Terri Rainer Published Author

Why Scotland?

2010-12-24T19:17:00.003-06:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I talk about Scotland, Scottish history and, of course, men in kilts. I was sitting here thinking about why I have such an obsession with all things Scottish. To be honest, I really can't say. I suppose my writing could be to blame partially, but I'm pretty sure my obsession with flash-backs on Highlander the series (the flash-backs in which Duncan was wearing a kilt and using that brogue), came way before I started writing seriously.

I'll start with my childhood. When I was three or four, my first dog was a Scottish Terrier named Sammy. Next comes the Irish Setter named Rusty. Of course, at the young age of five, I hardly had a say in dog breeds, nor did I have any concept of geography....but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Aside from the dog choices my parents made, I'm not sure my childhood contained any foreign influences until I turned about 12. I discovered a brown paper sack in my mom's closet. In it was a treasure. Book after book of historical romances a friend had given her. I would sneak them out and upstairs to read one at a time. Lords, Knights, Pirates and of course Highland Rogues. Looking back, probably wasn't the best way to form my outlook on relationships and romance, but it's a bit too late to undo that now!

So as my 40th year comes to an end, I have to ask myself this, "What makes me happy?" ROMANCE of course! I'm a hopeless romantic. There, I said it. Whew. It's like an alcoholic admitting they're a drunk. First step I suppose.

Next step? I think it should be to find a Scottish man and just get it out of my system. Yeah, that's exactly what I think (although the spiced rum I'm drinking Christmas Eve may have something to do with my frame of mind).

So if you're single, Scottish, halfway intelligent, like American women (i.e. ME), by all means leave me a comment or better yet, email me. I'm also not opposed to referrals, so if you know someone, send me his info.

Happy holidays to you all!

I forgot to add that if Gerard Butler reads this, I am MOST definitely interested.

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2009-08-01T16:03:00.007-05:00

I’ve often wondered how everyone else comes up with their blog chain topic. As for me, it usually falls into the category of what’s foremost on my mind. With that being said, here's the question:

Do you focus on one project at a time, or do you have many irons in the fire at any given moment?

When I was working on my first MS, it was my sole focus. I didn’t worry about query letters, or writing a synopsis, or plotting out any other work. I finished it at 95,000 words. I had big plans to work on the second book, and even have a folder with notes for it and a third also. All relating to the first MS. Then I started revisions. Being my first work, it wasn’t really revisions, but a complete rewrite of the first half. Saying it was bad is an understatement. It was awful, the writing that is.

I got very frustrated, and I had many people suggest I start on another project and go back to revisions after a break.

So I wrote a few short stories that I was lucky enough to get published. I plotted and started on several new works. I have never been back to visit my original MS. Not once. I have started referring to it as “my sock drawer book” (thanks Don). The only problem is this…I can’t seem to stick with one idea long enough to make any headway.

I guess the reason for the question is to get different perspectives. I do know a few of the chain gang are always multitasking. I’m trying to find my way back from too long off, and am looking for suggestions with this question that can help steer me in the right direction (rather selfish way to come up with a topic, huh?).

I’m the first in this go around, but be sure you visit Sandra ( http://ulbrichalmazan.blogspot.com/ ), who’s up next.

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2009-07-24T16:12:00.010-05:00

Annie(http://anniewritesaboutwriting.blogspot.com/) chose this two part topic. Cole

(http://colegibsen.blogspot.com/) went right before me in the chain and Sandra (http://ulbrichalmazan.blogspot.com/ ) will be next.

I took off a few months from the blog chain, so I’d like to say welcome to our new writers. If your link is not to the left with the rest of the chain gang, please let me know and I will be happy to add your link. And away we go…..

Do you ever get inspired by a real-life event or news story and fear you're ripping off the story too much?

Yes and no. On more than one occasion, while doing historical research, I have run across some fabulous tid-bit, and just run with it. I’ve never worried about ripping off a story, as I always put my own spin on events, so much so, that they often don’t resemble the initial occurrence. I have also read quite a few authors that not only bring up an event, but will it will be a pivotal part of their plot.

Do you ever get inspired by a song or poem or line from a book and worry you're stealing that original person's idea?

I wouldn’t say that I’m inspired by a song as much as it sets the mood. I have an extensive library of music that I listen to while writing. I could give you a soundtrack to my first completed work, a historical romance. There is a different song for almost every scene. From what I’ve gathered, I’m far from alone in this writing quirk.

One of my favorite songs for writing is The Gael, which is the theme song to The Last of the Mohicans. I looked and looked for just the right video and low and behold…Scottish scenes! Now, if you listen to the song, there are so many emotions that it can evoke.

I would love to hear what everyone feels when they listen to this song. I think it will enforce previous posts about giving a group of ten a topic for a story, and all ten stories would end up being very different. No cheating though, just post what emotions you felt and then go back and read what others have said.

Interview with Nina Bangs about Eternal Craving

2009-04-13T13:59:00.006-05:00

I was lucky enough to receive an advance reading copy of Eternal Cravings, the second in the Gods of the Night Series, by Nina Bangs, available April 28, 2009. The easiest way to sum up the book is Jurassic Park meets the X-Men and Underworld with a dash of Lord of the Rings thrown in.

As if getting an ARC of the book wasn’t good enough, Ms. Bangs agreed to answer a few questions about her latest book and the series for me.

Terri: “Eternal Cravings is the second in your Eleven Gods of the Night series. What inspired the use of the Mayan calendar ending December 21, 2012 as a catalyst for your series?”

Ms. Bangs: “People have always seemed to find doomsday predictions fascinating; hence the world’s continuing interest in Nostradamus and others like him. After noticing the growing number of people discussing the end of the Mayan long count calendar in 2012 and its apocalyptic implications, I decided it would be a perfect “ticking clock” for my series. During my research, I found other aspects of the Mayan civilization that I could use. The Mayans were masters of numbers, so I created a mysterious leader, Fin, whose existence revolves around numbers. He even calls the immortal villains by numbers rather than traditional names. And since the Mayans gave special significance to the number zero, I named the leader of the immortal bad guys Zero. Aspects of the plots will also revolve around Mayan creation gods. All in all, the Mayans contributed a great deal to the series.

Terri: “It seemed to me that in Eternal Craving, some of the dialogue was a bit "amped up" compared to your past work. It made me wonder if you had been censored by editors, publishers, or even yourself in the past?”

Ms. Bangs: “I intentionally put a lot more dark intensity into Eternal Pleasure and Eternal Craving. I wanted a raw and edgy feel to the series, so I decided the tone warranted moments of almost savage emotion. On the other hand, I always had to remember that my lighter romances were meant to be humorous, so I couldn’t include some of the dark elements that would distract from the feel of the books. I have to admit that I’m really enjoying cutting loose in the darker books. And it’s nice to take a break from always focusing on being funny.

Terri: “ Will you be doing a book tour to promote Eternal Craving, and if so, will there be dates and locations listed on your site http://www.ninabangs.com ?”

Ms. Bangs: “Unfortunately, I won’t be doing a book tour. I can barely meet my deadlines now, so I have to stay focused. That means no play time. Which is a shame, because I love to meet readers. I will be signing at the Romance Writers of America Conference this year, though. So if you’re in the Washington, DC area, please stop by to say hi.”

I want to thank Ms. Bangs for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions.

Now on to the book itself…if you like powerful immortals, vampires, werewolves and testosterone driven men with endearing character flaws, you’ve got to check out Eternal Pleasure (http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/07/nina-bangs-does-it-again.html) and Eternal Craving. The complexity of her characters and the research that went into this book is immediately apparent.

I am always amazed by Nina Bangs and her ability to weave a story around characters and circumstances so well, that you completely suspend disbelief and can’t put her books down.

Eternal Craving was no different. She has definitely stepped up not only her conflict and action, but the sexual heat that emanates from her male characters is YUMMY!

Dangerous and flawed men have always been on the menu with a good romance, but Ms. Bangs’ unique spin on the men in this series leaves me shaking my head in wonder and awe. Caveman mentality doesn’t even scratch the surface of what her male characters have to overcome; prehistoric dinosaur mentality is more accurate.

I would highly recommend Eternal Craving, not just for those who like romance, but paranormal too. I also think this is not your “momma’s romance”. I could easily see men enjoying this just as much as any woman.

Eternal Craving can be preordered through:

Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Craving-Leisure-Paranormal-Romance/dp/084395793X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239644672&sr=1-1 )

Barnes & Noble (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Eternal-Craving/Nina-Bangs/e/9780843957938/?itm=1 )

Borders (http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=084395793X )

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2009-03-25T23:54:00.010-05:00

This go around is not only exciting for me, but I have great news to share! Elana, who was before me in the chain (http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ ) is a quarter finalist in the Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Contest! And guess what? So is another of our talented Blog Chain members, H.L. Dyer! Talk about being surrounded by talent! You can read an excerpt and leave a review (which can help them in the final judging) by following these links :

http://www.amazon.com/Control-Issues-Amazon-Breakthrough-Novel/dp/B001UG3BNG

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UG3AYQ

Okay, back to our blog chain. I was a bit over-excited this time around. Author of the soon to be released The Hollow, Jessica Verday (http://jessicaverday.blogspot.com/) started this chain and uber talented Mary (not sure how much I can say about her current project) Lindsey (http://marylindsey.wordpress.com/) will be the next link in this chain.

Here's our task:

WRITE! I want a short story people. 100 words, 300 words, 500 words, 1,000 words - whatever you're comfortable with! The only requirement I have is that the theme of the story have something to do with HEARTS. Someone stealing someone else's heart. Someone pining away for true love. A thief of hearts... Go wild!!

So here is my contribution...

Lissette watched the couple walk down the lit path through the park. She could smell them; each human had their own distinct perfume. Hiding in the shadow of a large Oak she licked her lips. It would be nothing to take them both, to feed on their warm pulsing blood until their heart stopped pumping. She knew he would come then.

A thrill ran through her cold body. It was as close to being alive as she’d been for centuries. The mere thought of the Gede made her feel. She hadn’t felt anything, aside from the hunger for blood, in so long. It was foreign, yet not unpleasant.

Unsure why the council of elders had an interest in this particular Gede, a God of death and libido, Lissette knew better than to ask. She had not survived alone in the dark underworld this long without learning to watch and listen. She had made herself an asset to the elders, but she also knew they felt no loyalty to her or any other of their underlings.

Deciding on an easier kill that would draw far less attention, Lissette scanned the vast park for a random homeless person. In a far corner of the park, about two hundred yards away, she could hear a man’s voice. She listened intently as he bragged to his companions about beating a woman and leaving her for dead. She could hear the man’s heart race as he relived the violation that he had inflicted before the beating. Just retelling it excited him. His two companions didn’t seem to share his rapid pulse. She could actually smell the fear emanating from one of them.

“Nothing like a bit of street justice to make a girl feel better” Lissette murmured to herself. Not that she really cared about the woman he had spoken of, she had done worse herself. She knew that this would make for a very angry ghost, one that she could easily control to draw the Gede to her.

It was over before either of his companions realized what was happening. She had started to drain the man before he could even register her presence. The other two men ran without looking back. Warmth flooded down Lissette’s throat. She could hear the man’s heart pounding in his chest. She listened as she drank, waiting for it to slow.

Seconds before she completely drained him, forcing his heart to stop pumping, she reached down, shoving her hand through his shirt, entering his humanly frail skin. Reaching up behind his rib cage, her hand instinctively found his heart, her fingers wrapping around the moist organ. She gave a quick yank and the arteries tore away. Pulling it from his body, she held the heart in front of his face. Lissette spoke to the man looking into his dimming eyes, “You belong to me now”.

She would wait; wait for Gerard, the strongest of the Gede, to find her. She knew he would come and she wondered what his blood would taste like. She had smelled it. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, the blood of a God. It made her light headed just thinking about it. Someday, she would grasp Gerard’s heart, beating and strong, unlike the slippery useless flesh still dripping in her fingers.

Preview for tomorrows blog chain post...

2009-03-25T14:17:00.006-05:00

I usually tend to half way dread my turn in the blog chain. It's a tad bit daunting being in a chain full of VERY talented writers, and I always feel a bit intimidated by most of them. This time around, I have found myself so excited by our topic that I not only wrote the post days early, but I am having issues with patience about posting it!

That being said, I ran across the best pictures and decided I would post them today as a type of segue for tomorrows blog chain...and yes, they are a bit of a hint too! Be sure that you come back tomorrow and if the **Haitian Voodoo Priestess is reading this, I'll apologize in advance...

** http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/09/open-apology-to-vodou-priestess.html

My First Book Trailer

2009-03-14T16:14:00.005-05:00

Okay, after the last blog chain post, I felt the need to create my own book trailer. Here's my second attempt, hopefully I'll get better at it!

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2009-03-13T00:09:00.002-05:00

This blog chain was started by Heather (http://hldyer.wordpress.com/ ). Elana was before me (http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ ) and then Leah will follow (http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ ).

Here’s the question:

What plans do YOU have to market your novel? How will you make sure the public finds your work?

As I read all of the informative posts before me, I was amazed at the creativity of my fellow blog chain gang. Everything from perfume, necklace and bracelet giveaways to guest blogging, radio interviews, book trailers and even an original soundtrack were mentioned or shared in this chain. Talk about creativity!

Well, I think that’s all good, and it certainly will take a ton of hard work and dedication. That’s why I can’t believe no one has mentioned my own personal marketing goal.

One word:

OPRAH!

You are pretty much guaranteed a spot on the best seller list if she so much as whispers the name of your book, so that’s my plan A.

Now, if I fail to get Oprah’s attention (I did say “if”), then plan B involves Kelly Rippa and her Trashy Beach Reads segment.

There you have it, my marketing plan. I’ll start working on that plan C as soon as I finish taking notes on this particular blog chain.

So how about you, know anybody that works at Harpo?

All Things Toilet

2009-03-02T13:28:00.012-06:00

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have titled this "All Things Toilet", because really, there are some places I do not want to go again (http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/01/sharing-and-poopnot-always-good-thing.html).

Now that you know we won't be speaking of "the poop incident", you can breathe a sigh of relief (I know you were secretly breathing out of your mouth in anticipation of the imagined smell).

Toilets, strange blog topic you might say...not if you're me. Yesterday was a day filled with the word toilet. Let us begin with toilet paper. Does anyone out there really give toilet paper a lot of thought? Sure, if you run out, it's fore-most on your mind. But normally, who would think about it, right? Uh, me, that's who. I think this is a recent occurrence. Maybe adult-on-set-toilet-paper-OCD. Let me explain.

I was always a Charmin type of girl. No thought there. It was soft, yet sturdy. Great combination. As long as you put it on the holder the right way (tears over the top, not under) then it was all good. Until we moved over a year ago. Apparently, when we upgraded in square footage, we downgraded in plumbing size. I got tired of clogged toilets, so I started my search for the "right" toilet paper.

Scott Soft is not only thick enough, but it also didn't clog my toilets. The only problem is, when my husband goes to the store, it's the small things (like the word "soft") that he over-looks. There fore I end up with plain Scott which is like wiping your arse with a minute amount of rice paper...no matter the colossal wad that you have in your hand.

Don't get me wrong, I love that I have a husband who helps out by going to the grocery store, but lets face it folks, when you get older, toilet paper becomes more of a priority. Gone are the days of wild carefree peeing and wiping with a wad of McDonald's napkins from your car, cause you were too drunk to realize you had to go before you left the bar. Not that I ever did this, I just heard stories.

Subject change...on to toilet seats. You would think that the toilet seat and the toilet paper would be related as much as I obsessed over the weekend about both, but alas, they are not even remotely connected. Let's try and make a long story short (I know, I know...as if I could).

My son has spent his own money to redecorate his bathroom. It's all done in hunting/wildlife. We started looking at toilet seats. Since he had spent his own money, we told him we would buy him a new toilet seat. Found the perfect one. Easy, right? Uh, no.

He has an elongated toilet seat (that sounded a bit...uh, bad). Hard to find a the seat he wants in elongated without paying double. I'm sorry, but I have a problem paying $70 for a new seat for a freakin toilet.

So, instead of writing, I spent about six hours looking for this ridiculous (yet cool) elongated fishing lure or deer seat. I'm still looking BTW.

So, that's how my weekend went. I hope everybody else out there was far more productive than I. As for today, I am getting ready to pick my daughter up from the high school amidst a circus of protesters. More on that next time!

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2009-02-27T10:27:00.004-06:00

Yes boys and girls, it's that time again. My highly intelligent, well educated and overly talented blog chain writer buddies are certainly showing they have a darker side this time around.

I LOVE IT!

This one was the brain-child of recently agented (congrats) Leah Clifford (http://leahclifford.livejournal.com). Elana J was before me (http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/) and since I am the last link in this chain, start back at the beginning with Leah for her wrap-up!

Here's our question:

What do you do to amp up the conflict? What pins do you stick in the little voodoo dolls? How do you torture your characters?

In some of the previous responses, it seems my writerly friends are much nicer than I. Can you imagine NOT hurting your characters? Well, some did like their characters so much that it was hard to do for them.

Hurting my characters was a problem for me in the beginning, but not in the way you would think. I, uh, was going to kill almost all of my characters, leaving Margaret, the MC alone and miserable. In fact, I even had her death scene at the end planned. I imagined horrible deaths.

*Sword through the gut, but it would take a few hours to die...

*Beaten to a pulp with head bashed in, surprisingly quick death, but really gory scene...

*Horrible death giving birth all alone...

*Father dying slowly, gasping for breath, in excruciating pain from poison...

*Snapping of the neck, that was short and sweet and well deserved...

*Dying alone, old and weak...

My writing teacher told me in no uncertain terms, "You can't kill off all your main characters!"

"Oh yes I can. It's my book, and I can kill anybody I want."

"Then you will not be commercially viable."

"Who cares? I'm writing this for me! And I am killing everyone!!!"

Yeah. How many of you guys laughed? Who the hell doesn't want to be commercially viable? Needless to say, after a while (I don't like to admit when I'm wrong), I had to tell this wonderful teacher that he was right and I was wrong. That wasn't the only thing I had to admit to being wrong about. That poor man got several emails after the class had ended. I may hate to admit I'm wrong, but I will do it.

So, we have established that I do want to be commercially viable. That being said, my historical WIP became a Historical Romance and I did still kill off a few characters (only three). I also learned that I can follow a formula while writing (I had to take out some of my sex scenes...funny thing about fidelity in a romance, a rape scene...he got his neck snapped anyway, and I didn't entirely kill Patrick...he still got stabbed and I still got to write my almost death scene).

Okay, so I have to keep my dark side in check. I call it my "social filter" while functioning as a person in the real world.

How about you? How dark and evil are you really? How's that social filter?

Environmental Writers Block

2009-02-22T12:40:00.005-06:00

How many writers are so OCD, they can't possibly be creative unless everything is in place? Quiet, music playing, right frame of mind, etc.

Show of hands please?

Yeah, I raised mine. I have been giving writing, and the reasons that we don't, much thought of late. I have decided that, for me at least, there are two types of writers block. The conventional type that you often hear writers talk about, you see it in movies, you think about it when someone mentions dreaded writers block. NO IDEAS. Then there is what I have deemed environmental writers block. For whatever reason, your surroundings are just not conducive to the creative process. I'll break it down:

Conventional Writers Block-
*The voices went away
*The creative juices aren't flowing
*You can't seem to form a coherent thought
*No plot worth writing comes to mind
*Burning out due to revisions (AKA I want to hurl my PC out the window)

Environmental Writers Block-
*Kids always needing this, that or the other
*Phone ringing
*Laundry piled up
*House a mess
*Shopping needs to be done
*Dinner to be made
*Bills to be paid
*Shows to watch on the DVR
*American Idol is on (or insert your own reality weakness here)
*Any other thing that goes on in your daily life (illness, PC crash, school functions, etc.)

As you can see, the list for environmental writers block has plenty of room for you to add your own household detractors. I do know it's possible to want to write so badly, that you can block out anything. I have actually written a short story, that was published, at the playground inside Burger King amid the interruptions of my kids, and the squealing of the other rugrats there. It can be done.

I guess what I am trying to say here, more for myself than anyone, is where there is a will, there is a way. Period. Sometimes you have to take a step back, and only you can decide when that time comes, but when you really want to write, I am going to list things that I have found effective for me.

*Headphones (with or without music)
*Writing at night when everyone is in bed
*Wake up and write before anyone else is up
*Tell others when you are writing to only interrupt if the house is burning down
*Hyper-focus (if you are ADD/ADHD you'll be able to do this - trust me, I know)

If anybody else has a handy trick to keep environmental writers block at bay, please feel free to share!

As for me, I am going to get back to my writing...

100th Post!

2009-02-20T22:17:00.005-06:00

Who knew? 100 posts. Just think, if I was actually a GOOD blogger, I would be way past that number. Alas, I am sporadic at best. Like my husband says, I am "consistently inconsistent" (yes, that should be on my tombstone)!

First, let me start by saying that I am still PISSED about my PC crashing. That being said, let me add that I can not stress enough how important backing up your information is. The pictures, documents and general information I had saved on my PC was astronomical. I still think of things daily that were on that darn thing.

Moving on to the "life goes on" portion of my post, despite taking my turn with the flu this week, I have started back on my current WIP. It's slow going, but I'm getting there. I had to download a few essential songs to the new PC, and I am ready to rock! I'm also a hopeless Facebook addict, as I know so many of you guys are too (I see how much you are on there, so don't try and deny you guys aren't just as addicted).

Now I am going to end this by thanking all of my blog chain buddies for putting up with my PC/life issues and to thank all my bloggy friends for sticking around! LOVE you guys (and I am so not a huggy-type person)!!! Off I go to try and catch up on the blogs I've neglected to visit.

:) Terri

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2009-02-01T15:22:00.004-06:00

It's my turn to pick the topic on this blog chain round, even though I missed the last one, which Elana started ( http://www.elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ ) and ended with Abi ( http://bloggingexperiments.wordpress.com/ ).

Since I missed the last chain entirely, I was stupid enough not to go back and see what the topic was (Homer Simpson "Doh" could be heard as I slapped my head).

***Unfortunately, it was pretty dang close to the one I picked, so there will be an alternative question for the members who don't want to just copy and paste their last post in their blog.

Have you ever had anything cause you to step back from writing? If so, what was the cause and how long did it take you to get back into the swing of things? If not, do you have any advice for other writers about not letting life get in the way of writing?

Oh dear God, where to start? I have neglected my writing on many occasions; here lately it’s gotten really bad! I think I should just make a list of issues of late, much like you would a grocery list.

1. Two of my daughters were diagnosed with a genetic birth defect which causes a Mal tracking Patella. The oldest is in a full leg brace, and between fights with the insurance company, Doctors and pharmacy, it’s been very emotionally draining.

2. My 13 year old son just got his first car (yes, I said 13), a 1976 Camaro. It’s a fixer-upper and he has done nothing but pester me to go to this store looking for this, that or the other for the car.

3. My husband has been laying off people at his work. Unfortunately, two of the men are disgruntled and have decided to lay in wait for my husband outside our house once that we know of so far.

4. My PC crashed and I lost about 7 years worth of pictures, documents, songs, etc.

5. We had an ice storm that caused my kids to be home for 3 days cooped up in the house.

6. I’ve had a viscous sinus infection that doesn’t seem to want to go away.

7. My cat got out and almost sliced his foot off (no idea how) so got to spend two days at the vet.

8.I had another BIRTHDAY (yuck) and turned 39.

9. Oh yeah, did I mention I have five kids???

This is just the last month. I have neglected my blogging, my writing, pretty much anything that I do for myself, because I have been so mentally taxed. I refuse to write more until I get a new PC. Even though I was able to wipe mine and reinstall Windows XP, there are still issues, and I think it’s only a matter of time till it quits working all together, so I haven’t even uploaded my writing folders back to it.

I often wonder how writers can keep it up even when life happens. I know many say that it is an escape, but I haven’t been able to take advantage of that escape for a few months now. Hopefully getting a new PC will light a fire under my butt, till then, I will just have to cheer on my fellow writers! YOU GO GIRLS! Check out Leah's ( http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ ) post next!

*** Alternative question: Do you brainstorm with a friend when you are plotting, or do you prefer to be the only one who knows what your characters are going to do?

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2009-01-04T20:04:00.007-06:00

Abi started this chain, which you can find here:

http://bloggingexperiments.wordpress.com/

Elana was before me ( http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ ) and she is going to be a hard act to follow, what with her interviewer being a hot guy from EW and all....lucky dawg!

Leah follows me here: http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/

Abi's Topic is:
1. What writing related things have you done in the past?
2. What WIPs are you working on now?
3. Do you have anything brewing for the future?
4. Are you setting any writing goals or resolutions for 2009?

She was also thoughtful enough to let us choose what questions we answered, all of them, or just the ones we wanted to. Since my brain has been on an extended vacation for the holidays, I figured I'd jump into the deep end and go for it!

1. I have had several short stories published. I would say they were paranormal romance. I have also finished (operative word) a 95,000 word historical romance and promptly shoved it into a sock drawer. I also have several WIPs, in fact, I have a total of four that I have either outlined, actually started writing, or just loosely plotted. ADD is a BAD thing at times!

2. At the moment, I am working on a paranormal mystery/romance, although I have been a slacker since school has been out for the kids. They go back Tuesday...YEA!

3. & 4. Since the last two questions are future related, I'm just gonna lump them together. I, like most people, thought long and hard about the things that I would like to achieve in the upcoming year. I think the smallest goal for my writing is to finish my current WIP that I just labeled "Ghost MS", since it is currently untitled. The largest goal is to sign with an agent in 2009. I could say that I'll blog every day, or even every other day, but I always tell my husband that I am "consistently inconsistent", so I have no delusions that I could stick with that. I do, however, feel that finishing a WIP, revising and polishing it, and then querying isn't something that is unattainable for the new year, so there you have it folks. I must now be held accountable because it's IN MY BLOG!

So how about you guys, New Year resolutions abound, tell me about it!

Boomer Sooner Baby!

2008-12-07T21:23:00.008-06:00

I have mentioned before that in our house we "bleed Crimson and Cream". What that means is that we LOVE our Sooner football. In fact, when my husband and I got married, we had to schedule our trip around OU football.

It was a great weekend to be a Sooner fan. We won the Big 12 championship game, set a new NCAA record by scoring 60+ points in 5 consecutive games, and we will be playing for the National Title.

This is what I posted back on September 9, 2008:

"For those of you who don't follow NCAA football, OU (the University of Oklahoma) is going to have a banner year. My husband predicts (and I do concur), that we will play for the National Title this year. Yes, people, OU is just THAT good!" (http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/09/unexcused-absense.html )

I had forgotten about that, but hubby reminded me tonight, so I had to go hunt that post down. Of course it also mentions a diet (ahem), which I failed miserably, and revisions to my historical romance that I have since thrown in the proverbial sock drawer.

None of these things get me down, because I am currently working on a new paranormal romance/mystery WIP that I have outlined and am so excited about, my laundry is almost caught up (that's a big deal when you have five kids), and my wonderful hubby gave me the most beautiful diamond necklace for Christmas.

I will admit that it was a total Hallmark moment when he gave it to me, and I actually teared up. My hands were shaking when I tried to put it on. Even I get emotional sometimes!

Today life is good...tomorrow I'll fight the battles that life throws at me, and on Wednesday, I am starting an all new Hunky Hump Day post that you girls won't want to miss!!!

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2008-12-04T10:19:00.006-06:00

Yes kiddos, it’s that time again! I feel lucky to have been invited to become a member of the blog chain with this multi-talented group of writers. Some may even have super powers, just go check out Elana’s blog (http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ ), she posted before me. And H.L. Dyer will be next (http://hldyer.wordpress.com/).

The topic for our blog chain posts is different each time, and we take turns coming up with a question. As Elana said before me, we are getting closer to the time when we will have to pick, but luckily, she’s gonna have to come up with something brilliant before I do (but not too brilliant….then I’ll just look bad when I have to choose a topic).

Sandra (http://ulbrichalmazan.blogspot.com/) started this one, and she gave us a super hint. It was a video clip from The Princess Bride (check out her blog, it’s there). “As you wish.” Is definitely something that every woman would LOVE to have their man say to every simple request. So here’s the question:

What is the role of wish fulfillment in fiction? What personal wishes do you want your stories to fulfill? Are they the same ones you want to read about? How do our fictitious wishes affect our everyday wishes?

Now, I must admit (not for the first time) that I am a bit impulsive. I also have an imagination with a mind of its own. When I read the question the first time, I just skimmed it and then my imagination answered in lots of visuals. There was Gerard Butler doing my laundry, next he was mopping the kitchen floor, then he was cooking dinner. Each time I asked him to do something he would reply in his lovely Scottish brogue,

“As ye wish, Princess.” (okay, I threw the “Princess” in just so that I could imagine the “r’s” rolling off his tongue).

Now what does it say about me that I would fantasize about Gerard Butler doing my laundry or cleaning my house? Sad, isn’t it?

But then I read the first post by Sandra. Oops, I misunderstood the question.

Okay, I’m sure that most people agree that they read fiction as an escape from their life; being able to imagine yourself in a different time period, a different location, maybe even hob-knobbing with super natural beings. Whatever genre you read, or write for that matter, it’s usually because that’s what or where you’d like to be, at least for a few minutes of your day.

I think one wish for my writing would be that it takes the reader to another place. Whether you journey with Margaret to eighteenth century Scotland, get inside the head of Kathryn who is haunted by a young boy, or travel through the Veil with Gerard the Gede (***sorry Voodoo Priestess if that reference offends you), I want my readers to relate to my characters and experience emotions right along with them. I want readers to care about what happens to my characters. I think I want what most writers want. What do you think?

***

http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/09/open-apology-to-vodou-priestess.html

What Are You Thankful For?

2008-11-26T21:08:00.008-06:00

I know this is a bit of a cliche, but I just couldn't help myself. I wanted to share a few of the things that I am thankful for...First and foremost are my kids:

I had their pictures taken for the second thing I am thankful for, my husband Kel (the biggest OU fan around, if you hadn't guessed).

Right after having this taken, I took them to see Twilight. All three teenagers have read the book (another thing I am thankful about...they all WANTED to read something). I haven't taken them all to the movies in years. It was really great.

The next thing I am grateful for is my Mom. She is the best friend/Mom anyone could ask for. She taught me not to sweat the small stuff, and that everything always works out in the end.

My friends are right up there on the list. I don't have friends that come and go. A few of my friends have been a part of my life since we were eight years old, and a few have only been around for seven or eight years, but I love them all dearly (I'm not usually mushy, so don't expect this kind of post often).

I also wanted to add that I am thankful for my kid's health. A few months ago, my oldest, Tiffany (upper left), suffered a knee injury. We found out a few weeks ago that she has a genetic birth defect (maltracking patella) and now must wear a brace. Her femur never developed the groove for her knee cap, so her simple strained knee won't heal. I took Tessa (lower right) to the Orthopedist this morning, and she has the same problem in both knees, just like her big sister. The way I see it, this is such a small thing compared to so many Mother's out there. My son's teacher comes to mind. Her teenage daughter is battling cancer right now ( http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kayceeevans ) . My prayers go out to her and her family this Thanksgiving.

So when you think that things are bad, or you ask yourself "why me?", just stop and be thankful for the blessings that you do have, and just know that there will always be those out there that have far bigger worries and problems than you do.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and don't forget to be appreciate what you have!

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2008-11-19T22:54:00.003-06:00

Yes, it's time for another blog chain post, and this go around was started with Michelle http://www.michellemclean.blogspot.com/ . Elana was before me: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ , and Leah comes next in the chain:
http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ .

When I met Michelle, we were instantly awed by the similarities to our historical romance novels...thank God they were both completed BEFORE we met, or there could have been questions about how those similarities took place.

I really liked her....until now! I have been procrastinating for days about writing this post. In fact, in an attempt to avoid this post, I have outlined and started rewrites on the ghost/paranormal romance, and even started trying to decide how to start my next historical romance (which has been outlined for a while). All this has taken place in the last three days.

What could be so bad about this post? Well, according to Michelle, who is in the process of unpacking from a move, this would be a "fun post"... fun like a root canal?
Let's just move onto the dreaded question:

Share a favorite poem, quote, joke, anecdote, or anything of the sort that deals with writing, writers, the publishing industry, or the other strange and unusual tidbits that belong to our little world.

I don't do poems, and I usually only quote myself, my kids, or my grandmother (she told me the day before she died "Be good...if you can't be good, then be good at it!"). Jokes seem to lose the finer nuances when you read them, opposed to hearing them, so I guess anecdote is what you guys are going to get.

I mentioned in a previous post that I got to meet my favorite author, Diana Gabaldon, at a sci-fi convention this summer ( http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/07/diana-gabaldon-and-time-displacement.html ).

What I didn't mention, was my reaction when I saw her! Um, I came across as the crazy fan from hell. I ran up to her, and said,

"I'm here! I told you on your blog I'd be here, and here I am!" To which she smiled that tolerant, oh dear God it's a stalker, get me out of here, smile. My friend Lisa was mortified. I just chalked it up to me and my big mouth and shrugged it off.

Now moving on to my next "I don't care what you think about me" story. This just happened today. I pulled up to get gas at the local station. As I got out, a motorcycle police officer pulls up at the pump next to me. I instantly see this as a research opportunity, since the hero in my paranormal romance is a police officer. Here's how that went:

"Excuse me, but can I ask you a question?" I said, while peeking around the gas pump.

The man looked up suspiciously, and answered warily, "Sure".

"How long would it take an officer to become a Lieutenant?"
He just looked at me, so I went on, "I'm writing a book, and I made my main character a Lieutenant, but I'm worried he's too young for it to be believable."

"Oh, okay." He responded, like he was asked questions like that every day.

"About fifteen years, depending on whether there is an opening."

Well, that doesn't work for my book...."What if it's a small town? Is it the same?"

"Oh, that's a whole different story. It could take a whole lot less time, if officers move or retire, could be as little as eight years."

"Cool! Thanks, that's perfect. Small town it is!"

So there you have it, not only do I have a thick skin, I'm not afraid to look like an idiot. In fact, I think I look like an idiot on a regular basis! It's how I roll.....

A Must Have for Writers on the Elusive Agent Hunt!

2008-11-12T15:14:00.006-06:00

Authoress, the anonymous champion of all aspiring writers, has done it again! Her latest endeavor is a no nonsense guide to starting that agent hunt and the tools to avoid pitfalls that so many of us fall into.

Many of you are familiar with her blog http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/ and her Hook the Agent contests. She also has many crit opportunities for her blog followers.

Over-all, she's just one of those really helpful people that try and make a difference by sharing her time, words of wisdom, and giving other's a chance to get a leg up in the elusive agent hunt. That being said, her new e-book release is now available:

This can be purchased for $9.99 on Authoress's blog (the link is above). It is an e-book, so talk about instant gratification!

The resources that she gives you are priceless. You could spend months and months researching these things on the web, read books on getting published (which are certainly not going to be cheaper), and would still be left wondering where to start.

Authoress has given you the tools, the lists (I so love lists), and the places to go so that you can too can find an agent, and then how to go about getting an agent that is right for you.

If you have written, are writing, or even thinking about writing something, this is a tool that you NEED. Go visit her blog, look around, and order her book. I promise you won't be sorry!

Oh yeah, and tell her Terri sent you...not that I get a kick-back, but I have a secret fantasy that maybe she's Nora Roberts, or JK Rowling, or Diana Gabaldon and I'd like to have brownie points!

Beware! Pirates!!!

2008-11-11T11:07:00.015-06:00

Scary, aren't they? I mentioned in a previous post that my two youngest Tory (left) and Tessa (right) wanted to be pirates for Halloween. I couldn't resist posting a picture of them in all their pirate glory.

I also wanted to take a few minutes to direct you to some really great posts. Mrs. 4444, the Martha Stewart of blogging (no, she REALLY is), had a great post about raising kids, and it is GOLDEN advice. Instead of typing my own version, since I agree with her's 100%, you should all go read about it here: http://www.halfpastkissintime.com/2008/11/respect.html .

Another place to check out is Rhea's blog, http://texaswordtangle.blogspot.com/ . She is having a SUPER giveaway, and even though she's a Texan (I'll overlook it Rhea), she's got a great blog!

Okay, now I'll move on to my latest gripe. I have read that so many people become addicted to blogging, or to facebook, or to twitter. NOT ME! I can not stay away from Craigslist. I read random ads, just for the heck of it. I click on the free stuff section ALL the time, just KNOWING I'm going to find some great treasure (I haven't). I need to find a support group for this. Anybody else out there have a site, game, or something on-line that they just can't seem to stay away from for more than an hour at a time? Enquiring minds wanna know!

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2008-11-07T14:28:00.007-06:00

Some people argue that creative people need “angst” to produce good work. Do you? What emotions drive you as a writer?

Do I need angst to produce good work?

That seems a bit subjective to me, since most writers would like to think that every time they pen something that it will be considered good at the very least. I will say that had it not been for angst, I would not have started writing again (it was a very hard time in my life). Now whether what I wrote was good...let's just say it was, um, a start.

This question came at such an interesting time for me. October is my favorite month of the year. I get so excited, and by the end of the month, I was riding high http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-halloween.html . So many good things happened last week, that it was inevitable that once November started, it would be a supreme let down.

Enter my fall state of depression. So many people say that fall is their favorite time of the year. In Oklahoma fall comes late. The leaves are just now turning. November marks the beginning of a melancholy period for me. I wouldn't say that I journey into a downward spiral of depression that requires medication, I just tend to become far more subdued than normal.

That being said, it is about as close as I come to having a serious case of angst. And NO! I don't write anything well while in a mood that tends to lean towards gloomy. I get complacent, I have to use my energy to function at a normal level. It's as if some of my spirit drains along with the green in the leaves and the grass. I hardly feel creative.

What emotions drive you as a writer?

Hmmmm, this is a head scratcher for me. I never thought of any emotion driving me. The creative juices start flowing so fast I had to have an outlet. I controlled the emotion that I was pouring into my work by my song selections. As so many before me in the chain have admitted, listening to certain music often sets the tone of the written work. Whether it aids in the mood or makes those emotions stronger using auditory stimulation is anybody's guess. That is only one tool that a writer can use.

Drawing on a past experience, or an emotional scene from a movie, even feelings evoked from a favorite book, are all things that a creative mind can draw on. I do try and feel the same emotions that a character is feeling. It makes it easier to share that with a reader if you are putting yourself in the character's own mood.

This question has been my favorite so far. It came at such a great time. To be able to reflect on the swing of emotions that we all feel from time to time has been an eye-opener. It also forced me to write, which I haven't done at all this week.

Even though October is over, I still have ghost stories that I could share, and I will try and round up a few for my next post. Until then, you should really go to the beginning of this chain and follow it. The members of the blog chain are all far more talented at conveying their thoughts on this subject, and I must say that it really sucks to have to follow them!

The chain started with Archy http://archetypewriting.blogspot.com/ , Elana was before me in the chain http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ , and Leah follows my post http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ .

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T16:27:00.003-05:00

It's finally arrived! The kids all have their costumes, candy has been purchased to hand out, and I have some exciting news to share before I head out for the evening.

First, I received an email today that my story came in first place for Kat Harris' ghost story contest. You can go here: http://ndnforum.com/blogs//index.php/2008/10/31/a-load-of-bull?blog=5#more700 to check it out. Very unexpected in a GOOD way!

My second bit of news is even MORE exciting, for me at least. I hadn't said anything, for fear of jinxing my chances, but I can't keep this to myself, at least today, of all days.

A while back, I submitted an application to join a local paranormal research group. It was a three page application, BTW. I don't think I've ever filled one out that was so detailed for a job, much less a volunteer position. They receive hundreds of applications, so my chances were slim at best. Then the email came...they wanted to interview me!

On Wednesday night, I donned my make-up (this is only done for VERY special occasions), my daughter straightened my hair...who knew it was so long??? I put on my best "casual" attire and drove to the meeting place. I was to be interviewed by six of the members. Nothing like walking into an inquisition!

Of course I talked WAY too much, not sure if it was nerves or just my lack of control over my own mouth. I thought it went well, but they explained that I was the first interview, and they had a few others scheduled. The position they needed to fill was for an investigator/researcher and someone to write articles for their monthly newsletter on urban legends and local folklore. HELLOOOOOOO, I write, it's what I do!!!!

I left the almost two hour long interview and tried NOT to get excited. It did go well, but it would be Friday before they would be letting me know anything, and even if they liked me, I would not be a member until I had gone on a few investigations. They want to see how potential members click with the group as a whole, and probably want to make sure that you wouldn't run screaming at the first sign of anything paranormal. After that, potential members are on a 90 day probationary period.

Let me interject something here. You may be thinking that this seems a bit extreme. It's not. This group has been on a national TV program (Ghost Hunters), they are regularly featured on a local news station here, host their own paranormal convention every summer, and have requests from homeowners and businesses to do research and investigations by the bucket load. It's a BIG deal.

Wednesday night, after I had been back home for about an hour, the call came...EARLY. They liked me!!!!! I will be going on two investigations, one in November and one in December, and I will find out by the end of the year whether I have earned a permanent position.

Told ya it was COOL stuff! Hope you all have a great Halloween, and I'm sure you haven't heard the last of my ghost stories!

Ghosts Screwin With Ya

2008-10-24T09:36:00.007-05:00

How many of you have been on a REAL paranormal investigation? You know, one complete with EVP detectors, infrared cameras, digital voice recorders, LIVE web cams and last but not least, an old abandoned hospital with plenty of activity? Sounds fun, huh? IT WAS!

So many times, choices we make affect our lives. Often it has a negative impact, but other times, the far-reaching positive impact to our lives is phenomenal. I've had a few people that have come into my life that instigated changes that made me who and what I am today.

Joining a "New Age" type group after the beginning of my paranormal journey, which you can follow by starting here: http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/10/and-paranormal-journey-continues.html , I met some GREAT people, just like I have blogging. Marlene had the biggest impact. I love her dearly. If not for her, I would have never started writing again. Our lives have taken different turns and we don't talk often, but I think of her a lot.

Another member of the group was MJ. He lives in Missouri with his wife and kids, and he LOVES ghosts. So much so, that he was a member of a paranormal group here in Oklahoma. This group is pretty cool. They have one of the longest, if not the longest, on-going investigations in a single location. They have a lease on an old hospital that has been vacant for decades. Web cams are set up, along with streaming audio, that you can see and listen to 24/7 on-line here: http://www.researchwebcam.net/ .

On Saturday nights, they have walk through investigations with their team. You have to be a member, or be approved to come. MJ made the trip down one weekend about four years ago and surprised me by getting me an invite too!!!

The drive was about an hour long, and I made it right before dark. It was late in the summer, so the weather was gorgeous. The building is large, imposing and CREEPY! The location is kept secret to try and avoid more trespassers than they already have. The police are diligent about patrolling, and they do arrest and prosecute, so you guys keep that in mind if there are any buildings like this in your own area.

I won't bore you with the play by play, but the place was amazing! There were four of us, MJ, his brother-in-law, myself, and a member of the group who walked through after we arrived. It is mostly dark, they do have a few lights and the web cams set up, but other wise we used flashlights. It has a basement, and five floors. We used the stairwells and even got to go up to the roof. The most active area is the old administration area. Active seems like an understatement.

While in the two adjoining rooms off of the lobby, we had a three inch wood screw going flying over our heads and hit the wall in front of us TWICE! We had glass (there is glass littering the floor from all the past vandalism) thrown and hit the member with us in the calf so hard that it left a red welt. I was standing in one room, with my back to the door watching the three men. Something tapped my arm and I'll admit it, a squeal escaped my lips, as I jerked, a piece of glass fell from my sleeve. Unfortunately, MJ was recording, and he let EVERYBODY listen to that later!!!! So much for being a fearless ghost hunter.

Later, we were assaulted with the strong smell of flowers in a room on the second floor. We stood in the room, and you could feel COLD air swirl around us. Cold like a freezer cold, and it was in the temperature was in the high 80's . The guys had me leave the room and stand in the dark hall, but the smell left them and followed me, along with the cold. They then made me come back and stand in the room ALONE, in the dark, and same thing. IT WAS SO COOL!

I had the best time, and would love to go back one day. I do have other stories that I will share, so check back often this month!

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2008-10-22T00:02:00.005-05:00

Sorry for my absence, I promise there are more ghost stories coming soon!

Until then, it's that time again! My turn on the chain gang...

The chain started with Kate ( http://katekaryusquinn.blogspot.com/ ) and the last post was Elana ( http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ ). Be sure you check out the writers on the chain, cause let me tell ya, writer or not, they have some very insightful posts!

So, here's the question this time around:

How, as a writer, do you find the balance between having too much or too little confidence in your work?

As with so many writers in the chain before me, I have that ego swelling, that self-importance when you write. That "Aha!" moment when you say to yourself, "Damn, that's good stuff!".

You read it again, and you send it off to your crit partners. Then with each small suggestion, correction, and truthful comment, that initial, "Damn I'm good" turns into "Well crap, I thought it was good, but I see where they are coming from..."

You move on to revisions....endless revisions it seems. Here, you ride the confidence roller coaster.

I learned early on that criticism in any form is hard to take. In the end though, it only helps to make you a better writer. It's true what they say..."If it doesn't kill ya, then it will make ya stronger".

I will admit that anyone who has rejection issues should NEVER try and get published. The confidence level drops even further when those rejections come in for your phenomenal work that you just know is the best novel ever written.

I think the same should apply to those with a super-ego...no need to make excuses when you get rejected...LEARN from it...GROW as a writer.

Until this chain question, I really hadn't given my confidence level much thought. I know there are writers out there with far more education, far more talent, and far more tools to succeed in publishing, but it has never intimidated me. I want others to succeed. I get excited when one of my crit partners gets a request for a partial, and even more so when it's for a full. Someone else's success should only boost your own confidence, never deflate it.

I suppose I should pass the chain on over to Leah ( http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ ) , but never fear, I'll be back this week with another ghost story, I'm just waiting on some pictures to go with it...it's about my trip to an old abandoned hospital with a REAL paranormal research team!!!

CL Wilson is unstoppable!

2008-10-18T19:27:00.010-05:00

King of Sword and Sky is the third book in the Tairen Soul series by phenomenally talented CL Wilson. Wilson is a master story-teller who hasn’t disappointed me yet.

How many times have you read a second or third book in a series, only to become bored, or shake your head wondering why an author even bothered to write a series? This is SO not the case with the Tairen Soul series.

When I read my first CL Wilson book, it was in a bag of paperbacks that a friend had loaned me, pointing out a book that she really liked. I’m not a big sci-fi junky, so I tossed the highly recommended sci-fi sounding romance aside, dove into the historical fiction books, and then the historical romances. The last book left was Lady of Light and Shadows by CL Wilson, that darn sci-fi romance.

Not having anything BETTER to read, I started it…and couldn’t put it down! The only problem I had with the story is that I wanted more of a back story than I was getting. OF COURSE I didn’t know that it was the second book!

I ran out and bought Lord of the Fading Lands (book one), and there was my back story! The only complaint that I have now about CL Wilson, is that her publisher is not fast enough releasing the next book! Queen of Song and Soul will be out in June of 2009, and I will be counting the days.

If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, you will LOVE these books. I can seriously see them made into a movie, in fact, I hope they are (not that ANY movie could ever do a book justice).

Speaking of doing this story justice, you should visit CL Wilson’s web site at http://www.clwilson.com/ and take a look around.

I know this isn’t a ghost story, but I do have a few more coming, along with the next post in my fellow writers blog chain, so I’ll be back soon!

Cute Ghosts and Dark Entities

2008-10-11T15:01:00.011-05:00

Tommy’s birthday was great; he had to go on a treasure hunt to find his birthday present. We had a cook-out and invited a few friends. His birthday cookie and cupcakes were quite fitting, considering my theme this month. Speaking of the theme this month, I have one heck of a story for you today!

To follow from the beginning of my ghostly stories, go here: http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/10/and-paranormal-journey-continues.html .

By now, I’m sure you realize that yes we did bring something home from our stay at the haunted Crescent Hotel. I’ll also take this time to tell you that the stories you are getting this month are not even close to the whole story, just a sampling of what I think are the more interesting events that have taken place over the last six years.

Since I mentioned my son, Tommy, at the beginning of this post, those of you keeping up will know what an evil genius he is. Go here http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/10/ever-had-ghost-hitch-ride-with-you.html if you are unaware of what an arch-villain my son has the potential of becoming (Literal Dan’s son ain’t got nothin on Tommy, just compare: http://literaldan.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-son-arch-villain.html ).

But alas, Karma has a way of evening out the world. When Tommy started telling us that something was in his closet, we just laughed and shook our heads. We weren’t falling for his tricks again. This went on for weeks. You had to give it to the kid, he was tenacious. Bed time came with the whining and complaining, I made a production of closing his closet door each night. It was mirrored, the kind that slides open. He even went so far as to come and get me to show me how the door was mysteriously open on more than one occasion.

Tommy spent the night at a friend’s house one weekend. After putting the girls to bed, I went by his room and closed his closet door, just out of habit. I shut the door as I left. A bit later, I took some clean clothes to his room, cursing the fact that I had closed the door as I struggled not to drop them. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and found his closet door open! Okay, I admit I was more perplexed than scared. I told Kel, he came in; shut the closet door, and then the bedroom door, just as I had. About an hour later, he went back and guess what he found? The door open again! To this day, we can’t explain that closet door, but we did start leaving it open at night, so it wouldn’t open by itself and scare Tommy.

Okay, here’s the story that may get me in trouble with my husband. Monkey Toe Momma ( http://mommahasmonkeytoes.blogspot.com/ ), DON’T READ THIS WHEN YOU ARE ALONE!

By now, we were fully aware that our house had issues. I was okay with this. In fact, I had embraced the paranormal. I had made several trips to a few cemeteries, armed with tape recorders and digital cameras (not that I really needed to go anywhere to find ghosts).

One night, shortly after going to bed, I started seeing weird shadows on my ceiling. Sitting up in bed, I looked down the hall through our open bedroom door, to check for any kids who could be causing them (I learned not immediately to blame paranormal happenings on ghosts when you have so many kids running around). No sign of them, so I laid back down. Watching the ceiling, the shapes seemed to form across the room above a window, moving up to the ceiling.

“Do you see that?” I whispered to Kel.
Lifting his head, he grunted “See what?”

The shadows were gone.

“I saw a shadow over in the corner.”

He laid his head back down and I continued watching. A few minutes later, there above my window, a dark shadow formed, working it’s way up to the ceiling.

“Right there, look!” I whispered again.
Up goes Kel’s head off of the pillow and the shadow disappears again!
“There’s nothing there Terri, go to sleep.”

By now, I am getting pissed. I know what I saw, and whatever this damn thing is, I’m not imagining it.

“Prop your pillow up, and when I poke your leg, just open your eyes and look, okay?” I whisper again.
“Fine, but then I want you to leave me alone so I can get some sleep.”
“Deal”

The room goes quiet. I wait impatiently for our night-time visitor to reappear. I didn’t have long to wait. As soon as I saw the black shadow taking form, I poked Kel. No response. I poked him again, as I watched this thing form into a thick black mass. It snaked up the wall, and then onto the ceiling. You could clearly make out the form of a head, followed by shoulders. As it slid across the ceiling towards us, I frantically poked Kel’s leg and whispered, “Do you see that?”

“What the hell is that?” He didn’t wait for a response from me. That thing was sliding closer to us. It was now over the foot of our bed, on his side, and gaining ground. Soon it would be directly over Kel!

“LEAVE!” Kel yelled, raising his arm and pointing his finger at the dark entity.

I will never forget the sound of his voice, nor the aftermath. The shadow slid backwards. It followed the length of the wall across from us, turning the corner, going toward the door. When it reached the door, it went down, and slithered under the top of the door frame, hugging the wall the whole time, then was gone.

“What the hell was that?” Kel repeated his earlier question.
“I don’t know, but I’m glad you saw it too.”

Then I got the giggles. Kel was not amused.

“I don’t think that’s funny.”
“You thought I was crazy, didn’t you?” I said between laughs. I was just relieved that he had seen what I was seeing, and knew that I was not imagining it.

I rolled over as soon as I could control the laughter.

“What are you doing?” Kel asked.
“I’m going to sleep.”
“You’re what? How can you sleep after seeing that? What if it comes back?” Kel sounded a bit alarmed.

Needless to say, Kel spent another sleepless night standing guard against the paranormal beings that had taken up residence in our home. I think I was deep in slumber within a few minutes. I will admit, that was the only time I’ve ever seen anything like that. Kel will admit that he hopes to never see it again.

Last time I told you not to bother leaving the light on….maybe I was wrong about that.

Until next time (oh yes, there are still more stories to tell), you guys have a great weekend!

Hitchhiking Ghosts Can Be Messy Houseguests

2008-10-10T00:49:00.008-05:00

If you have been following my October ghost stories, then you’ll know that my son, whose thirteenth birthday is today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMMY!!!), pulled one over on my husband and myself, making us think that we had brought home a ghost from the Crescent Hotel ( http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/10/ever-had-ghost-hitch-ride-with-you.html ). That’s where I left off, so I will continue from there.

Things calmed down (my nerves) once Tommy had taken credit for frightening (yes one-eyed Dan, I’ve seen Frighteners, cute movie) us into acting as though our house contained the portal to hell. Speaking of portals, did you know that if a ghost follows you, let’s say, to your house, he/she opens a “portal” or lights a path for others to follow? Just a tid bit for later down the road.

Although I was no longer alarmed, I was curious (okay, obsessed) about what had happened to me when I went to the Crescent Hotel (keep up people, that’s been explained here:
http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/10/and-paranormal-journey-continues.html ).

I started my research, which is helpful as a writer, but when you just obsess about a place, or ghosts, or the history of a hotel, friends and family start to shake their heads and roll their eyes when it’s the only topic that you seem capable of discussing. I’m sure I was rambling on about some obscure fact that I had found one night, and my husband just kept looking above the entertainment center. There’s NOTHING there, and it was so obvious, that it started to annoy me (I thought he was either rolling his eyes, or tuning me out). Here’s about how that conversation went:

“Ahem. Hello? What the heck do you keep looking at?”
“Nothing”
“Well, you keep looking at nothing a lot.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, let’s go to bed. Now.”

I’m not gonna argue about going to bed, quite the contrary. It was HOW he said it, constantly looking eight or nine feet up the wall. It was creepy. He stood up, and actually took my arm to steer me out of the living room.

“Whoa! What’s going on? Why are you in such a hurry to get out of here?”
“I said I don’t want to talk about it, and I mean it.”

Can you say warning bells going off?

What the heck?

So I did what I do best. I pestered him. All the way to the bedroom, and then once we got in bed. I never let up. I finally got my answer, but was unprepared for it.

“ALRIGHT! I saw a man staring at me. It was like half his face was coming through the wall? Happy? Now I don’t want to talk about it.”

Now before you start to think that my husband is a nut-job, let me tell you that when he reads this, first, he’s NOT gonna be happy about me telling people (which will only get worse as I tell you guys more of our ghostly encounters), and secondly, he’s “the great white hunter”, you know, with deer heads on the wall, football game on the TV, and two feet SOLIDLY on the ground.

I think that was one of the few times that he shut me up. I didn’t know what to think. Like any sane person, I wondered if he was just yankin my chain. Maybe he was tired of hearing about this theory or that theory. Off to sleep I went, deciding to gauge his demeanor in the morning.

With the dawn, came the realization that not only had he not slept, but he was a nervous wreck. Whatever he had seen really rattled his cage. I, on the other hand, was checking the walls, high and low, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything. Of course, I didn’t see a thing. Just my luck.

Fast forward a week or so. I was sleeping soundly, when he shakes me awake, whispering in a desperate voice, “We have a visitor.”

“What the hell. Who’s here? It’s not even five yet.”
“A VISITOR!” He whispered more urgently, raising his eyebrows up and down.

Still in a bit of a stupor, it finally hit me! A GHOST!!!!

I shot out of bed, fast on his heels into the living room. He stopped me short of the dining room, whispering.

“I was at the computer, and I felt this icy hand on my shoulder, and thought it was you, but when I turned around, no one was there.”

I stared across the dining room to where the computer sat in a corner, looking for any sign of a ghost. A mist, a blurry figure, just anything (cause you know, by now I had studied up on this stuff). NOTHING! I was so disappointed. That is until I stepped into the dining room and ran right smack into the coldest pocket of air I’d ever felt in my house, right under the vent that was blowing HOT air.

If anyone had walked in and seen us, they would have hauled us off in straight jackets. Here we were, in our PJ’s, walking around the dining room with our hands out in front of us, like we were playing some drunken game of Marco Polo. That cold spot moved around for a few minutes, and then was gone. It was great!

I finally went back to bed (I like my sleep, and even ghosts won’t keep me from it for long….you’ll see an even better example in posts to come). The next week or so was again, uneventful….UNTIL my son had a friend over. We’ll call his friend “D”.

Tommy and D were sitting at the bar on the dining room side. I was standing on the other side of the bar in the kitchen. They were to my right. In front of me on the bar was a plastic cup, half full of water. As I stood there talking to them, this cup slides to my left a few feet, then off of the bar, and slams into the wall across from the bar (about three feet) and hits the floor, water going everywhere.

I remember looking at the cup, then the bar, and then the boys. Their eyes were the size of saucers!

“Was a cat up here?”
The boys both just shook their heads “no” in unison.
“Hmmm, that was strange.”
All I could come up with. What the heck do you say when that happens? I shrugged and walked off. This was six years ago, and every time I see D he brings up the cup flying off that bar!

I’d like to say that my story ends there, but alas, this was just the beginning.
I’ll share with you the story about the dark shadow and the closet ghost next!

Until then, don’t bother sleeping with the lights on, ghosts will show up when they want, no matter the lighting.

Ghostly Blog Chain Blatherskite

2008-10-09T10:06:00.006-05:00

It's that time again, time for the blog chain to commence! This group of writers is fantastic! You will find most have messy desks (which makes me feel so much better about my own), and they have some quirks that I share, and some that I just shake my head at! Here's the question this time:

What kind of quirky habits or rituals do you have regarding your writing? (or regarding anything else, if that is more fun.)

After following this chain from Mary http://marylindsey.wordpress.com/ , who started it (BAAAAAA BAAAAAAAAA), all the way to the last one to post, Elana http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ (the only one WITHOUT even a desk to mess up), I have to say that YES, I have a messy messy desk, but no sheep like Mary. The only real quirk I have while writing is that I MUST be listening to music. Each major scene in The Crichton heir has a song that I played over and over while writing it. I called it “my mood music”.

I also have ADD (I dropped the “H” years ago, with so many kids, I don’t have the energy to be hyper too). The way my brain works is CRAZY. I start one thing, then another, then another, often forgetting what I was doing to begin with. I have to make lists if I have a lot to do, and I have to stick to them. The only way that this helps when I am writing, is that if you know anything about ADD, then you know that another "quirk" is hyper-focusing. YES, I will hyper-focus until my eyes feel like they will pop out of my head. Whether it’s research (I will spend HOURS and HOURS researching one thing.) or reading a book, or even writing. When you get in the “zone” everything else disappears.

Now, in keeping with my October theme, this post wouldn’t be complete with out a little ghostly tid-bit. Here’s where I start to get REAL quirky (my daughter just calls it WEIRD). Ghosts don’t scare me. Oh, they used to, as you can see from my previous stories. However, once you realize that fear comes from the unknown, and you spend hours and hours researching paranormal topics, not only on the web, but interviewing people, and even speaking to psychics (yes, I believe in them too, but not all…another post would require my thoughts on the charlatans that defraud grieving people), you realize that REAL people pose a far greater threat than the dead ones.

My beliefs would be considered quirky I suppose. I KNOW that ghosts exist, without a single solitary doubt. I’ve seen too much, heard too much, and felt too much to ever doubt the existence of them. Now here’s where things get subjective. I believe that ghosts are individuals who have died, but have not “crossed over”. They are stuck between this plane of existence that we live in, and the next, the one that our spirit moves on to (most people would call it heaven).

There are many things that keep a person “stuck”. Some die suddenly and often tragically. They are not even aware that they are dead, and become trapped. Others know they are dead, but led such a “sin-filled” life, that they are afraid to cross over, afraid of what may await them. Then you have the ones who just loved life so much, that they refuse to move on, clinging to a world they are no longer a part of.

Whatever caused the ghost to remain trapped, there are times when they can and do interact with the living. Oh, and they CAN travel. That I do know for a FACT, which I will go into a bit in my next post. I have even HEARD them speaking. NO, the voices in my head are my characters, I actually heard one on a tape recorder that was VERY loud, and VERY clear, and kind of attitudal, if you ask me. Again, that story will be coming up this month too.

Ghosts can be found in many places. Of course, there are cemeteries, you can pretty much bet that somebody is hangin around there (I have a really good picture of a guy that was doing just that….he was dead of course, and we didn’t SEE him when we took the picture, he just ended up in it), then you have hospitals. Now, I can tell you that OLD hospitals can be an interesting place to visit. I was invited on an investigation that I will post about later that was in an old abandoned county hospital, and let me just say that it’s hard to duck and dodge things that someone throws when you can’t see the person throwing them! Ghosts can also be found where they died (like a hospital), could be a house, a street where an accident took place, pretty much anywhere, but they do have the ability to “hitch a ride” so to speak. So you just never really know if you have a ghost looking over your shoulder while you grocery shop, or watch a movie, or even typing at your computer.

I will continue with my own personal experiences soon, but be sure to check out the next to post in the blog chain, Leah http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ .

And I also wanted to thank David McMahon http://david-mcmahon.blogspot.com/ for featuring me TWICE now on his blog! He's got a great blog with some really great people that have stopped by. Go check him out (okay, I meant his blog, not actually HIM)!

Ever Had a Ghost Hitch a Ride With You?

2008-10-06T22:22:00.007-05:00

Onward and upward we go, on to my next leg of the paranormal crazy train that became my life! As mentioned in my previous post, I had quite an interesting visit to not only a historic hotel, but one that brought out the “Linda Blair” in me…can you say PEA SOUP?

I left off on our drive AWAY from the Crescent Hotel, which BTW, was featured on Ghost Hunters, the show on Sci-Fi (not our drive…the Crescent Hotel). Actually, so was Carroll Heath, our tour guide, but this was three or four years AFTER my experience there.

We drove back to the cabin we were staying in, which was so nice! They were new, sat on the edge of a mountainside and overlooked a beautiful lake. I felt fine, even after scarfing the McDonalds we had stopped for. It was our last night there, and I wanted to stay up late and see if the raccoons we had been told about would come to the back door to snack on the assortment of goodies that we had left for them. Hubby went to bed, while I read in the living room. It had one of those dimmer switch lights, which I had turned down low, so as not to disturb Kel.

Suddenly the lights went out! I rolled my eyes and got up, turning the dial a bit higher, cursing dimmer switches. About two minutes later, out they go again. Gritting my teeth, I felt my way back to the switch, and turned the darn thing ALL the way up. I sat back down, and picked up my book, but before I could read a full sentence….you guessed it, out go the lights. Third time’s the charm for me; I just left the stupid thing off, put my book down, and awaited the raccoons.

Now, after reading my previous story, you may be smacking yourself on the head, wondering why I didn’t run screaming out the door. I seriously thought it was a malfunctioning light. I am NOT an alarmist, and although I do have an imagination to rival most, I only use it when I write. That, and I so wanted to see the darn raccoons!

I wasn’t disappointed, two HUGE raccoons showed up, sitting on their hind quarters, clutching pieces of bread in their tiny hands and eating their midnight buffet. I got Kel out of bed to watch them, and I was surprised how BIG they were…I think they were extremely well fed by the guests.

The night ended with no more odd occurrences, at least none that I noticed. We both got up the next morning, dreading the long drive back to Oklahoma. While I finished packing in the bedroom, Kel was loading up the truck outside. I was busy, and didn’t even realize that I could hear the fan running from the bathroom vent, until it suddenly clicked off. I remember standing at the end of the bed and looking towards the bathroom thinking Kel must have somehow snuck by me. I called out to him. No answer. I turned and went out of the room, through the living room, and out the door. Sure enough, there was Kel, loading the truck.

“Did you leave the fan on in the bathroom?” I yelled to him.
“Yeah, sorry, I forgot to turn it off.”
“Was it on a timer or something? It just clicked off.” I replied, shifting my weight from one foot to another, not wanting to go back in alone.

Seeing my discomfort, Kel left the truck and came over. I followed behind him back into the cabin. He went straight into the bathroom. The switch was off. There was no timer.

“Are you sure you didn’t turn it off?” He asked me, after fiddling with the switch a few times.
“Of course I didn’t! I told you that I was in the bedroom packing when I heard the switch click and the fan stop.”

He just shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, and continued to get ready to leave. I shadowed his EVERY move! I was NOT going to be left alone in that cabin by myself again. Yes, now I became a chicken, a big one, I think I clucked a few times for good measure.

I breathed a sigh of relief once we got on the road. I even relaxed a bit, which was hard to do driving through the mountainous Ozark region. I am scared of heights, and some of the drop-offs next to the highway were pretty steep. I tried to ignore the beautiful scenery and read some more, at least until Kel just about ran off the road!

“What the hell?!” Kel said, while straining his head to look behind him into the backseat of his truck.

It was my turn to look at him as if he had lost his mind.

“I just saw a man sitting in the back seat, Terri. I swear I did, but there's no one there.”

Mmmhmmmm. Some vacation! We were both coming back not only paranoid, but now Kel was seeing things. Bad sign. No more vacations for us for a while.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and we were both happy to be home, and glad to see the kids (we already had his, mine, and ours BEFORE we were legally married). By the time we dropped into the bed, it was late that night, the kids were all asleep, and we were exhausted. We always left the light on in the bathroom, so that it illuminated the hallway. It wasn’t as bright as the hall light, and the kids often got up in the night.

I was almost asleep, when the house was engulfed in darkness. I could feel Kel jump out of bed.

“It was probably one of the kids just going to the bathroom hon.” I said, from the comfort and security of my side of the bed.
“I’ll just check on them.” So off he trots down the hall, first turning on the bathroom light. I watch from my bed. Our room was at the end of the hall, which gave me a full view of the nightly bed check; first the girl’s room, then my son’s.

Finding them all snug in their beds and asleep, he then proceeded to examine the light switch in OUR bathroom. At this point, I get up. The longer I watch him trying to turn the switch half on to see if it could be done, the more nervous we both get. We start to discuss the lights from the cabin, then the exhaust fan, and then of course the man in the backseat that wasn’t there came up. Within a few minutes, we had convinced ourselves that we were screwed with a capital “G” as in ghost, boogey man, poltergeist, and any other word that may or may not contain a “G”.

I was so upset that I actually called the ghost tour place and left a frantic message on their recorder, claiming to have “brought something home with us” and “not knowing what to do about it”.

Needless to say, we slept little that night. By dawn, I was overjoyed at the sight of the glorious sun. The light swept away the fear that had gripped us both, not only fears of the unknown, but fear for our children. Hey, who hasn’t seen Poltergeist, or Amityville Horror?

That afternoon following snack-time, the pantry light was left on. Any parents with small children know what a battle it is to get them to turn off lights after they have turned them on. Kel lined them up and asked them who had left the light on. Being in total “parent mode”, we looked at my son with confusion when he started laughing. Had he lost his mind? What the heck?
“Did you turn on the pantry light, Tommy?”
“No, I turned OFF the light.” He responded between giggles.
“What light?” I eyed him suspiciously.
“The bathroom light; last night.” He said between laughs. Like that was going to make up for NOT turning….WAIT! Did he just say last night???????????

Okay, I’ll admit it, I wanted to KILL him right then. That little turd turned off the bathroom light the night before. Our “ghost” was an eight year old boy, not only that, but he KNEW! He had heard all of it! He was worse than a ghost, he was EVIL I say!

Talk about feeling STUPID! Yeah, we did.

You might think that my story would end there. If only it had…

Until next time, keep the lights on and avoid ghost hang-outs, you might have uninvited house guests…I did.

And the Paranormal Journey Continues...

2008-10-04T14:26:00.015-05:00

As promised, here is the beginning of my paranormal story. My previous post was a prologue of sorts, so I will go directly into my first trip to the Crescent Hotel!

It was Saturday, October 4, 2002. The weather was beautiful, much like it is today. Kel and I decided to arrive at the hotel early, so we could get our ticket to the ghost tour and have time to look around. At this point, I didn’t know much about the history, but boy was that going to change!

Walking into the hotel was like walking into a past era. The furnishings are gorgeous and a huge fireplace sits in the center of the lobby. Double doors at the back of the lobby lead to a sweeping veranda over-looking manicured gardens and a beautiful catholic church. The hotel sits on a mountain top, so the view goes on for miles. I had never been anywhere so picture book perfect before. The place was like a fairy tale, unfortunately it was a bit too much like a Grimm’s fairy tale, but I just didn’t know it yet!

I was entranced. The atmosphere, the surroundings, the antique furnishings all lent to the surreal feeling that had over-taken me. I couldn’t wait for the tour to start. We had gone to the second floor and purchased our tickets before we ventured out to the veranda. A small TV sat on a table, and a group of young men stood around watching a college football game (it wasn’t OU, so I can’t remember who was playing). Kel struck up a conversation about football with the men, so I wandered over to the steps leading into the darkened garden. I remember standing there, feeling the pull to go down and explore, even in the dark, but the ghost tour would be starting soon, so I resisted.

We made our way back up the stairs to meet on the second floor. The group was large, so they split us up into two groups. We were in the group led by tour guide Carrol Heath (pictured below). We made our way up to the third floor. Seated along the hall, we settled in for the “history” part of the tour.

The Crescent Hotel was built in 1886. I’ll leave out the specifics of who built it, but I do know, and even have pictures of the original owners (OCD is helpful when you are a writer, but when you just OCD about a hotel, you get called obsessive like it’s a BAD thing). It was opened to cater to the rich, advertising the “healing springs”.

After that fad had passed, it became a women’s college, and then closed its doors following the depression.

Here’s where it gets REAL interesting. Around 1937, the hotel was bought by Norman Baker, formerly of Muscatine, Iowa. Baker opened the Baker Cancer Cure Hospital. He sent out flyers in the mail (I actually have an original…Ebay is so cool), advertising his 100% cure rate for cancer. Having guaranteed his cure, when patients started dropping like flies, he couldn’t very well cart them out in broad daylight, now could he? OF COURSE NOT!

In the cover of night, the bodies were taken down into the basement. Autopsies were preformed (the original autopsy table is still down there). Then the bodies were incinerated. Ashes were spread here and there (underground tunnels, scattered amongst the trees next to the hotel, etc). Baker would have the patients write a series of letters to their loved ones upon arrival. He would continue to send these out long after their death, so he could still receive the checks from their families.

Baker was eventually arrested for mail fraud (remember those flyers he sent out?), and spent a few years in Leavenworth. He retired quietly to Florida after his release, where he died in the 1950’s.

Now, this is but a small bit of info on Baker, but believe me when I tell you I have books on the man and mountains of research. He was interesting to say the least. From his days in vaudeville, to inventing a compressed air organ, the Tangley Calliope, to owning his own radio station, he was an entrepreneur, but one with a God-complex.

Okay, I digress, not all of that came from the ghost tour, in fact, very little. As we sat in the hall, our tour guide, Mr. Carroll Heath, regaled us with stories of the many reports of hauntings over the last few decades. The playful spirit of Michael, a brick layer who fell to his death while building the Crescent, to a little old lady that likes to move your suitcases against the door in the middle of the night, the Crescent seemed to have any number of Victorian aged gentlemen and ladies, along with Baker’s unfortunate patients.

While sitting and listening to these stories, I was engrossed. I never took my eyes off of our guide. The heat in the hallway seemed to become overwhelming, and I found myself using a pamphlet to fan my face, which felt flushed and on fire. I started feeling a bit lightheaded when we stood to take the actual tour of the hotel, beginning in the basement where the autopsies were done. I went to our guide and asked where the closest restroom was, simply to splash water on my face. He directed me to the fourth floor. I told him that I would catch up, but he insisted on waiting with the group right there on the third floor.

Here’s where things get a bit blurry. I made it up to the restroom, which was thankfully right off of the stairwell. I splashed water on my face. I do remember that, but not much else. Time seemed to stand still. I would have sworn I was only in there for a few minutes…Kel said it was closer to TWENTY! I climbed down the stairs, clutching the rail for dear life. When I made it down to the group, we proceeded to the lobby area. I told Kel that I needed to leave. He agreed, since he had developed a stomach ache. He went to go find a restroom, and I located the tour guide (No, we actually hadn’t eaten anything yet, so it wasn’t something we ate, and I didn’t have an upset stomach…yet).

Mr. Heath was by the stairs, and as I approached him, he said “You can’t stay.” I was a bit taken aback. “No, I was just going to tell you that my husband and I were leaving.”
He placed his hand on my arm. “You are too sensitive. Go.”

Okay, on my weirdness scale, that was off the charts. Too sensitive? WTF did that mean? So thinking about that, I went to sit in the lobby. When I reached the fireplace, I was overwhelmed by dizziness again, and practically rushed outside, knowing I was either going to pass out on the way, or before I reached the bottom of the steps leading to the parking lot. I have never in my life passed out, and I didn’t care for this feeling. I sat on the bottom step, with my head resting on my knees, hoping that Kel would find me there.

Here’s where things got really messed up. I remember him coming out and I felt like I needed to RUN to the truck. I had tunnel vision, another new concept for me. I felt like I was dragging him to the truck, I couldn’t get away from that place fast enough. Only problem is, that’s NOT what happened.

After conferring with Kel, his version is quite a bit different. He found me at the bottom of the steps and helped me up. We walked about fifteen feet to small bricked in flower garden, where I sat (no recollection of this). He asked if I wanted him to go get the truck, since it was about 35-40 yards out. I told him no, and he helped me stand, putting my arm over his neck. He had to support my weight all the way to the truck. He helped me in.

Next thing you know, I am bailing out of the truck, and violently vomiting (Kel’s description). He came around, really not knowing what to do. I sat on the floor of the front seat, refusing to get all the way back into the truck. I do remember most of this, although I have holes in the actual order of events that Kel has had to fill in. He finally got me back into the truck.

I tried to get Kel to write out his version, because he is such a great story teller. He told me that I was the writer, so I should tell it. I have had to go ask him for verification several times. Now here’s his wording about the rest.

I looked zoned out – looking straight ahead like I was hypnotized. He backed the truck out and asked if I was alright. “I’m burning up.” I replied, which shocked him, since the temperature had dropped into the 50’s. About ten seconds later, my teeth are chattering and I say, “I’m freezing”. I was still staring straight ahead and hadn’t looked at him, which he said scared the hell out of him. He turned to me as we were in front of the hotel and said “Terri”. No response. He raised his voice and once again said “Terri!” This time I turned and looked at him. He said it looked like I had swallowed a light bulb and it was stuck in my throat. An eerie pale white glow came from the inside making me look like you would imagine a ghost would - glowing. He said it was freaky. He is the logical type, and he was completely baffled as to what could cause that and it alarmed him to say the least.
“Just go. We must leave.” Was all I said in response.

After turning onto a residential street away from the Crescent Hotel, I said “Honey, I’m hungry, let’s get something to eat.” Like nothing had happened. He said it was freakin weird. That was the first sign that he had seen that I was “myself” since the ghost tour had started.

We drove through McDonald’s, went back to the cabin, ate, and I never felt ill, or abnormal again. I would like to say that nothing else happened, but I’d be lying. That I will save for the next post!

A Journey Into the Paranormal Begins

2008-10-03T10:49:00.004-05:00

Having promised ghost stories, I have now made myself accountable! I have thought long and hard (yes, it did hurt) about which story to tell first. I suppose it would be best to go in a somewhat chronological order, as there are a few. It kinda shows my spiral into the paranormal realm.

As so many out there, I was always interested in ghost stories, witchcraft, etc while a teen. I read every Stephen King book I could get my hands on in Jr. High. The school library actually had quite a few books on the history of witches/witchcraft…I read those too. My mom kept telling me that those books were going to “warp my brain”. Hmmmm, maybe they did! Either way, I thought that stuff was cool, but I was safely on the sidelines. I didn’t have any ghosts in my house, or anybody else’s that I knew, and no coven of witches hanging out in MY neighborhood. Then I grew up and moved past any interest that I had in all that “hocus pocus” stuff.

Fast forward to 2002. I’m planning a trip to Eureka Springs to get married to my second (and current husband). He had picked this beautiful cabin in the Ozark Mountains to stay in. While researching the area, I ran across the Crescent Hotel. I guess you could say that my journey would start there, although I wasn’t aware of that at the time.

The Crescent Hotel reminded me of a smaller, scarier version of the Stanley Hotel (from the Shining). It was built in 1886 and has a history that is unparallel by any hotel as far as a gruesome past. They also offered a GHOST TOUR!!!! How exciting is that? I was so there. I made Kel (hubby) PROMISE that we would take the ghost tour.

Our trip was actually six years ago to the day! Today is my anniversary. I didn’t even realize that I was telling this story on the exact date until I had almost finished! I did however; remember it was my anniversary…unlike SOME people who shall remain nameless (KEL). That’s another story though, and actually very amusing.

I will post tomorrow about that fateful tour (I just heard the Gilligan’s Island theme song start in my head) and the consequences, because, yes, there were LONG reaching consequences for making the decision to place ourselves in a situation that we had no idea could spiral so far out of control.

See ya then!

Sorry about the poor quality pics, my scanner needs a new cord! I may have to repost the pics, considering you can actually see the Crescent Hotel in the background in our wedding photos...we hadn't been there yet, we visited on October 4!

October is Here!!!

2008-10-02T00:58:00.009-05:00

October. The month of the BEST holiday EVER! Well, at least IMHO it is.

Halloween...Who doesn't LOVE a good ghost story? Scary costumes? Decorating the house to look CREEEEPY? All the great shows on TV this month?

Kat Harris, over at http://thelongroad2heaven.blogspot.com/ has posted an October contest for ghost stories. She has a really cool story posted if you'd like to check it out. I sent her my very own ghost story, you can read it here if you'd like, but be warned...IT'S SCARY AND TRUE!

http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-was-lurking-in-dark-country.html

Check out this picture taken at a castle in France by my friend and writing partner, Lisa.

COOL, huh?

I have already been to the Halloween store with my youngest girls, and they both want to be PIRATES! I swear I didn't prompt them, not at all. I'm probably more shocked than anybody about their choice in attire for trick or treating. It's always been Princess this or that (the three wearing crowns, MINUS the bloody neck, are mine). This year they want plastic swords! I'm PROUD.

I am going to try this month to post a few of my own ghost stories, so check back often. I think the black shadow from my bedroom (NOOOOOOOOO, this isn't gonna be one of THOSE x-rated stories, sorry) should be first, maybe my stay at a haunted hotel, perhaps my paranormal investigation with a REAL group of Ghost Busters to an abandoned hospital would be in order....there are so many to choose from. Should keep me busy!

Do any of you guys believe in ghosts? Yes, no, maybe? Enquiring minds wanna know!

Blog Chain Blatherskite

2008-09-28T12:16:00.005-05:00

H.L. Dyer started this blog chain, to follow it start here: http://hldyer.wordpress.com/ .

Elana Johnson posted before me, here's her link:
http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ .

The question this time is:
How do you as an author choose or create your story-world and give that setting authenticity?

Now, when this chain started, I thought, "Cool! this will be easy."
Uh, not so much now. After following all of the wonderful writers that are members of the "chain gang" (listed to the left on my blog), I realize it's true....YOU SHOULD ALWAYS SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE SMARTER AND BETTER THAN YOURSELF.

Boy have I done that, and now the pressure is on. These writers are all further along than I am (good for me, huh?), in both the writing process, and the understanding of how that process works. Okay, I suppose I should quit procrastinating and answer the dang question, so here goes.

I didn't choose Scotland. I simply SAW a location that my character stood in. I saw the surroundings, the green sloping hills, the steep cliffs that led to a sea inlet. Waves capped in white foam crashing against the rocks. The constant wind blowing inland. And of course the castle to her left. I saw how it seemed to balance on the edge of those cliffs, looking rugged and weathered. The one tower rose above the structure, a winding staircase visible through the dilapidated walls. I knew this had been the home of Margaret, although it was merely ruins now. The crescent shaped cove that it over-looked became the name for her home, Crescent Cove.

Then started the research. I looked and looked at castles. All over Europe. I found some of the most beautiful, fairy tale castles in Germany and Austria, but that was not what she had showed me. I searched Ireland, knowing it had been on the coast. I looked at castles in England, and still no luck. Then I moved to Scotland. I found a few that were close, but just not right.This went on for weeks. Then I found it...Girnigoe Castle.

Now, if I had had any doubts, which I really didn't, as to whether this had been the home of Margaret Sinclair, my "fictional" character, those doubts would have been thrown from the high cliffs onto the sharp jagged rocks below as soon as I found the history on the castle.

The castle was built by a Sinclair, and had remained a Sinclair holding, even to this day. Since Margaret was a Sinclair, I knew I had found my location.

In the last three years, I have bought and read any books, fiction or other-wise, that I could on Scotland. I have fallen in love with the land and people there. Their history is a troubled one, but yet they remain a proud people. The Scots even helped form a lot of traditions here in the states, some good, some not so good.

Now, as far as my book, I couldn't make my time period work if I had used Girnigoe Castle, seeing as how it was destroyed BEFORE the 1700's. I know, I know, creative license and all...but when writing historical romance, you can only use that license every so often, and it better not be too far off the truth. Therefore, Crescent Cove was born (but it's really Girnigoe Castle).

I will also admit that I am forever learning Scottish terms (see my post about Scottish curse words), and descriptions of the locale. My goal is to one day visit Scotland, so that I can do research on a whole new level. There is a lighthouse about a mile from Girnigoe that houses a Sinclair genealogy museum...how cool would that be????

I suppose that I have rambled on enough for now. Leah Clifford is next, you can find her blog here:
http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/

Open Apology to the Vodou Priestess

2008-09-16T15:22:00.004-05:00

I want to take a moment to publicly apologize. It was recently brought to my attention that I may have offended some people (specifically Mambo M.B.) and perhaps even a few deities.

I'm sure most of you reading this are wondering if I have lost my mind. Let me back up a bit. I received a comment on an older post about my 2nd published Gede story. I'll just paste the comment, along with my response below.

mambo m.b. has left a new comment on your post "Gerard the Gede, Guardian of the Veil Part 2":

As a Vodou priestess, I'm offended by your marginalization of the Gede. The fact that you would imagine a character based on an actor to have the power of Baron Samedi, and not know anything about what the Gede represent or their power, is something I suppose should be expected from the ignorant masses... but it is still offensive.

Your writing also lacks description, plot, and forethought. There's a distinct reason why writers say: stick with what you know. Might I suggest you read more history and religion so that your writing will at least have depth?

I channel the Gede on a daily basis. They are not at all pleased with this gross misrepresentation at a 6th grade level. Not at all pleased is an understatement.

Even in fantasy, if you are going to reference religion, at least get your facts right and don't misuse terms and concepts from spirits of the dead who have been crossing into this world for 6,000 years.

Posted by mambo m.b. to Terri Rainer Published Author at September 14, 2008 12:16 PM

Here is my response:

TerriRainer has left a new comment on your post "Gerard the Gede, Guardian of the Veil Part 2":

mambo m.b.

I am very sorry if I offended you, it was certainly not my intention to do so. As for the name "Gerard", while reading about the Gede, Saint Gerard was mentioned, so I incorporated the two names of the Saint, and the Gede.

In my defense, these are short stories that I spent very little time on for a fledgling magazine. I have since decided that the Gede would make a wonderful full length novel.

I would much appreciate any information that you would like to provide about the Gede. I would love it if you emailed me.

I will most certainly do more research on the Gede, but you must understand that a bit of creative license is needed. I would also like to write it without being offensive to your religion.

Thanks so much!
:) Terri

Posted by TerriRainer to Terri Rainer Published Author at September 14, 2008 1:26 PM

Now, as you can all see, I have unintentionally pissed off not only a Vodou Priestess, but the Gede as well. I honestly meant no disrespect to anyone or their religion, and would TRULY love to hear from any out there who practice Haitian Vodou, ESPECIALLY if they channel the Gede.

It would be great to get first hand knowledge about them, what they may or may not find offensive and I really don't want any bad juju headed my way if I write a novel about the Gede!

Rest in Peace Uncle Gary

2008-09-14T02:32:00.006-05:00

My Uncle, Gary Reece Rainer, passed away today. He was sixty-one years old. I have walked around in a daze most of the day. The way that you do when a loved one is taken away from you.

You have all of these random thoughts...

*a NASCAR commercial comes on during the OU game and I think of him (he scheduled visits around NASCAR races)

*Hurricane Ike coverage comes on and I think of him (2 of my 3 trips to the ocean were with him)

*a commercial for the Rodeo comes on and I think of him (I missed the trip to the rodeo with him because I had the chicken pox, and have never been to one)

My husband tells amusing stories to our youngest daughters today about sending them to the Algerian Alps to have dwarves teach them to snow ski with Himalayan Monkeys, but I know it was to try and make me laugh (thank you honey, I love you).

I loved my Uncle Gary. He was funny, honest, put his family first, stubborn, and a smart-ass. Pretty much everything that I have become as an adult (okay, I've always been a smart-ass, and I think I'm funny, but often no one else does).

I often wished that he had been my father, or that my father was more like him. My father was the oldest of 7. Uncle Gary was the second, and quite the rebel. He joined the Navy right after high school. He left the Navy as a Sr. Chief, which is what my husband, also a Navy man, always referred to my Uncle as..."Sr. Chief".

I wished I had spent more time with him, also a regret that I'm sure most people have when a loved one dies. My heart goes out to my cousins, Lori and Danny, and my Aunt Kim. As much as I hurt, I know their pain must be almost unbearable.

Rest in peace, Sr. Chief, I'll miss you.

My First Blog Chain Post!

2008-09-10T12:30:00.007-05:00

I was lucky enough to be invited to become a member of a blog chain. This blog chain is made up of WRITERS!

These wonderful, like-minded individuals (yeah, I know I'm sucking up here...my regular blogger friends just keep a lid on it) are members of QueryTracker and also RallyStorm. They have several forums set up, (a romance writers critique group, blog chain group, and a general romance writers forum) that are by invitation only.

How cool is that????

If you are anything like me, you have no idea how a blog chain works. From what I understand so far, I will link to the last person in the chain who posted, http://www.colegibsen.blogspot.com/ Senshi....and then to the next person to post http://brimfire.livejournal.com/ Brimfire.

http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ GypsyGurl started this chain.

Kiddoc, http://hldyer.wordpress.com/ will pick the next topic and be posting soon, so go check her out!

Speaking of topics, this one is, "How real are your characters?". So here we go:

I have heard many writers can see/hear, sometimes even smell their characters (never smelled mine). When I started writing TCH, it wasn't to become published, or to write a book, it just evolved into the historical romance that it is now.

Originally, it was just to tell a story. A story that Margaret, my main character, was telling and showing me. Sounds a bit schizophrenic, huh? All of my characters speak to me, some more than others, of course.

One of my favorite characters was a complete surprise to me when he showed up. I was writing a scene towards the end of TCH, and Margaret sat in the garden, on a bench, alone. It was early morning, and I could see the swirl of fog covering the ground. Footsteps could be heard coming down the path, and a figure emerged from the wall of mist.

I typed as he made his way toward Margaret, describing the boots, the long overcoat, that swirled about him. Upward to the long dark blonde hair, chiseled jaw, intense stare...I was expecting Patrick, but instead it was one Duncan McCue (picture Fabio, add a Scottish accent, and NEVER EVER think of the word BUTTER....that's pretty darn close!) .

He will be my MC in the third book, and I so can't wait! I wanted him to be a pirate, but he had other ideas. He was a bit too honorable for that, but not quite so honorable that he wouldn't smuggle Scottish Whiskey to France, so the Brits couldn't tax it. So we both ended up happy over his chosen vocation.

Um, I guess, as you can see, my characters are very real to me. That is also a problem when you write. YOU know so much about them, that often while writing, you neglect to point things out that the reader may not know.

That's where crit groups come in! If they don't know your characters, or your story, it's easy for them to question the why, when, where, or how that you already know, but perhaps didn't convey well.

Okay, now I can't wait for my next topic! Be sure to check out the blog chain members, they are all great!

Unexcused Absence

2008-09-09T13:40:00.005-05:00

I received an email today from one of my favorite blogger friends. She hadn't seen me around in a while, both here and on other's blogs that I normally post daily on. I think she thought I had fallen off the face of the earth!

The truth is, I've been so very busy! I joined two new writer's crit groups, which I LOVE! I have also joined a blog chain of writers (more on that later).

I started back on revisions for TCH (yes, AGAIN). I also started a ....drum roll please....DIET!

In 38 plus years, I have never been on a diet! It's not that I haven't needed to, I just never really cared. I earned every hail damage mark on my thighs I tell ya! And so what if I won't wear a bathing suit...EVER. But then my husband, Mr. I've had two heart attacks, decided to lose the extra weight. I know from experience that it's really hard to stick to ANYTHING without support. And....since he always supports me when I write, instead of cleaning or doing laundry (as long as I don't make a habit of it, mind you), then I decided to support him.

Now, you might think this is an easy thing to do. Let me tell you....IT'S SO NOT! I had to give up my Pepsi (which I drank a 2 liter a day), and NO CHOCOLATE! That's right, I love my husband enough to give up the two things that keep me up all hours of the night doing what I love....writing!

So, now I am cranky, tired as hell, but I have only cheated the first night (ate a cold piece of pizza at midnight, cause I was STARVING). Today marks one full week. I get a slice of cheese and a slice of lunch meat (yummy Cajun turkey) at lunch and at dinner. THAT'S IT! Well, I can have pickles and mustard with it, and certain veggies. But NO CARBS....

I hope he knows how much I am sacrificing for him...Mounds, with it's creamy coconut, Reese's with the mixture of peanut butter and chocolate mmmm, chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate covered cherries....OMG this SUCKS!

Okay, on top of food deprivation, and a VERY active writing life, we also have the start of not only high school and jr. high school football (which both oldest daughters have to attend, one being on the pom squad, the other a football manager), but we have SOONER FOOTBALL!

For those of you who don't follow NCAA football, OU (the University of Oklahoma) is going to have a banner year. My husband predicts (and I do concur), that we will play for the National Title this year. Yes, people, OU is just THAT good!

On that note, I will end this, as I have work to catch up on, and a Diet Pepsi Max (ick) calling my name.

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

2008-08-29T10:30:00.002-05:00

The biggest lesson that I have learned from Authoress's latest contest is this:

DON'T OVER-EDIT!
That was a big one. I had what I considered a really good scene, but when you submit 250 words, it only shows an itty bitty part of that scene. So what did I do? Try and squeeze as much as I could into 250 words, editing down until I completely messed up the flow of the story. STUPID! Note to self...don't do that again!

Since I have now stopped banging my head on the desk, I will also add that I learned more from the contest, as I usually do. You can really tell the difference between people who crit your work by what they read and/or write.

The comments from those unfamiliar with Historical Romance really made some false assumptions based on a "preconceived notion" that characters and plots were all the same. They aren't...just like with any other genre, they vary according to the writer. I had one comment that stated:
"Why is it that half of the historical fiction out there focuses on a girl behaving unseemly? The men are wealthy, rakish, and handsome and all the girls just dying to kick their knickers off."

Now, while I appreciate the time this writer spent to read and give me feedback, it's hard for me to understand how he/she could make that assumption. If a girl crawling around a garden, at her OWN home, trying to repair damage that she inadvertently caused by a practical joke gone awry, means that she is "dying to kick off her knickers", I missed something. Of course the men are handsome and rakish...it's a romance novel! Wealthy? Not my guy...another wrong assumption. They shouldn't be PERFECT!

I don't want to appear ungrateful, because I love feedback, even when I don't agree with it. It makes me look at the writing to see how that assumption could be made if it's inaccurate. On the same token, I'm not going to sweat it if a few people don't "get it" or flat out don't like the work. ***Not everyone will think I am the creative genius that I claim to be!

So back to revisions again! Another benefit from these contests...MOTIVATION!

***If you didn't receive the email, newspaper clipping, or see the billboard by the highway...SORRY! I will tell you now...I am freaking brilliant! (j/k)

:) Terri

New Hook The Agent Contest!

2008-08-26T14:27:00.004-05:00

Over at Authoress's blog http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/, she has another agent that has volunteered to judge her "Hook the Agent" contest. I LOVE these contests, not because I think I'll win, but because of all the GREAT feedback you get.

The last contest was quite an eye-opener. Who knew cliches were so BAD? Uh, I guess every writer EXCEPT me! That is pretty darn good info to have, if you are pursuing writing as seriously as I am, heck, even if you write for fun I suppose that's good to know.

This time around, I used the first page (revised, edited and edited again, of course) of chapter one, instead of the prologue. Now any of my regular "blogger friends" will know immediately which post is mine (hint: I was REALLY anxious and sent that puppy in FAST...they are numbered in the order she received them), as it will have the title (which I have mentioned more times than I can count on my blog) and also that it is a Historical Romance.

The submissions will be posted tomorrow (Wednesday), and if you guys want to stop by, there are some really great writers that submit (only 25 this time), and they all LOVE these things as much as I do!

:) Terri

An Award!

2008-08-24T23:53:00.004-05:00

Skeeter (http://atomiczebra7.blogspot.com/) gave me an award!

Cool, huh?

Here are the rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog

2. Link the person you received your award from

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs you’ve nominated.

So, my seven nominees are (in no particular order):

1. Monkey Toe Momma - http://mommahasmonkeytoes.blogspot.com/ Corrine cracks me up. She and her family are GORGEOUS! She always has some minor drama (i.e. chocolate milk keyboards, cell phones in water).

2. Mrs.4444 - http://www.halfpastkissintime.com/ If you haven't ever been to Mrs. 4444's blog, you don't know what you're missing! She is Wisconsin's answer to Martha Stewart with a personality (and her Mom is such a gem).

3.Literal Dan - http://literaldan.blogspot.com/ One-Eyed Dan is a heck of an intellectual stay-at-home Dad. It's so great to see a MAN have to suffer through toddlers!

4. Authoress - http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/ This is one of my favorite sites. Authoress is a writer who has created such a positive community for other writers. I won't be offended if she doesn't post this award, but I felt she deserved it regardless.

5. Wifey - http://wifeyshouse.blogspot.com/ Can I have your autograph? Smart, funny and really hot for a mom (I mean that in a totally non-lesbian way).

6. Christy - http://www.heavyonthecaffeine.com/ What can I say? Christy is a super-blogger! She has a gift, and I can't wait to see her get busy on a manuscript.

7. Scott Eagan - http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/ Once again, I don't expect this award to ever see the pages of his blog. That being said, Scott Eagan takes his time (like so many other's in the publishing arena) to give writers advice. Thanks for all the great info!

10 Random Things Meme

2008-08-22T14:29:00.005-05:00

Okay, I may complain, but at least when I get tagged with a meme, it makes me feel obligated to actually post. I look at it as an exercise in writing.

I was tagged by Monkey Toe Momma http://mommahasmonkeytoes.blogspot.com/ .

The Rules Are:

"Tell us/me/the world 10 interesting/random/quirky/normal/silly things about yourself … things you’re looking forward to, things about you personally, whatever you want."

1. I am completely ADD...I'll throw random thoughts at you faster than you can catch them.

2. I hyper-focus when I read a good book, and will rarely put it down until I finish it (not good on the eyes).

3. My calendar looks like a scratch pad. I have something written on almost EVERY day, and it's ALL kids/school crap (Even the weekend).

4. I am an obsessive blog READER, not so much in the way of posting, but I do comment on other's blogs daily...do I get points for that?

5. This is the first time in 14 years that I have not had ANY kids home the entire day (I know I posted this before, but I'm just so danged excited about it)!

6. Talk with a Scottish burr, and I am putty...putty I say (my husband refuses to even try, although I did win a bet and make him wear a kilt for a week...wooohooo 6'5" of leggy man)!

7. My mom is my best friend. I do have other friends, but my mom wins for longevity, she's put up with me longer than my other friends.

8. I never want to be rich and famous. I just want to be a published author and have people actually read my work, and enjoy it (okay,I'll admit that I want to be asked to autograph my book too).

9. I never went to college, well, I never graduated, there was that ONE semester. I think that's why I am so adamant that my own children go. It is a priority...BIG one.

10. I am very laid back. Not much bothers me. I am usually not prone to emotional outbursts and rarely cry (unless it's a sad movie, then bring Kleenex!).

Okay, I'm supposed to tag other people, but I figure if you wanna do the meme, than by all means do it, if not that's okay too.

:) Terri

Aaaaarrrrggghhhh.....

2008-08-20T00:17:00.006-05:00

Okay, so I just wanted to sound like a pirate for a moment. I actually read a book about pirates that stated they NEVER said "argh" (for research purposes...book three was to be about a pirate, but I made him a whiskey smuggler instead). Another Hollywood misconception (kinda like the fact that William Wallace wore a kilt...NOT).

Speaking of misconceptions, how many people out there tend to judge others without even realizing it? Maybe you base it on the clothes someone wears, the car they drive, the job they do, the color of their skin, their religious beliefs, sexual preference?

I know that I have been guilty of judging others, although I try to be open-minded, I try to be a kind person, I try to understand my fellow man...that is until I get behind the wheel of my car!

Good God...I turn into a raving lunatic when I drive. I say mean, horrible, nasty things to perfectly innocent strangers (at least I keep my windows up and never use hand gestures).

How many of you out there have said, while driving, "Am I the ONLY person who actually knows how to drive on the road today?"...How about the fact that it never fails, you get behind the slowest driver in a three state area (yes, I'm counting Texas, so for you Yankees, make that about fifteen states)?

Oh crap...I just called some of my fellow Americans Yankees...If you live in the south, it would be insulting to be referred to as a Yankee, hope you guys are all okay with that, I truly use it as a geographical descriptive term, not some non-pc geographical slur (and if you happen to be a literary agent from New York, I REALLY LOVE YANKEES...not the team of course, the people).

Aaaargh matey, I think I'll just go back to talking like a fictional pirate.

BTW, this is NOT the book I read for research, although I will admit to reading this particular, uh, work of fiction. I couldn't help it, I'm weak, what can I say (I highly recommend it, but only as a coffee table book...not so much for the content as much as the cover)!

:) Terri

On a side note, I finished a 5000 word short story and sent it in for a contest. I won't be posting it here though...it's a bit too NC-17 for my blog since my Mom pops in and reads it every once in a while!

I am a HORRIBLE Blogger!

2008-08-18T14:17:00.003-05:00

I know that I have been sorely lacking in any decent blogger posts, but I honestly had very little to say.....uh, let me rephrase that. I had very little that I felt "blog-worthy" to say.

I finally decided that I would just ramble on a bit, as I tend to in "real life".

I started writing another book. It's not the second book in my series. It's actually a satire (think Dave Berry or Erma Bombeck). I have it outlined and well into 3 chapters.

I also have a few short stories that I am working on for various contests/publications.

My second Gede story was published and came out this month, although that didn't hold near the excitement for me as the first one did.

School has started and I have most of the day to myself. IT IS FABULOUS!

I still have a TON of revisions to do on The Crichton Heir.

I still have in no way, shape or form perfected a query letter, much less a synopsis.

I research agents and read their blogs gleaming any tid bit of info that I can.

***Every once in a while, I post something that is understandable.

:) Terri

***The last post was a Lazy Bloggers Post Creator...I really didn't write it. I had a friend comment that she didn't understand anything I had written. I suppose I didn't make it clear enough that I was merely playing around!

School started today...I'm FREE!!!

2008-08-14T13:39:00.003-05:00

Even though it is my first free day, I used http://www.aussiebloggers.com.au/blogpost.html to create this post...it's cool...you should all go check it out!

Holy Snapping Duck Do! I just got slapped with a wet salmon - really - I have not updated this since people stopped clapping and Tinkerbell died... You would not believe the fairy dust I have to clean up. Truly!

I am lost in a sea of pseudo-olde-english with an awfully big adventure, driving from one end of the city to the other, just generally being of great concern to society in general, my day is a nightmare I would like to wake up from the second I am woken by murderous Teletubbies to I am begging my kid to go to sleep or so help me God that kid will be decorating my wall, 'Duct tape still life'. I am putting money aside so I can run away. I wish you could be here to share it.

I swear on the bones of my ancestors I will update you with my nefarious activities as soon as I get a chance. Seriously! Don't hold your breath though, you're likely to turn blue..

Diana Gabaldon and Time Displacement

2008-07-27T11:01:00.004-05:00

Look what I did yesterday! Not only did I get to meet my all-time favorite author, Diana Gabaldon, but I attended classes all day that she was either on the panel or taught! How great does she look? Ms. Gabaldon is almost 20 years my senior, but she looks better than I do! See what writing GREAT novels can do?

She is not only a gracious person, but humble and down to earth. The first class was an interview with her. At the end, questions were taken...that's when the weirdness began! This guy asked:

"Do you believe in time displacement?"***

Okay, if you know anything about this author, she is also a scientist. She replied to him about having written a paper for a scientific journal about it.

OMG! This guy raised his voiced and said:

"They've proven it! IT'S A FACT. Time displacement is real!!!!"***
He then went into a detailed description of the experiment and "proof".

Ms Gabaldon smiled and politely nodded, much like you would to a child telling about an imaginary friend, or the crazy person you see walking through a parking lot talking loudly to themselves. I'm not sure how she kept from rolling her eyes (I had my hand firmly locked over my mouth to prevent the snort from breaking free). This just goes to prove that this woman is a class act, and I feel privileged to have met her.

The time between classes, Lisa and I sat in the lobby and people watched. WOW...it was interesting. A Sci-Fi conference certainly brings out the characters. All in all, it was a good time, and I am glad that I went!

*** The quote may not be EXACT, but close enough for you to get the picture.

:) Terri

Conestoga Convention and Sex

2008-07-25T15:09:00.003-05:00

This time tomorrow, I will be in Tulsa, listening to Diana Gabldon lecture about writing sex scenes! Now this could come in handy, since I am seriously considering throwing my hat into the Erotica arena.

Hmmm, that sounded bad, didn't it? Let me clarify. There is a short story contest that I am entering. The publisher of the magazine I write for wants me to submit something. I have my Gede story, that I could write an ending for, but I also have a short story I wrote during my writing class. It was more of a "let's dare the old married lady to write about sex"...HELLOOOOOOOO, I have 5 kids...do ya think I'm clueless?

Needless to say, it made most who read it blush. Then there is the problem of the author's name to use...I am so not going to take credit for THAT! I mean, I would, but only a select few would know it was really ME that wrote it.

Okay, let's get back to Conestoga. It is going to be my first writer's convention. It is geared towards Sci-fi/Fantasy/Paranormal. My Gede stories certainly qualify me to attend without feeling like too much of an idiot. Although my first complete MS is Historical Romance (big difference), my only published work is fantasy/paranormal.

When I get back, I will have to post some pics and tell everybody how it went. I am getting psyched!

:) Terri

Cool Shirts and ADD...Random? I THINK NOT.

2008-07-24T18:43:00.023-05:00

Okay, how many out there are totally ADD? I start one thing, and end up doing something completely random. I do have the ability to hyper-focus, which I sometimes do when I SHOULDN'T!

Case in point: While doing my daily blogging (on everybody else's blogs), I happened to click on the wrong link from my favorites list. It took me to cafepress.com. Okay, if you've never been there, don't go unless you are a stronger person than I.

I consequently spent a few hours perusing shirts/mugs/caps, etc.

Some of them are now on my "must have" list. How great is that notebook?????

And check out the mouse pad...when you send out queries, I swear you check your bulk/spam box twenty times a day!

Now, as you can see, I wasn't just looking, noooooo, I was preplanning this blog. I was on a mission to share all these great finds with you, my blogger friends...(cough cough).

I know this sounds like it borders on child labor/abuse, but I would SO make my kids wear this shirt! I might even give 'em the quarter for wearing it!

Okay, so I wasn't quite expecting the snicker when I showed my husband this shirt! He could have just played along and agreed! But he did laugh at the next one I showed him...I guess THOSE benefits were more to his liking!

So there you have it. My research for the day, to bring you all this great stuff.

I am such a sharing person , aren't I?

:) Terri

I Won an Award

2008-07-22T15:15:00.005-05:00

Okay, I first want to thank everybody that left me feedback over at Authoress's blog for the contest. Boy was that an eye-opener, but in a definitely great way! I learned that cliches are BAD (among other things)! I know that most people who write KNOW that, and yet I didn't...GO FIGURE!

I didn't win the contest, but I can say that I was VERY impressed with Anne Spollen (#21). SHE WAS GREAT! She did win, and I think it was well deserved. She is also a mom, wife AND writer. http://annespollen.blogspot.com/ Congrats Anne! You are so talented, and YES, I did predict you would win.

Now on to my award. Christy over at http://www.heavyonthecaffeine.com/ gave me an award!

Now, anyone that visits Christy's blog will notice a SLIGHT difference in size of this award...OKAY! I admit it, I made the darn thing HUGE (feel free to save this one instead Christy)!

Here is the quote from Christy's site:
Terri at Terri Rainer Published Author; she inspires me to follow my dreams because she's living it--even though she's a wife and a mom.

Awwww, isn't that sweet? It makes me feel the need to step up a bit to live up to that one...gee, thanks Christy!

I suppose I should bestow this award also, but there is a bit of selfishness in me, so I am going to think on it for a bit before I do that!

:) Terri

I am in a contest!!!!

2008-07-17T10:37:00.003-05:00

Okay, I sent my first page of The Crichton Heir in to Authoress's blog http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/ for a contest. It is being judged by "SECRET AGENT". Comments will be posted on each submission (There were 113 submissions). I am # 78, although the submissions are anonymous. The name of the contest is "ARE YOU HOOKED". When leaving comments, you start out with a YES or a NO (answering whether you are hooked, cute, huh?).

I will be like LiteralDan who unabashedly begged for votes for his blog when he was up for "Best Daddy Blog", which he won BTW (I only voted EVERY day throughout the WHOLE contest...ahem One-Eyed Dan, I'll trade in my tote bag for a REALLY nice comment on #78).

But seriously folks, this is another great learning tool. Please be honest when posting ANY comments. The judging won't be based on comments, the "SECRET AGENT" picks the winner based on his/her own criteria, I'm sure, so feel free to give me any and all constructive criticism!

:) Terri

Nina Bangs Does it Again!

2008-07-16T00:36:00.003-05:00

Okay, I'll admit that I am a sucker for Nina Bangs...not only can the woman write one heck of a hot, steamy sex scene, but the men in her books are straight outta fantasy land (in a REALLY good way).

Her latest book, Eternal Pleasure, is book 1 in the "Gods of the Night" series.

It mixes the "end of the world" prophecies with a group of eleven men that are the ancient souls of ultimate predators. They will fight a war with the ultimate evil to save mankind, and along the way, you can count on Ms. Bangs to liven it up with a strong unsuspecting female, Kelly Maloy, who falls for uber male Ty Endeka, one of The Eleven.

With each new book that Nina Bangs writes, she just gets better and better. IMHO this is her best book to date, and I can not wait for the next one!

You can visit her site at http://www.ninabangs.com .

:) Terri

Just for fun!

2008-07-10T15:27:00.002-05:00

Here's a meme within a meme from Atomic Zebra's blog.

Instructions:
1. Open your music library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod, whatever) [I made an empty playlist in Windows Media Player, then drug the entire "My Music" folder into it.}
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question below, type the song that’s playing
5. New question — press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool

* Opening credits: Last of the Mohicans Theme song...OMG I LOVE that music!!!!! I recently added it to my library for writing. It sounds so Celtic, and evokes such strong emotion.

* Waking up: Somewhere in Time Theme song...That is the absolute BEST romantic movie! If you haven't seen it, you MUST! I cry every time I see it...a lot! It is the one time that I can tell you that a movie was better than the book.

* First day at school:Louie Louie by The Kingsmen! How appropriate for the first day of school! I burned a CD for my oldest daughter's 6th grade graduation (moving on to Jr High...had to have a PARTY) celebration to play during their "beach party/cook-out" at school....you should have seen the teachers (some younger than I am) dancing and acting silly when I played this song!

* Falling in love: Love Song by Sara Bareilles...NOW that's funny! This is also one of my daughter's songs...a bit too pop/teeny bopper for me, but the title made me laugh when it started on this category!

* Breaking up: Look Me in the Eyes by the Jonas Brothers...I SWEAR I DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! How horribly embarrassing, this started out so well, and has now taken a turn to the absurd! (okay, as I listen, it's really not THAT bad)

* Prom: Broken by Chris Daughtry (on American Idol)... I was certainly BROKE after my proms, I had to have this ridiculously expensive full sequins dress my senior year.

* Life’s okay: The Pretender by Foo Fighters...pretending life's okay your first thought? NOT me...my first thought was, hmmm Bonnie Prince Charlie, he was called The Pretender (to the throne)...Scottish history...always right there on the surface begging to come out!

* Mental breakdown: Don't Talk to Strangers by Rick Springfield...Okay, I'll admit to this one, when I was about 13, HE WAS HOT (okay, so I'm sure I used the word CUTE back then)! Here's a bit of Rick Springfield trivia...He was in the first 15 minutes of the MOVIE Battlestar Galactica. He played Zack, Commander Adama's son, and Apollo's brother, then Cylons killed him...shot his rocket ship thingy! It was SAD for me back then!

* Driving: *sigh* Caruso by Josh Groban, he sings it in Italian...OMG, I LOVE him!!! His voice is like BUTTAH! I write while listening to Josh Groban often.

* Flashback: Just a Girl by No Doubt...hmmm a flashback called "I'm Just a Girl"...I supposed it could work, I'm certainly past the stage of anyone calling me a "little girl".

* Getting back together: Wake Me Up by Evanescence...GOOOOD song!

* Wedding: HAHAHAHA Nobody's Fool by Cinderella! I'm not even gonna go there with this one, other than to say that when you have a good man, you hang on to him!

* Birth of child: The Dance by Garth Brooks...If you listen to the words, it makes me sad thinking some day my kids will leave me (okay, so I actually PRAY for that day, but I'm sure it'll be bittersweet).

* Final battle: Oh Come All Ye Faithful by Josh Groban...I was hoping for something a bit more PUNCHY for my final battle scene...seems a tad wussy!

* Death scene: Back for More by RATT...Back for more death? WTF?!?! Why couldn't I gotten this one for my final battle? UGH! Good song though!

* End credits: I'm Going Home by Daughtry...I guess for ending credits, American Idol certainly had something with this song, huh?

This was time consuming, but really fun. Thanks Skeeter for the idea!

:) Terri

Did I Mention I Write an Advice Column?

2008-07-07T01:48:00.006-05:00

I don't think that I have ever divulged the fact that I got hired to write an advice column. It's not something that just slipped my mind, I guess I just didn't think it was "blog worthy" at the time.

Now you may ask yourself why I suddenly decided to announce the fact that I am the next best thing to Dear Abby. Okay, so I'm not Dear Abby, I am actually just a horribly opinionated person who has done a TON of living in my short years (NO AGE JOKES PLEASE!).

The reason to divulge my secret life as an advice columnist, is two-fold. I thought I would post the questions that I answered for the next issue of the magazine (yes, the one that buys my short stories also pays me to do this), along with the answers I gave. It is an over 35 and married column. I also wanted to solicit questions for the new column that I suggested (not real bright on my part), a Blended Family advice column (guess who gets to do that one also?).

If anyone would like to submit new questions, I can post answers here on my blog (keep in mind these are ONLY my opinion, and meant ONLY for entertainment purposes), and some could be used in the magazine in the future. You can email questions to TerriRainer at aol dot com, or just ask away in the comments if you are a brave soul!

This question comes from a woman over 35 but under 50. She has been married for a long time to same man; a man she met at age 17. He has always had weird sexual fantasies but has kept them to the bedroom. Now he wants her to dress in a short skirt, low cut top and no undies OUTSIDE the bedroom. This really bothers her but she does not know how to tell him, as she is afraid she will make him angry or mad. He works out of state and is home infrequently so she has put him off, but he is to be home the whole month of September and she knows he is going to want this, so how does she tell him she’s not comfortable with his desires?

My immediate thought was, just say no! I do realize that men, however, have to be handled with a bit of care, due to their fragile egos. I have found that often when we women try and have a “discussion” about our feelings, either what we say doesn’t come out right, or perhaps men misconstrue what we are really trying to say, but either way, often what we think is going to be a productive sharing between two adults, melts down into a useless argument.

That being said, it’s often wise to write down your feelings. Perhaps share what you have put on paper with a trusted friend, to make sure that what is said is stated in a manner that is both clear and concise. You should also do a bit of ego stroking, and blame the discomfort in doing what he requested entirely on you….not him.

Give your house a good cleaning, fix a wonderful dinner (preferably his favorite), and fix yourself up (hair and make-up…skip the panty-less attire for this discussion). Share the letter with him, and DON’T be apologetic! There are three things that will satisfy MOST men, a clean house, food in their belly, and sex when they want it. It doesn’t mean that we have to degrade ourselves, or do things we aren’t comfortable with to please them.

If you don’t give him the choice, stick to your guns, and offer “bedroom only” suggestions, he should respect your need to keep the bedroom, in the bedroom.

Good luck!
Terri Rainer

This one comes from a twenty-eight year old woman. She says she always seems to pick the worst men. The last one she picked abused her mentally and emotionally and her children saw things they should not have. He never hit the children or her. She wants to know why she likes the bad boys.

The age-old question…what makes those bad boys so darn appealing in the beginning? Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw and that nice guy turns into the spawn of Satan, sometimes we have indicators right from the start that this guy is bad news, and we just don’t listen or want to see. Whatever the case, as a single mom, your first and only priority should be your kids.

Now, I’m not saying you should live like a nun. If you don’t take time for yourself, then you would just about go nuts. What I am saying is, don’t let the kids around ANY man, until you get to know him better.

Often poor self esteem or other personal issues affect who we gravitate towards. Maybe you should start by taking a break from any and all dating. Give yourself a time period, maybe six months, maybe a year. STICK to it! If you meet a really great guy, if it was meant to be, he’ll still be around when it’s time to test the dating waters.

Another piece of advice is to listen to your friends and family. I would bet that the last guy you were with did not have many fans. Often we are too involved in that instant chemistry and falling in lust to see the big picture. Make a list of the realistic things (that applies to their personality…NOT appearance) you want in a man. If you meet someone, and he falls short of that list, cut your losses and run the other way. You should DEMAND a certain standard for yourself, and for your kids.

Good Luck!
Terri Rainer

Gerard the Gede, Guardian of the Veil Part 2

2008-07-03T16:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, here's the second Gede story. It is due by the end of July to the publisher, so I thought I would post it here first!

Finding release with Georgia, the last earthbound spirit to summon him, Gerard was left still longing; longing for something more than a simple joining with another spirit. He was lonely. The realization caused a jolt to his system. He knew that The Baron, ruler of the Gede, had foretold of his joining with the one soul-mate that would complete him. He also knew it could be centuries before that happened. Time was unpredictable for an immortal who resided in the veil.

“I suppose I should be satisfied, I could think of worse things than to be a God of death and the libido.” Gerard murmured to himself, as he once again tuned into the multitude of voices that always seemed to emanate from the veil, the world between the living and the dead.

It was often hard for him to differentiate between those souls truly wanting release. There were those who still thought themselves alive and others happy to retain any part of the living. Then there was the ever present threat of the Death Walkers. Death Walkers go by many names. The one he chose to use seemed the most appropriate.

Death Walkers also, like Gede, walk a fine line between the veil and the living. The big difference is their role. Gerard was not just any Gede; he was the guardian of the veil. His powers were great on their own, but when he had a willing participant to lend their own libido to his, he was the most powerful Gede, aside from the Baron.

Death Walkers are the destroyers. They walk among the living, although they belong in the veil. Any soul that they claim, remains in the veil until one such as Gerard, could bring them release. Gerard thought Death Walkers an abomination. They were once mere mortals who now claimed God-like powers; the power of life and death over the innocent.

Gerard closed his icy blue eyes. His black lashes fanned out contrasting with his pale iridescent skin. Tilting his chin up, his raven hair fell in shiny waves past his shoulders. He took several deep breaths, trying to focus in on any one of the tormented souls crying for release.

***

Amelia had known from the start that she was dead. She still had the stark memories of her murder, for that’s what it had been, to keep her company in this purgatory. She also had her murderer to keep her company. Lissette looked nothing like the monster that Amelia knew her to be. The woman, if that was truly what she was, was tiny in stature. Her long blonde hair fell to her waist in a cascade of golden waves. The features that made up her heart shaped face were almost child-like in their perfection and innocence. Her eyes were the only thing that showed her true nature. Such a dark mahogany, that they often appeared black. Black soulless eyes, Amelia had often thought.

“I expect you to follow my instructions Amelia. What I offer you is the chance to be free of this hell, as you call it, and to be free of me. The Elders have given me a task, one I will not fail. It’s quite simple, really. Wail to your heart’s desire, just as I know you do on the inside. I can feel it when I am near. Your pain does not lessen with time, my dear. If you wail long and loud enough, he who is of the Gede will come to you. They are predictable and pathetic creatures.”

Amelia was unsure how much time had passed since Lissette had issued those orders to her. As of yet, she had not uttered a single cry. She had no intention of helping Lissette. That is until she reappeared. Now she knew that she would do anything she was told, to protect the innocence that was threatened.

Amelia gazed down into the crib of the newborn child. She had chosen to remain in the house she had once shared with her husband and own small child; a child that she had saved from Lissette, by offering herself willingly. Now Lissette had given her no choice, once again. The child that lay sleeping was not her own, though she often sang to him, and watched over him as she was never allowed to do with her baby. She would not stand by and watch Lissette drain every drop of blood from the child, just to prove her point. If it was wailing she wanted, then it was wailing that Amelia would give her. She raised her face to the heavens and started to scream. A scream that she felt could go on and on, a scream that contained all of the anger, sadness, helplessness and angst that she had building in her since her death.

***

As Gerard focused on the voices, he was overcome by the unexpected intensity of one that penetrated all others. He followed the voice through the veil, until he stood before a young woman. He watched her without showing himself. Her auburn hair caught up in a chignon. Tears streamed down her splotchy red face. He knew at first glance that she was one of the damned; a victim of a Death Walker.

Her screams forced him to show himself. It was too hard to maintain his shield while her emotions swirled about the room. Gerard was startled, not something that happened often. The woman stopped screaming and spoke.

“You are Gede I presume? Lissette should be pleased.”

Gerard felt, more than heard the sarcasm in her voice. His eyebrows creased together as he stared intently at the woman, wondering how she could possibly know what he was. In all his days, he had never met a soul, damned or not, that knew what a Gede was, much less that he was said Gede.

“Lissette would be the Death Walker who condemned you to the veil?” Gerard had never before felt the need to do anything more than comfort before he sent a spirit on their journey from the veil. This was new territory. His skin tingled with warning. Searching the room, he saw no one else, but he was aware of a presence in the room; a presence that was so overwhelmingly female that it momentarily distracted him from seeking answers from the woman before him.

“Lissette would be the monster who murdered me. Call her whatever you like. Are you a killer like her?”

Gerard was taken by surprise; otherwise he might have been insulted.

“Nay, I don’t take life; I give it…in a way. Do you know where you are?”

“In hell.” Amelia answered without pause.

Gerard chuckled. “I suppose it could be considered hell, a purgatory that this Lissette has banished your soul to. You are in the veil. I can release your soul to cross to the other side.”

He watched her carefully. Never before had a Death Walker divulged the secret of the Gede to one who was damned, at least not that he had ever come in contact with. There had to be a reason, and he wanted to know what that reason was.

As Gerard watched the shock on the woman’s face when she realized he could truly end her suffering, he saw the hunger start. Her eyes glazed over, and she stepped toward him. He needed answers, but this woman’s pain caused such an intense hunger in her, that it overtook him. The need to know about the Death Walker, Lissette, and the need for the woman before him battled for his attention. Being the God of libido, her need won.

He stepped forward, enfolding her in his arms. Her life force was strong. The damned always were. It was hard to control his need. Crossing over one such as her always left him energized. His mind went blank the moment his spirit joined with hers. As one they writhed in the eternal dance of release. Amelia threw her head back to scream, only this time it was not agony that escaped her lips, but the purest sound of joy; then she was gone.

Gerard felt intensely male, testosterone raged through him. His breath started to become more regular, and he was about to disappear back into the folds of the veil but he stopped himself when he caught the movement from the corner of the room. He turned and locked eyes with another woman. This one, however, was not like the last. She was there by choice, she was there to watch. He felt this as soon as he saw the startled expression on her face, a face that took his breath away in its beauty and innocence. Then she was gone. Try as he might, he couldn’t sense her, or where she had gone.

Gerard made a promise to himself that he would find this woman again, he knew deep down in his soul that he was somehow connected to this woman, and he would find out why, no matter the time, no matter the cost.

Terri Rainer copyright 2008

Congratulations Lisa!

2008-06-30T16:56:00.000-05:00

My writing partner, Lisa Venter, has just gotten a contract to have her short story published. I think it is absolutely phenomenal, so I got her permission to post it here. Feel free to leave comments, I will make sure she sees them.

Going Home

Her lover had been coming more often of late. Sometimes it would be just a brief touch like the wind on her face, but she knew he was there. It was that same tension she had felt with her back turned; just as he would enter a room she would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was him. He was in the room; she could feel his hands on her before he came close enough to touch her. That honing ability had always fascinated her. Why did her body come alive for only one man, why the thrill, the quickening of her breath, the flush of heat, the fluid release. It had always been that way with Warren when he was alive, and it was just the same after all these long years since his death.

The rocking chair swayed rhythmically beneath her. She felt the incessant movement of it so familiar like the rocking of a lover in the throws of passion. She was not an old woman, she only felt like one. She sat in the rocking chair on the wide porch that wrapped around the entire length of the large antebellum home. Their home-it had been in Warren’s family for four generations, but they were all gone now. The children were buried up on the hill under the arms of a great oak tree whose branches spread out like the loving arms of a mother, the roots reaching down deep to take a part of them up to the sky again. The tree stood alone, a giant sentinel on the hill to represent the one great thing she had accomplished in life, a living monument to all those who were gone. Her husband’s parents were there too, but he was not. His body still lay in some unknown location, where it fell on May 5, 1863 in one of the largest and most devastating battles that the South had ever seen. She had not needed the letter that arrived to tell her that Corporal Warren C. Parks of the 2nd Virginia 3rd brigade had fallen doing his duty to God and country. She had known the moment he fell and the life had left his body. Just as she had known he was alive through the long years of battle with the Yankees, she had known the instant that death claimed him.

She looked down at the journal in her lap, her lifeline to sanity. It was the only thing that consoled her all these years after Warren’s death, and then the children. She had taken care of Warren’s parents too until now they were both gone. She had no one left on this earth to keep her here now, no one to nurse or care for, no one to be strong for. Orphaned from a very early age, she had become one with Warren and like the passage in Ruth; his people had become her people.

Again her eyes fell to the writing in the open journal and she re-read the last passage as if it had been written by someone else. My beloved, it has been 21 long years since I last touched your face. The battle scars on your body are deep. I fear they are no deeper than the wounds on my heart. Our children got fever long ago. I buried the both of them under the tree where you asked me to share your life, and the place I lay with you last before you left home. I cannot continue on in this life. There is no need. I have learned what I must learn and lived what I must live. I want to feel your arms around me once more; I want to know your touch. If I cannot feel that in this life, than I am ready to try death, at least it will be an end to my suffering.

Lydia knew the time had come to go to him. She knew somehow as strong as she was she could will it to be so. She had the bottle of laudanum that she had given to her mother-in-law to manage her pain. She knew there was enough of a dose to take her to Warren. They would find her later, and while some would not forgive, some would wonder how she had lasted so long. She would go to him, her body released from its bonds as it always did when she and Warren were together.

She prepared that night by lying on the large bed that she had shared with him. She had bathed and put on his favorite perfume, the scent he had brought her from New Orleans. She was not an old woman, as she had looked in the long oval mirror on a stand in her room she had seen a figure that was still womanly, with curves and shapes in all the right places. Granted they were not as firm as those of the young girl that Warren had rescued from poverty and fear, but she could have found someone who would have loved her and who she could have lived with the rest of her years. She had not wanted to. There was only Warren for her.

She drifted down into the beginnings of sleep; this was when she knew he would come for her. Suddenly she felt his presence above her. Her body still knew him so well that there was no need for a build up. Indeed, there was no gentle foreplay like they had known, abruptly and completely he was in her. He was a raging hunger that claimed her instantly, a tempest that was all consuming. The depth of it was heavy and crushing until she could no longer breathe. A tightening of her entire body, tighter and tighter, she went into a spiraling darkness, a throbbing remnant of time which seemed to hang on eternity. Then as suddenly as it had begun she lifted, floating lighter and lighter. Then she saw his face smiling, his beautiful blue eyes shining brightly, a brilliant glow around him and she actually felt his arms encircle her. She was coming home, she was home. A peace like she had never felt drifted into her being. Warren grazed her lips with a gentle kiss and said “Welcome home darling, I thought you would never come”

***

The Daughter’s of the Confederacy turned the Park’s home into a historical monument. The city paid for its upkeep and the lands and orchard surrounding it was preserved. A journal lay in a glass case on a stand inside the bedroom that was also preserved just as Lydia had left it. Crowds of people paid to tour the home and hear the stories of the people that had lived and died there, the revenue of which helped to keep it as an example of the perfect antebellum lifestyle. The large rocker on the long cool porch was big enough for two. Oddly, even with the faintest breeze it was often seen rocking, rocking in a motion not unlike that of two lovers in the throws of passion.

Lisa Venter copyright 2008

I Have My Life Back!

2008-06-27T23:21:00.001-05:00

Okay, as tacky as that may sound, I do have my life back. The baby and her older sister have now gone to live with their paternal grandparents. If I had any subconscious baby desire, I assure you that it has been completely eliminated. Not that I don't adore Birdie, she is uber cute...but I like my sleep!

That being said, I will be stopping by my favorite blogs again, and posting more. I'll also be finishing up the next Gerard the Gede story, which I have already started. I will post it when I complete it!

LIFE IS GOOD (and yes, I will be at the next Wed night writer's group)!

Just a quick note to give everyone a heart felt thanks for all their prayers and concern. It is nice to know that people out there can actually care about strangers that they have never met. THANK YOU ALL!

:) Terri

GOOD NEWS!

2008-06-10T22:49:00.000-05:00

On the home front, it's been chaotic to say the least. The baby is home now (MY home...my husband and I are kinship foster parents to both daughter's, the baby and ten year old...not by choice, but necessity...long story there), and seems to be doing good.

Stacy is now out of the drug induced coma and off of life support, but she has brain damage. They are not sure what the extent of the damage is. She is also showing stroke-like symptoms, which the Dr's said was to be expected following the grand mal seizures brought on by Eclampsia. Only time will tell on her recovery, and she is not out of the woods yet.

On a brighter note...

I GOT MY FIRST CHECK IN THE MAIL FOR MY WRITING!!!

I have started on the second Gerard the Gede story, and it is soooo cool! When I finish, I will post it!

I also want to thank everyone for their kind words and prayers. I hope to get back to my blogging soon, but I am just too dang old to be staying up all night with a newborn and still functioning!

:) Terri

Update on Lil Birdie & Her mom Stacy:

2008-05-31T23:13:00.001-05:00

LIL BIRDIE (ABBY FAITH)
ASLEEP AT FOUR DAYS OLD

Good news and bad (see previous post)...Lil Birdie (Abby Faith, my niece) is doing better. The tests were all good, and she is now filling those itty bitty diapers like a champ. They took the tube out of her nose, and are bottle feeding her again. She still has the IV, and can't be moved from the nursery, though.

Stacy ( her mom) is still in critical condition in ICU. They had to give her a blood transfusion this afternoon, I assume due to anemia following the c-section. They tried to wean her off of the coma inducing meds, but her blood pressure and pulse shot through the roof....again, so the sedative was started again. They still don't know what is causing the rise in her BP and heart rate.

I would love for you guys to keep them in your prayers and thank you for the ones that have been said so far, they do help! I will update again soon!

:) Terri

Prayers PLEASE...

2008-05-29T21:20:00.001-05:00

I would like to first apologize to all those whose blogs I love and comment on daily. I have spent the last two days at the hospital.

My sister-in-law, Stacy, was rushed to the hospital Wednesday morning, where they had to do an emergency c-section.

She was having seizures, and had gone into full blown Eclampsia (sp?). As of Thursday evening, she is still in ICU in critical condition.

The baby, Abby Faith (I call her Lil Birdie, which I will post about later), was doing wonderful...yesterday. She is a beautiful, tiny thing at 5 lbs 6 ozs, and a head full of brown hair. The minute they brought her into the nursery, we all stood there, my husband, mother-in-law, her big sister Alyssa, and the new daddy, Jay. The tears were flowing with joy and relief, we were all so concerned about her, as Jay had lost his first son 12 days after he was born due to multiple health issues. She seemed to be healthy and the most beautiful thing!

My husband got home from the hospital after lunch today, and a few minutes later we received a call from Jay that Lil Birdie had taken a turn for the worse. I rushed out the door and went to the hospital. They ran multiple tests on her this afternoon. She hasn't had a bowel movement, or urinated since she was born. She can't keep any formula down now. She has started to have tremors and jerk...they are not sure if it's seizures yet.

As of an hour ago, the pediatrician still hadn't given them any of the test results. I would ask that any of my wonderful blogger friends that read this say a prayer for Lil Birdie and Stacy, her mom. It would be great if you could ask others to remember them in their prayers. I will post any updates when I get them.

Thank you all!

Terri

Exotic Dancer...Moi???

2008-05-26T23:27:00.000-05:00

LiteralDan (aka One-Eyed Dan) tagged me last week, possibly even the week before, and I am just now sitting down long enough to type out my answers.
Hope you spent Memorial Day with your family and remembering those who are no longer with us.

#1-What were you doing five years ago?
Going through a really hard time following my husband's first (yes, he had another one a year ago) heart attack and resulting job loss.

#2-What are/were five things on your to-do list for today?
Laundry
Clean
Laundry
Clean
Laundry

#3-What five snacks do you enjoy?
Chocolate covered peanuts
Chocolate covered cherries (I'm seeing a pattern here)
Baby carrots w/ ranch dip
Apples w/ caramel dip
Granola bars

#4-What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
Go to Scotland
Set up college funds for all five kids
Pay off my mom and mother-in-laws houses for them
Buy a 2009 Chevy Camaro
Send my husband Elk hunting in Montana (while I went BACK to Scotland)
(I know I should have said "feed the children", or "give to charities", and I'm sure we all would, but AFTER I did the things listed above.)

#5-What are five of your bad habits?
I smoke (horrid I know)
I eat HORRIBLY (see #3)
I spend too much time reading blogs
I PROCRASTINATE
I watch too much reality TV

#6-What are five places you have lived?
Ardmore, Ok
Albuquerque, NM
Moore, OK
Oklahoma City, OK
Um...that's it, no fifth here!

#7-What are five jobs you have had?
Respiratory Therapist
Phlebotomist/ Receptionist at a plasma center
Pawn Broker
AOL Customer Service Rep
Exotic Dancer (okay, not really)
Writer

#8-What five people do you want to tag?
I am far too slow to catch anyone in order to tag them! If you want to share, by all means take the questions and run with them.

My First award!

2008-05-19T13:41:00.000-05:00

I've won an award!!!

Okay, I'd like to say it was for my writing, which, I suppose without writing (blogging) I wouldn't have been given an award (funny how we can turn things around just enough to make them fit our own expectations)!

I'd like to thank God first (I watched the CMA's last night...can you tell?).
And of course my family, although I'd get a whole lot more writing done if they'd quit makin me clean, do laundry and feed them. But I'd most like to thank my blogger friends.

http://mrs4444.blogspot.com/ (I have got to figure out how to do that whole link thingy right, but till then, you get the point)

Mrs. 4444, you are the best, thank you for thinking of me for this award (along with everybody else, but I'm not bitter, at least MY name was first on her list, hehehe).

I also wanted to say that I have been tagged by LiteralDan (http://literaldan.blogspot.com/), but I will save that post for later in the week! I would, however, like to let you guys know that Dan is up for an award for the Best Daddy Blog, so everybody go vote for One-Eyed Dan!

http://www.thebestofblogs.com/2008/05/12/best-daddy-blog-vote-here/

Graduation ceremonies for six year olds....

2008-05-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

My youngest, Tory, graduated yesterday. Is she a child prodigy, you may ask? A midget? Small for her age?

Noooooo...she graduated from kindergarten! If any of you out there have children, you have, or will have to sit, sardined in with the other parents/grandparents, ooohing and aaahing at the cute songs they sing, and clapping loudly when they call your child's name to walk across the stage for their completion certificate.

All I can say at this point, is thank God that she is the youngest (knock on wood) and that I don't have to go through even one more of these!

Of course, I still have many other mile markers with my kids...

another kindergarten graduation is thankfully checked off and no longer on that list.

I am now PUBLISHED!

2008-05-13T23:06:00.000-05:00

I took the Pre off of Published tonight!

Here's why:

Love Unlimited, the quarterly magazine that Guardian of the Veil; Gerard the Gede will be in, comes out on the 20th! The cover art is wicked (Thanks Marsha for sending it to me)!

I should be receiving my first check in June. Pretty cool stuff...Too bad I'm not taking one of Mel's classes right now, he'd owe the class a pizza!!!

Here's a link if anyone would like to check out the magazine. It's a bound paperback!

http://www.lulu.com/content/2531490 (Scroll to page 4 and you'll find my story in the contents!)

Now I am just waiting for the response from the agent I queried...that would be the icing on the cake...well, icing if it's a positive response, some other form of topping (hint: It's brown, and is STINKY) if it's negative...

With any luck that will be my next post...I'll let you know what type of topping my cake has arrived with!

:) Terri

Scotland Obsessions and Belly Button Piercing

2008-05-11T12:38:00.000-05:00

Do you see what my husband has to put up with?

My den is where I write, so I have been slowly adding all things castles, Scotland, and now my cute little Arthur. He is my 3 feet tall knight in shining armor! If you are like many others who have seen him, you just rolled your eyes....

I decided to also show you some of my other acquisitions. I actually found a black velvet oil painting of a castle (Elvis or the poker dogs just wouldn't go with my decor).

I have a gorgeous roll top desk that I had every intention of using to write, HOWEVER, you can see my monitor sits on my tiny computer desk next to my book shelf.

Moving onto to other topics, this weekend has been another crazy one. My oldest, Tiffany, turned 14 and we had a sleep over.

Dear God....I have turned into my mother! Their music gives me a splitting headache after only a few hours. In spite of their choice in music, I think it was a success. We decorated tote bags (thanks Mrs. 4444!), they munched on veggie, meat & cheese trays, then we had chocolate and caramel fondue (thanks again Mrs. 4444). The last thing that we did that night was roast Starburst using tea lights (once again, thanks Mrs. 4444).

The following day, I loaded up Tiffany, my niece Alisa, and their friend Sam, picked up Sam's mom, and all the girls had their belly buttons pierced. That was what my daughter wanted for her birthday. My husband was none too happy that I agreed! I think it's cute though.

:) Terri

RIP Short-Bus Hannah

2008-05-04T20:56:00.000-05:00

We had a death in the family tonight. Her name was Hannah. In the picture, Hannah is being held by my 6 year old, when she was only 4. She was on borrowed time, the way I see it. Let me start at the beginning.....

Over a 2 years ago, my daughter's cat had a litter of kittens (big shocker there). When they were about 3 weeks old, I put a baby gate up to keep her from taking them back to my bedroom (my husband didn't care to wake up with baby kitties dangling from his toes). She, being determined to take them back there anyway, tried to carry them over. One tiny tabby didn't make it and was dropped on her head, from about 3 feet up. Needless to say, she suffered severe head trauma. Nature should have been kind and taken her then, or perhaps I should have NOT intervened. As it was, I couldn't stand by and do NOTHING, so I kept her warm in a heating pad, bottle fed her kitty formula, etc.

At first she was paralyzed. After a day or so, she regained use of her front legs. Another day, her back legs. That's when we realized she was blind. At about 6 weeks, I took her to the vet, who confirmed that her skull had been crushed, but she was mending. She was however, blind and deaf. Of course we had to keep her, who would want a special needs kitty?

After more weeks, she did regain some of her sight, and some hearing. She had ZERO depth perception though, which made for seriously amusing antics. She ran into things ALL the time, while playing with my small poodles. She would also jump for the bar stool, miss it by a foot, promptly hitting the wall and sliding down, much like a cartoon character.

It was NOT all fun and games with Hannah, though. She had serious litter box issues...The last straw for me was when she peed on my kitchen counter. I COULD NO LONGER TURN A BLIND EYE TO HER DISGUSTING HABITS!

Hence, I put her outside. Before anyone starts to think badly of me, we have a fenced in yard, and she never left it. She actually seemed happy. We would laugh at her trying to chase a bird that was flying over, even though she had no hope whatsoever in catching it.

Then it happened.....

She climbed over the fence. Just in time for a big black chow and his demon spawn buddy to come along and get her. She didn't even know to run, she just rolled over to let them play with her, only they didn't want to play. They wanted to KILL her. My 7 year old was out there, and watched the whole thing, she ran in to get us, and the dogs were chased off. At first we thought she was okay...must have been the adrenaline that made her look unhurt.

We brought her in. She was clearly messed up. We watched her helplessly as she struggled to stand, then as she struggled to walk. We put her into the carrier, so we could take her to the vet in the morning. My 6 year old came home from Grandma's, and stuck her finger into the carrier, unaware she was hurt. Hannah, the sweetest cat I've ever known, was in so much pain, she bit all the way through her finger. She died less than an hour later.

I do feel guilty. She should never have been outside, but a part of me feels relieved that she is gone, and I feel even worse about that. Maybe I shouldn't say that, but it's true. I only hope that she is now in kitty heaven, unperturbed by her sight or hearing loss, or her mental deficiency.

Rest well sweet Hannah.

May in Oklahoma is SCARY!

2008-05-02T09:42:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken a full 30 mins AFTER the hail had stopped! The size range on this hail was between marble sized, all the way up to golf ball. We had almost NO warning...Here's how events played out last night:

I knew there was a chance for severe weather, since, as stated in a previous post, I am "weather aware". I pulled up the National Weather Service web site around 5:30 pm and checked radar...we were under a tornado watch, but no storms yet...I checked it again 20 minutes later, still clear. I went about my normal routine, and the phone rang a little after 6:00, and it was my mom, followed by a call a few seconds later from my friend Kim...

"Are you watching the weather???" Were the first questions from both...NOT A GOOD SIGN!

A large wall cloud was forming, with circulation, only a few miles to the SW of me, headed my way.

CRAP!!! I turn on the weather, then go outside with hubby and watch the looming black wall cloud closing in on us. I went back inside to go bring my son's dog in the house, as the rain drops started. Within 30 seconds, they had turned to hail. And not just any hail...the kind that crushes crops (my poor pansies look awful), the kind that you fear will break out your windows, THE KIND THAT WON'T ALLOW YOU TO LOAD UP YOUR SMALL CHILDREN AND DRIVE TO YOUR FRIEND'S SAFEROOM!

Not only was this hail massive in quantity...it was possessed! Instead of falling or slanting toward the NE, the direction the storm was moving, at close to 50 mph...IT WAS COMING DOWN HORIZONALLY FROM THE WEST!!!!

"This can't be good!" I say over and over to my husband.

Of course not, the damn thing has a serious updraft, which means it's sucking air up inside the wall cloud, which we have already established is rotating, and therefore organizing, so it can drop down a tornado at any point and take us all to OZ!

Luckily for us, the storm WAS moving so fast, that by the time it did produce a tornado, it was about 6-7 miles past us.

WE have dodged the first bullet of May, but I am sure there will be a few more before it is all said and done.

For more pictures, go check out Skeeter's post...http://atomiczebra7.blogspot.com/2008/05/another-tornado.html...he works about 4-5 miles NE of my house!

Terri

I Queried My First Agent!!!!

2008-04-26T01:54:00.000-05:00

I feel a sense of relief...not the impending doom that I thought would loom over me when I sent out my very first query to an agent. After researching agents/agencies for months and months, I found one that I got a really good feeling from, so I just decided, what the heck...what's the worst that can happen? So I did it! I really sent it in!!!

That being said, now I must finish up that final spit and shine on The Crichton Heir. Revisions went no where for so long, and now I have been soooo motivated! I think it may be the cold meds I've been on...they make me HYPER!

I don't want to get my hopes up, but I can't help it. I think it must be the naive amateur in me that thinks I'll be one of the few writer's that actually don't get rejected three or four hundred times!

Below is the query letter that I sent, minus my personal info, of course, and minus the agents name.

Dear Ms. ******,

After months of researching agents (procrastinating), I decided that you sounded like someone that I could actually relate to on a personal level. From what I've read, you must have a great sense of humor, love a good cry, and actually admit to watching reality TV. It would therefore make sense that I would love to have you for an agent.

That being said, I would now like to tell you about the possible Pulitzer Prize winning novel I have just written. Okay, so I'm exaggerating just a bit...what I do have is The Crichton Heir, a very good Historical Romance that is approximately 95,000 words. It will be the first in a series, Crescent Cove, that is set in Scotland, 1790's.

The Crichton Heir keeps you guessing from the prologue to the end of the book as to who the Crichton Heir actually is. You have a strong, although rather naive, Lady Margaret Sinclair, who seems to always have her foot in her mouth. It only gets worse when the mysterious but handsome Sir Patrick Graham shows up unexpectedly at Crescent Cove, per her father's request. Sparks fly, and Margaret wants to pursue these new feelings, while Patrick knows that he should avoid the Laird's beguiling daughter who has his body reacting with a mind of it's own!

Margaret's world is turned upside down with the sudden death of her beloved father and she must agree to marry the Laird of Crichton Castle, Alexander Crichton, to save those around her from his threats. He is a deviant man who may have more than one death on his hands already. While Patrick struggles to save Margaret from a man he despises, he must learn to trust not only Margaret, but those that she would protect from Crichton; Josephine, her companion, who isn't what she seems, Frederick Kerr, the man that Margaret has always loved, and her own mother, Victoria Sinclair, who has her own secrets that may save all of them in the end.

I would love to share my work with you, and look forward to your response. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a wonderful working relationship!

Sincerely,
Terri Rainer

Now I get to play the waiting game...I will keep busy writing in the mean time!

:) Terri

April 19th...A Day to Remember

2008-04-19T11:05:00.001-05:00

April 19th, 1995

Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

168 People lost their lives, over 800 were injured, and thousands more lost their children, spouses, parents, brothers, sisters, or friends.

No one who lived here at the time was untouched by this tragedy. Most can tell you where they were when they heard the blast. The following weeks are a mere blur to some who want to forget all the images that were on our TV's 24/7 (yes, they broadcast from the actual site on local stations for days and days), but some will never be able to forget.

I know firefighter's that still can't talk about what they saw, even some of the emergency workers could no longer live with those images and took their own lives years later.

This is a day to remember not only those who were lost, 19 of which were children, but to remember those who were affected by this horrible deed.

I refuse to remember any responsible for this tragedy, I feel they don't deserve it, instead I will remember those who suffered losses, and there were many, those lost, and those who will never forget that tragic day that Oklahoma's innocence was stripped away in mere seconds.

Guardian of the Veil, Gerard's Quest

2008-04-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

I decided on the above title for my short story and sent it over to the publisher. I actually think that if I ever get tired of my Crescent Cove series, I may have to pursue the Gede, Gerard to start with of course!

Not much to say other than it seems as though everyone has been kept busy with their own busy lives lately (Skeeteeeerrrrr...where are you?).

Maybe by next week I will be immersed in my revisions once again, and will simply be posting my many complaints of how slow and disgusting I find it! LOL

:)

I will be published in May!

2008-04-16T10:07:00.000-05:00

It's hard for me to get overly excited about being published. First, it's not my novel, just a short story that took almost no effort, and secondly, it's in a new magazine that will see limited distribution.

That being said, I am excited that I can remove the "Pre" from my blog, and actually call myself a "Published Author"...It will be nice to have SOMETHING in a portfolio, to show that someone other than my mother feels that I am worthy of print. I seriously doubt that any agent will accept a note from my mommy telling him/her that I can write!

I have signed the contract, provided the magazine publisher with my information, and now I have to come up with a title to the story. Since I wrote it with multiple short stories in mind, I was thinking along the lines of this:

*Gede, Guardian of the Veil - Georgia's Story
*Gede, Keeper of the Veil - Georgia's Story
*Guardian of the Veil, Gerard's Quest (I think I like this one the best so far)

Now I must get back to the novel, as I have sorely neglected my revisions.

:)

Thousand word short story

2008-04-15T00:37:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is, in it's thousand word glory. I don't have a title yet, but any comments are always appreciated (even the BAD ones!).

Georgia was cold; colder than she had ever been while she was alive. She wandered through the halls of the hospital, not able to see her surroundings. Everything that she looked at appeared as though someone had smeared a thin layer of Vaseline over her eyeballs. No matter how hard she tried, she could never seem to clear up her vision.
She had no concept of time. How long had she been in this awful hell, a day, a week, a year? She thought of that cold day in November. She had walked the twelve blocks to the hospital and collapsed just inside.
She awoke some time later. Her arms and legs felt like over-filled sand bags. Even her eyelids were heavy. Try as she might, she couldn’t open her eyes. She would drift in and out, trying with all her might to stay awake.
At one point during her semi-conscious state, she could hear a strange noise. It reminded her of the day her Daddy had been out back sawing at the big Oak tree that had been struck by lighting. It almost seemed funny that the noise came and went with each breath.
As time continued to drag by, things became more confusing. She could move now. In fact, it took almost no effort. There must be something wrong with her voice or her hearing though. Every person that she tried to talk to ignored her and it seemed that everyone was always whispering around her. They just acted like she wasn’t even there. Down right rude they were.
She wasn’t sure how much time went by before she realized that she was dead. She knew that it was getting harder to see things. The walls, the floor, even the people seemed to change inexplicably from one minute to the next. Of course there was that time thing again. How slow or fast does time really travel when you’re dead? How was she ever going to find her way out? Weeping, Georgia curled herself up in a small ball and huddled in the corner of the room on the second floor that she had died in. She prayed that this was just a bad dream that she would wake up from, knowing full well that she would never be able to actually sleep again. She screamed out in anger and frustration, knowing no one would hear her…some one did.

Georgia was unsure how much time had passed when she heard his voice. At first it sounded like a low hum. Then it became clearer.
“Who are you?” The voice said. “Can you hear me? I only want to help you.”
Georgia looked about frantically, trying to locate the man that seemed to be speaking to her.
“I’m here! Please, I’m so frightened.” Georgia pleaded.
Before her, she could see the outline of a man, a very tall man. She concentrated, willing herself to be seen. She knew there had to be a way, it was just so tiring, but now might be her only chance.
Georgia heard the man’s intake of breath as she watched him come into focus. He stood to her right, and a pale blue glow emanated from him. His eyes were the same striking color, framed with dark lashes and long dark hair blanketed his shoulders. He was dressed in a purple and black flowing robe.
“My name is Gerard, I am Gede. Your cries have summoned me to release you from this hell you are trapped in. You have but to take my hand.” As he reached out, Gerard could sense the girl’s heart racing. It made him ache with need. He knew the only way to release her spirit so she could move on from this place, was to sever the last cord that bound her to the physical world. To do that, she would have to give herself to him. This was certainly no hardship to him, as she was a stunningly beautiful young woman. Regardless of what her physical appearance had been, he felt hope that her spirit would be the one that he had been searching for; the one to complete him.
Desperate for any warmth, Georgia slid her hand into his. The sensations that filled her upon his touch were electric, but as he pulled her against his hard chest, she experienced heat like she had known neither in life, nor certainly not in death. His mouth was everywhere at once. Her hands clutched at anything to anchor herself to him. There was no more thought, no more pain and longing, just pleasure. Biting, overpowering, excruciating. She felt as if she would fly apart into millions of pieces.
The Gede spirit used his gift of pleasure to prepare Georgia for her departure from the veil, the world between the living world and the spirit world. Sensing her building need, Gerard became one with her, spirit joining spirit in a timeless dance. He could feel her quiver, as his energy grew larger inside her.
As the air around them began to spark, Georgia threw herself back and let out a joyous scream that seemed to push the Gede to join his deep voice with hers. He gave one last thrust, and Georgia was gone.
Gerard stood rooted to the spot. He knew that the woman, Georgia, had now crossed the veil and was at peace. He, however, was still searching; searching for that woman that would redeem him, the one who would set him free. He knew she was out there; the Baron, Lord of the Gede, had foreseen their joining. With that coupling, there would be peace for Gerard, and a thousand lifetimes to live with one woman, one true soul mate. Gede spirits used the gift of libido to release trapped souls. It had been rewarding the first millennia, but it had become a lonely existence and he longed for more. If only he could find her, the one who would set him free. Perhaps next time…

Terri Rainer copyright 2008

1000 word short story...

2008-04-14T23:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, I had a new challenge thrust upon myself as a writer. I had to write a short story, 1000 words or less. Paranormal romance was the genre I went with.

WHAT WAS I THINKING? OMG this is harder than I thought. After an hour and a half, I had my thousand words, but I'm not too sure it's worth reading.

This is for publication (hopefully) in a new quarterly magazine coming out in May. It is a romance geared magazine. I love a challenge, and boy has this been one. I will be getting feedback from some of my trusted comrades, and I might post it here if I deem it worth the space on your monitor that it would take up!

:) Terri

Link to the ad about kitties with pictures

2008-04-14T14:17:00.001-05:00

http://ok4free.com/View_Listing.asp?RegionId=5&SubCatGroupId=104&SubCategoryId=1310&Keyword=&SoL=&Page=1&Lid=80-N8041329

Mirror Mirror on the Wall...Who wants a baby?

2008-04-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

I have spent the entire day RELAXING! Sometimes you must follow your own advice and take some time out for yourself. I am almost back to my overly chipper self...almost.

I have now been over-run by baby kittens. My daughter's cat, Amelia, has a very low moral compass. Needless to say, she has another litter of kittens that now need a home...ASAP.

I placed an ad at OK4Free.com today. It takes a business day for it to be viewed, so I am hoping that by tomorrow, it is there and I get LOTS of calls (anybody interested locally, by all means email me!). I will have to put a link to it when it is posted, but for now, here is how it reads:

It's another sad story of neglect and abandonment. Our Daddy left our Mommy to take care of us all alone. There are six of us, and that's just too many for her to take care of!

We are looking for new families to love and protect us from the hard cruel world we were born into. We are all very playful and we think that we are cute too!

We don't want to be a burden to our Mommy, she has rather loose morals and likes to spend many nights out with her friends. We can't really blame her, we have sharp claws and teeth, and frankly, she has started to avoid us, seeing as how needy we act when she is around!

We eat solid food, drink our water, and although we like to play in our litter box, we are learning what it's really for!

If you would like pictures of any of us individually, please email the nice lady who feeds us, and she promises to send them. Four of us are black, and two of us are striped tabbies.

Won't you give one of us a nice warm bed and food in our bellies? We'll love you forever if you do!

Signed,The Baby Kitties

I have lost my mind!

2008-04-13T11:45:00.000-05:00

(Tessa,her eyes don't ALWAYS look like that, pooping puppy Cookie, and Tory)

(Tiffany before the dance)

I TRIED TO DO WHAT MRS.4444 DOES, AND PUT PICS WHERE THEY WOULD MAKE SENSE, BUT I JUST DON'T HAVE THE SKILL OR PATIENCE THIS MORNING TO DO IT...SORRY, I'LL FIGURE IT OUT LATER!

Okay, I must say that I have been blogging way too much, mostly commenting on everybody else's blogs, looking at new ones, and basically wasting time, when I could be working on my book. I think it's just the nosey, busy-body in me that won't let me stay away from other's blogs. It's sometimes like looking in the window of somebody else's house, seeing what goes on with other people; voyeurism, without the taboo, or threat of arrest.

That being said, I decided I would give anyone who cares a peek into my own window (don't worry, I'm fully dressed at all times!).

The last week, plus a few days, has been hectic to say the least. Here's a timeline of events:

Friday, April 4-
*Had a birthday party for my youngest, now 6.

*Up early, cleaned, shopped and decorated all day.

Saturday, April 5-
*AM - Up at the crack of dawn, taking my oldest to High School Pom Pon (why the heck the second one ends with an "N", I have no idea, but it does) try-outs, which took all morning, and she made the squad.

*PM - Took three girl's (Oldest, Tiffany,her BFF, and my niece, Alisa) to the spring formal, amongst giggles and assurances that my daughter would win Queen (she was on the court). She didn't, and like most girl's their age, talked of the mother counting the votes, and miraculously, her daughter won. I had to do the right thing and assure them that could not have possibly been the case, and tell my daughter not to repeat that, as it would make her look like a sore loser.

Sunday, April 6-

*Youngest breaks out in a rash, that spreads to cover her whole body.

Monday, April 7-

*Take Youngest (Tory, I suppose she does have a name), to the Dr where I must argue with him about the fact that she has Fifth's Disease, and NOT the hives. I won, after he consulted his medical book. She's my 4th...I've been through most childhood illnesses more than once at this point.

*Pick up Tiffany from Pom meeting after school

Tuesday, April 8-

*Cleaned my house like a maniac, after spending the day at the Dr before. Vacuumed, shampooed carpet, did mountains of laundry all day, and far into the night.

*Pom parents meeting that evening also.

Wednesday, April 9-

*Got up early, started laundry again, got kids off (Tory still home from school), and received a call around noon from the school, second to youngest, Tessa, had a tummy ache. She came home.

*Picked up Tiffany from Pom practice after school.

Thursday, April 10 -

*Wake up to husband coming home from work early at 7:15 AM, to inform me that he had thrown up on his side of the bed, the side that I had put Tory on earlier that AM. He had gone to work, but thrown up again, so he came home.

*Called Dr, got Tessa in for her tummy ache...it has been on-going, not the flu. She had blood drawn, x-rays, and had to pee in a cup (at 7, she cried about that, but was thrilled about seeing her blood...she's an odd duck).

*Picked up Tiffany after Pom practice.

Friday, April 11-

*Tessa and Tory both home from school, MUST clean house again, and still doing laundry...EXAUSTED!

*Tiffany spends the night at my sister's with her cousin, Alisa.

*Son, Tommy, decides to rearrange his room. He has HEAVY wood furniture, including a bunk bed. We stay up till after 1 am working on that.

Saturday, April 12-

*OMG exhausted! Cramps, bloating, back ache...SHIT! I hate that time of the month, no wonder I'm cranky at this point!

*Have to pick up Tiffany from sister's house, Tessa and Tory have become the spawn's of Satan, due to their confinement...Calgon, take me away!

*Husband wants to go to dinner...OH hell no! I'm too tired, so he went and took his mother, who has been staying with us for going on two months, due to leg sores. She wouldn't stay off her feet, and ended up in wound care (she's diabetic, among other things), so we brought her here so we could TRY and keep her off her feet.

Now, keep in mind, I have to feed 4, sometimes 5 kids, when my stepdaughter Emily (she's 13) is here (every day after school and every other weekend), a husband, MIL, and myself. Do all the laundry (OMG there are mountains of that). I clean every day, Tory has a new poodle puppy she got for her birthday, that craps ALL the time, and she's a tiny thing. I have a poodle that has separation anxiety when she's not on your lap, and I have a 95,000 word manuscript that is crying for revisions that I can't seem to get to. I actually read at least 3-4 books a week, trying to keep myself in the mind-set of a writer, and it's no wonder I am freakin tired!

I'm sure I have left out a whole bunch, but you should get the idea.

Tairen Soul...the best series I've read.

2008-04-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

C.L. Wilson's

Tairen Soul Series

C.L. Wilson is BRILLIANT!

These books were originally one very long book that were published as two. Lord of the Fading Lands is Wilson's first published novel and she spins a tale so engrossing and intricate that you soon lose yourself in a world full of magic, both light and dark, honor, betrayal, and truemates Rain and Elly. Lady of Light and Shadows is the continuation of their intriguing story.

Rainier vel’En Daris (Rain Tairen Soul) is the Fey King who is called from the sky while in his Tairen form (a large panther-like creature with wings who can breath fire) by Ellysetta Baristani, a mere woodcarver's daughter with a secret past that may destroy both their worlds.

Wilson has now moved to the top of my favorite author's list. Her next book in the series, King of Sword and Sky, will be out in October 2008 (I am definitely pre-ordering) and Queen of Song and Souls will be released in early 2009.

I was reminded of Lord of the Rings while reading these books. It's the closest thing I can give you to describe the world that she has created. I would be willing to bet that these books will be made into a movie/movies. They are FABULOUS!

Check out C.L. Wilson's site, the link is on the right of my page.

Look out JK Rowling, CL Wilson is ready to join your ranks!

Tornadoes and Drinking Games

2008-04-08T22:35:00.000-05:00

After reading a post by Skeeter about Oklahoma tornadoes:

(http://atomiczebra7.blogspot.com/2008/04/tornadoes-in-oklahoma.html)

I decided to chime in on the subject, because, YES, it's that time of year!

Skeeter mentioned living in Norman, while I have the distinct honor of living in Moore (yes, yes, I'm a Mooron), which is a suburb of south of Oklahoma City. Moore is just north of Norman, also a suburb of OKC and home of the University of Oklahoma (GO SOONERS!).

Now I say it is a distinct honor, that may not be the right words to use while referring to the freakin tornado magnet that I live in. If you've seen shows about giant ass tornadoes, such as the one Skeeter mentions in his blog, then I bet you've seen video of Moore, or what was left over after any one of 3 or 4 tornadoes in the past decade tore us up.

Location being established, I must also add that I am extremely "weather aware". NOT PARANOID, just weather aware...24/7 during the spring time especially.

I have a serious case of hero worship to go along with my weather phobia. GARY ENGLAND. He is the weather guy for the OKC CBS affiliate on channel 9. He is a weather GOD! I have watched him since I was an elementary school kid (a LONG time ago). He is so good that on days that we expect bad weather, the way that we gauge how bad it will potentially get is whether or not Gary is in early, or if he comes in on the weekend. When that happens...look out!

Gary England was also the weather guy that they showed on TV during the movie Twister. He's so COOL! He's so cool in fact, that a Gary England Drinking Game has been passed around in emails since last year. I thought I would post it here, and see just how many people get it and how many people take one look and say "WTF???".

If severe weather is in the area, make sure the liquor cabinet is stocked...

Gary England Drinking Game

Pregame
1. Everyone selects a storm chaser other than Val Caster. Every time Gary talks to your storm chaser, you take one drink. Take two drinks every time we see footage from your storm chaser. Take four drinks if your storm chaser says "tornado on the ground."

2. Everyone selects a county other than Pottawatomie County. Every time Gary mentions your county, you take one drink. Take two drinks every time we see footage from your county. Take four drinks if a tornado touches down in your county.

One drink
1. Take one drink every time Gary says the following:"Hook echo" "Updraft" "Metro" "Doppler radar" "Wall cloud" "Ranger 9" "Underground" "Mobile home"

2. When Gary gives a list of counties, take one drink for every county in the list.

3. Take one drink every time Gary interrupts a program. Take one drink if Gary says "You're not missing any of [program name]." Take one drink when Gary says "We'll keep you advised."

Two Drinks
1. Take two drinks every time Gary says the following:"Baseball-sized hail" "Waterloo Road" "Pottawatomie County" "Deer Creek High School"

2. Take two drinks every time Gary mentions the following towns:Altus Burns Flat Dill City Gotebo Hydro Lookeba Meeker Mulhall Oktaha Olustee Shattuck Slaughterville Tryon Vici Waukomis Wayne (or Payne) Weleetka Wetumkah

3. Take two drinks every time Gary talks to Val Caster.

Three Drinks
1. Take three drinks if we see footage from Val Caster.

2. Take three drinks if we see footage from Pottawatomie County.

3. Take three drinks if Gary mentions the following:"Immediate tornado precautions" "National Weather Service" "Mesocyclone" "Portable Radio" "Take shelter" "Tornado warning in effect until ..."

Four Drinks
1. Take four drinks if Ranger 9 must land to refuel.

2. Take four drinks if Gary issues his own tornado warning, not recognized by the NWS or says the following:"Will someone please answer that phone?" "Do you see power flashes?"

3. Take four drinks if a shirt-less tornado victim is interviewed.

Finish your drink
1. Finish your drink if someone uses the word tornado as a verb or if Gary mentions the nearest cross streets to you.

2. If Gary says "We've lost Val," pour a little out for your homies and finish your drink.

Tairen Soul by CL Wilson ROCKS!

2008-03-29T16:39:00.000-05:00

Spring break came and went at my house. There were always our five kids, along with their friends or numerous cousins over here hanging out. Needless to say, I got NOTHING done!

My husband decided that he would take a week of vacation the following week. Needless to say, I got NOTHING done!

I long for the day when I have my house to myself again. No kids, no husband, NO ONE!

Lisa asked me the other day if I didn't go insane staying at home all the time. It was an easy answer for me. NO! Emphatically so. I am such a home-body. I like to be able to do my thing, whether it's sitting at the PC, talking on the phone, or just some project around the house. I think I got all of that going going going out of my system when I was younger.

Well, my self imposed deadline to finish my revisions came and went, and I haven't even touched them in over two weeks. I should feel guilty, but alas, I just don't. I know that as soon as I regain my house, I will continue to trudge through them, I'll just have to give myself a kick in the rear end when the time comes. Till then, I have been reading, reading, reading.

I read the BEST book (out of the half a dozen I've read in the last week)! It is by C.L. Wilson. It was book 2 of her Tairen Soul Series (didn't know this till I was finished, I HATE that), Lady of Light and Shadows. I have now ordered the first, Lord of the Fading Lands and can't wait to read it. It's a very "Lord of the Rings" type book, but better. She has now been put on my favorite authors list and look forward to the two more books coming out in the fall.

Well, enough rambling for now!

Terri

Revisions Revisions Revisions!

2008-03-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

I originally started this blog to track my writing progress, however, since I am so ADD, I can't seem to stay on topic even HERE!

Now I feel that I must at least post every once in a while about The Crichton Heir, and the progress, or often lack thereof, during the daunting task of revising the finished manuscript.

I think I may have written before about how bad the first dozen or so chapters were. They were REALLY bad. I have now completely rewritten the first nine chapters, and am almost ready to tie them into the original.

The other night, I sat down, and read all of it out loud to my MIL (a big thanks to Lisa, who was here and decided to read the conversations taking place between the characters, using what started as a pretty good Scottish brogue, although it did take a turn toward an English/Irish combo accent before it was done).

When you read something over and over from a computer screen, you tend to miss so much! I had printed it out, and grabbed up my handy red pencil, and made corrections as I went. They were all minor, but boy did they add up.

I still need to make the corrections on the PC, but I feel much better about the so far finished product.

I also wanted to point out the GREAT post on Mary Duncan's site (http://eyesofgarnet.blogspot.com/). She has a FANTASTIC picture of a man in a kilt, well, half way in a kilt, he he he :)...LOVE IT!

Spring break started on Friday for my kids, so not sure how much work I will get done. At least I don't have to get up early, so hopefully I can work at night more often this week. I had the goal to finish revisions by March 24, not sure if I'll make it, but I haven't thrown in the towel yet!

Terri

It's Official...Girnigoe is a PERV!

2008-03-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

Took Girnigoe to the vet (if you are confused, read previous post) today. She is fine, though it seems she may have suffered through a false pregnancy during her last heat. I have the go ahead to breed her, on the condition it is with a smaller male (God knows she needs to get some). There were no issues, physiologically anyway, and she got a clean bill of health.

The young vet said it was normal for dogs to have "special friends" (i.e. the beanie babies). I did, however, get the raised eyebrows from her when I described the self-delivered cunnilingus that Girnigoe seems overly fond of lately. It seems she has never heard of a dog taking that much satisfaction in a tongue bath.

I do have a friend who suggested making a short video clip of it, titling it "Dog Masturbating", and posting it on YouTube. She claims it would be the most watched video in NO time. She is under the false assumption that it would look good in a query letter or resume that I had the most viewed video on YouTube.

Kid's are out for spring break (JOY), so I am not looking forward to my house being over-run by them and their friends. If they get wind of my dog and her talents, God only knows my son will charge his friends admission.

On a writing note, I haven't started Chapter 10 revisions yet. I'll get there, but life so seems to always get in the way.

:)