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But it's time, because a lot has happened since my last post.
First, I got tagged by author friend Jackie Kessler, who said I should write five things about myself that few people know and then tag five other people to do the same. Fair enough. Since I'm a pretty private person in general, there's plenty that people don't know about me, so this'll be easy.
1. I'm left handed, but mostly ambidextrous. I do some things with my left, but a lot with my right. I bowl and shoot with my left, but use right handed scissors and turn wrenches with my right.
2. I not only enjoy gambling, but I actually WIN. Ask my accountant. He's added over $90K in earnings to my taxes in the past five years. My major game is electronic Keno, but do pretty well with slots too. I don't really like games like poker, roulette or craps. Keno makes sense to me. I can actually SEE the patterns and can predict them with eerie regularity. But I can't explain HOW I do it. I just do. I seldom leave a casino (or riverboat, or whatever) without a 1099-G in hand. It happens, of course. I'm not infallible, but I'm better than average.
3. I actually like writing magazine articles MORE than books. Non-fiction is a lot of fun to me, so I make sure I keep up with my first career--as a freelance magazine writer. I mostly write outdoor features (hence the "huntergal" username), and have published in Guns & Ammo, Fur-Fish-Game, Deer & Deer Hunting, Women in the Outdoors, plus LOTS of articles for Game & Fish publications (which does regional issues, like Rocky Mountain Game & Fish, California Game & Fish, etc.) I love guns of all kinds, and will fish for just about anything! I don't think it's strange that I do both outdoor writing and romance novels. But I know a lot of people get an odd look on their face when they hear it. LOL!
4. I enjoy writing fanfic. My first-ever novel was an X-Files tie-in. PLEASE, HarperCollins--start the line up again, so I can publish it! :-) It's called "Blue LIghts" and is REALLY good! I swear! Hee... I'd also love to write a StarTrek novel (Original, NextGen or Voyager only--the others didn't appeal to me) and hope and pray that I can do some short stories for an upcoming anthology of a television series I loved (can't discuss it yet, but cross your fingers for me.) I think a lot of fanfic I've read is awesome.
5. I have a hard time getting drunk. I used to try when I was young and dumb. But apparently, I inherited some weird thing from my Father, because he couldn't get drunk easily either. I can down a fifth of whiskey in an hour and not even feel it. I'm NOT a cheap date! {g} I decided when I was about 25 that it COULDN'T be healthy to keep drinking, even if I didn't get side effects, so I mostly stopped. I also metabolize drugs too quickly and once woke up in the middle of a surgery to remove a growth in my calf (that's a sixth unknown thing, BTW--I get lypomas, deposits of fat that have to be surgically removed. It's a PITA and supposedly will only get worse as I get older. Sigh.)
Okay, that's it. I'm tagging:
Marjorie Liu
C.T. Adams (big surprise there, huh?)
Tori Carrington (Tony and/or Lori Kariyianni)
P.N. Elrod
Victoria Strauss
I just finished up the next book in the Sazi series. It's called Moon's Fury and is set down here in Texas. In our newsletter (which you can sign up for by sending your email address to: author@hughes.net) I posted some fun info about the research for this book that readers here might enjoy.
First is the description about it that I just sent to our editor. Now, this isn't the back cover blurb, but is a little about the book so marketing knows how to sell it to the distributors and other bookbuyers:
Carlotta Salinas was handed the leadership of a small Mexican red wolf pack when she was only thirteen but in the following fifteen years, was never forced to defend her position against usurpers. The Texas pack has always been a democracy with Cara, now the Sheriff of tiny Tedford County, at the helm. But a new group of timber wolves from Minnesota is being sent into their midst and she has to struggle against the inherent prejudice of race and species to somehow blend them into a cohesive unit, because a battle with a flock of murderous Sazi raptors is brewing that will test her leadership skills, as well as her ability to quite possibly send her pack—and the man she has fallen in love with—to their deaths.
Adam Mueller never wanted trouble . . . but it found him anyway. A decision he made caused the humans to investigate the number of wolves in the state, which could lead to the discovery of the existence of the Sazi. Now this beat cop from the toughest part of Minneapolis must lead a group of exiles who have come to despise him to a new location to lessen the number before the cameras start to arrive. But what he discovers there will turn his world upside down and thrust he and his wolves into a war between the species to save the life of his fated mate, as well as the children of two different packs.
Then, here's a little about the research I did:
Then, here's a little about the research I did:
Moon’s Fury was set down here in Texas, and Texans are notorious for wanting the state’s history told properly. So, I had to do a LOT of research just to insert a few bits and pieces in the book. For those keeping track, the book is set in the fictional town of Santa Helena, the county seat of the also-fictitious Tedford County. In keeping with state tradition, I named the county after John Tedford, the county sheriff of nearby Kerr County from 1870-76, who gained “hero” status in the state when he defended the small town of Camp Verde against a band of Comanches intent on burning it down for several hours before help arrived. He permanently lost the use of an arm from an arrow in the process, but still managed to continue to serve as sheriff for his full term! Santa Helena and Tedford County are located in the wide-open spaces between South Llano State Park and Devils Sinkhole S.N.A., pulling corners from Sutton, Edwards, Kimble and a tiny bit of Real counties.
Carlotta’s wolf pack are Mexican red wolves, which used to inhabit the Texas Hill Country, a wide strip down the center of the state where there are abundant oak and pine trees and tall limestone hills that are just short of technically being mountains. Where most people consider Texas to be flat and sea level, this part of the state is actually about 2,500 feet high! But red wolves are presently presumed extinct in the United States, and are severely threatened in Mexico. Researching red wolves took a really long time, and included conversations with wolf experts at several universities. Red wolves are smaller and faster than timber wolves, and better adapted to the hot climate, all of which I used in the book.
The book also includes a new Comanche Wolven agent, Will Kerchee, formerly known as Sam Cloudsfall, and before that was…well, you get the idea (he’s several hundred years old, so he’s had to change identities a few times to avoid exposure!) He’s an eagle shifter and has a special secret that we know fans will LOVE! We’re hoping to spin him off into his own book someday, since he sort of “took over” and wound up popping up throughout the story.
Okay, more later. That's it for now. :)
Okay, more later. That's it for now. :)
Anonymous
July 3 2008, 08:20:46 UTC 3 years ago
Keno makes sense to me
'Keno makes sense to me'. For me too :) I'm real gambler but... also win, as usually.So, keno the keno guide (http://www.the-keno-guide.com). I have started from this site, I have found there a lot of useful things, such as rules :) you don't need them now I think, but some strategy tips and odds you can use and, and a lot of sites where you can play keno, all of them with reviews - very good reviews as for me. Good luck!