even one that started off so well.

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The comments on LLtQ have been great so far. I’ve had quite a number of emails congratulating me on the new book. I’m surprised the story has fans waiting for the sequel. I’ve had comments about the characters. People have their favorites. :) That’s a wonderful feeling for an author. If you’d like more info on Loving Leonardo – The Quest, scroll down to yesterday’s post.

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Caliente-Blog-HopThis week, I’m over at my Home Away From Home blog in the Caliente Blog Hop. Newcomers will see a muy caliente post a day for each of my books. I’ve done that here menos caliente. I couldn’t figure out the Adult Content controls in this blog so used that one instead. There are prizes to be had. :D
http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

 

6-books

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The Romance Reviews

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Sneak Peek Sunday & a *NEW* Loving Leonardo – The Quest


Sneak Peek Sunday Banner It’s Sneak Peek Sunday!

And I have a new book out! The adventures of Nicolas, Ellie and Luca continue in Loving Leonardo – The Quest.

Blurb:
Art Historian Nicolas Halstead never could have imagined a book Leonardo da Vinci created for his lover Salai existed, let alone lead to subtle declarations of love worked into da Vinci masterpieces. Nor did he ever picture himself a married man in a polyamorous relationship.

Happy and content, Nicolas, Ellie, and Luca embark on a quest to learn all they can about the greatest mind of the Renaissance. But their world takes a devastating and deadly turn that sends Nicolas into the seedy deviant underworld of Victorian London. It soon becomes clear that Conte Acario Bruno lives, and the madman wants far more than Leonardo’s book. He wants Nicolas dead and Luca for himself.

Here’s my Sneak Peek from Loving Leonardo – The Quest
Setting the Stage: Just landed in Paris, Nicolas receives a telegram from his housekeeper Mrs. Fletcher.

I had just removed my tie when came a quiet knock at our door. A chasseur met me with a silver tray in hand, upon it a telegram. I tipped the man and closed the door behind him. Confused, I turned to my companions. “I can’t imagine what this is about.”

Luca and Ellie both drew close as I unfolded the paper. It was from Mrs. Fletcher. I read it aloud,  My Dear Boy, Come home. Thomas has been injured and is not expected to survive. Come home. We need you. MF

Ellie laid a hand on my arm. “I’ll pack straightaway.”

I could barely breathe. My dear Thom not expected to survive. Needing the anchor of her love, I pulled Ellie to me and hugged her fiercely. An instant later, Luca’s warm body enfolded me as well. Choking back my misery, I said to him, “I’m leaving now. Bring Ellie.”

Winding her arms around my waist, she protested, “No. Nicolas, my place is by your side.”

Luca said, “As is mine.”

Loving Leonardo – The Quest

photo LLduo_zps2ca70436.jpg

A Victorian polyamorous love story with a touch of reader-interactive art history
A Two Lips Reviews Recommended Read
A CataRomance Sensual Reads Reviewer’s Choice Winner
for Historical Romance.
awards3

Buy Both Books On Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CMHMK02

Watch the Trailer
http://youtu.be/STs6G2KFUlg

Get your ebook autographed with Authorgraph!
http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/RoseAnderson_

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

6-books

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

The Romance Reviews

by

Release Day! Loving Leonardo – The Quest


Yes I’m smiling. Last night friends and family celebrated with the requisite champagne and cheesecake. This new release makes 6 books in two years. I’m not as prolific as some, but I am steady and I have a lot of stories tucked away in my imagination. I long for a cable to plug into my ear so I can upload all the stories in my head directly to the laptop. The backlist would be HUGE.  :D

Loving Leonardo by Rose Anderson

awards3

*** A Two Lips Reviews Recommended Read ***

A CataRomance Sensual Reads
Reviewer’s Choice Winner for Historical Romance

A Victorian polyamorous love story
with a touch of reader-interactive art history

The adventure continues…

***Just Released!***

Loving Leonardo – The Quest

photo LLduo_zps2ca70436.jpg

Buy On Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CMHMK02

Watch the Trailer
http://youtu.be/STs6G2KFUlg

Get your ebook autographed with Authorgraph!
http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/RoseAnderson_

Blurb:
Art Historian Nicolas Halstead never could have imagined a book Leonardo da Vinci created for his lover Salai existed, let alone lead to subtle declarations of love worked into da Vinci masterpieces. Nor did he ever picture himself a married man in a polyamorous relationship.

Happy and content, Nicolas, Ellie, and Luca embark on a quest to learn all they can about the greatest mind of the Renaissance. But their world takes a devastating and deadly turn that sends Nicolas into the seedy deviant underworld of Victorian London. It soon becomes clear that Conte Acario Bruno lives, and the madman wants far more than Leonardo’s book. He wants Nicolas dead and Luca for himself.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

The Romance Reviews