I Heart Gilmore Girls

I've been a fan of the Gilmore Girls for years now. Lauren Graham is fabulous as Lorelai Gilmore. Alexis Bledel is wonderful as Rory and man-oh-man do I enjoy watching Scott Patterson play Luke Danes *sigh*

However, the show is more than just a show for me. It's research. That's right, this television comedy/drama is actually research for my murder mysteries and, no, I'm not just saying that to have an excuse to watch it. I don't need an excuse because I'm a grown woman damn it LOL. So why do I, the author of Dating Can Be Deadly and three upcoming mystery books, need to watch a television drama for research?

Quite simply, it's the dialogue.

The reason I love GG and the reason it's research for my writing is because of witty, rapid-fire conversations between the characters. So much dialogue in fact that I've heard the typical episode script is about 20 pages longer than other shows.

For most people, myself included, reading a novel that is page after page of narrative or descriptive passages without the beautiful white space of dialogue is dull, dull, dull. I crave to hear a character's 'voice'. I love to listen to them say what's on their minds as if they were right here in the room with me.

The worst though, is bad dialogue. Having characters discuss things in a forced manner or sounding like what they're saying is no more than info dump *cringe* When writing a mystery, you need your characters to discuss clues and facts but the last thing you want is to make them sound boring.

I aspire to have my characters sound just as scintillating and vibrant as those on Gilmore Girls.

Women’s Fiction Book Meme

Thanks to my dear friend and author, Jana DeLeon, for tagging me for this meme! Here goes:


Contemporary, Historical, or Paranormal?
Mostly, I read contemporary but I do love to read an excellent historical or paranormal and let’s not forget MYSTERY. Many, many mysteries!


Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
I’ll buy my absolute favorite authors in hardback but my shelves are filled with a lot of trade or paperbacks.

Heyer or Austen?
Austen. Definitely Austen.

Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
Brick and mortar is my first choice. Especially if I can grab a Starbucks at the same time! However, I buy a lot of books online when I’m doing holiday shopping.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
I’m a Canuk so my choice is Chapters which is probably a cross between the two. When I’m in Seattle, I usually visit Barnes & Noble.

Woodiwiss or Lindsay?
Not really much of a fan of either.

First romance novel you ever remember reading?
My mother’s old Harlequins that were kept in a very large box. I don’t remember titles or authors but loved being swept away by those stories.

Alphabetize by author, Alphabetize by title or random?
My hardcovers are alphabetized by author but all my paperbacks are random. Non-fiction are shelved in a different area of the house altogether.

Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Keep! *ack* I would NEVER throw a book away!

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Usually, I keep it on.

Sookie Stackhouse or Anita Blake?
Sookie.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I stop when I’m tired.


“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Definitely, a dark and stormy night. The darker and the stormier, the better LOL.

Crusie or SEP?
Crusie first but SEP comes in a close second.


Buy or Borrow?
Buy.


Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
Recommendations come first but I spend a lot of time browsing. I try not to read the reviews until after I’m done reading because I like to form my own opinion.

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Cliffhangers mostly.

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
Definitely before bed but I’ve also been known to read just about anywhere, including at red lights.

Series or standalone?
Both.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Autopsy of a Suicidal Mind by Edwin S. Shneidman

Now I’m going to tag my fellow authors at Muse, News and let’s see who picks up on it!

Cue the Eerie Music

Today over at Muse, News and a Few Loose Screws we're discussing paranormal stuff.

Are you a believer? Come on over and discuss!

A Pain in the Butt

Lately, I’ve been giving a lot of thoughts to, of all things, chairs. I need a new chair for my desk. The one I’ve been using is quite literally falling apart. It’s an antique and has been well loved but it gave me a splinter where a person should never have a splinter. Now the love is gone.

I dread chair shopping because, first of all, I’m short. It’s difficult to find a chair that allows me to have my feet on the floor instead of letting them dangle like I’m a five year old. Secondly, I need good support. A bad car accident a few years ago left me with back pain that can be aggravated by the wrong chair. I’ve already tried a few, including the one in the picture above. The person who loaned me this one said it would make my back strong and I’d love it. I didn’t love it. Most of the time, I felt like I was about to fall off.

So I’m asking for advice. Does anyone out there have a favorite brand or style of chair that works for them?

The Rest Falls Away

From the back cover blurb of The Rest Falls Away: Vampires have always lived among them, quietly attacking unsuspecting debutantes and dandified lords as well as hackney drivers and Bond Street milliners. If not for the vampire slayers of the Gardella family, these immortal creatures would have long ago taken over the world.

I'm excited to write today about The Rest Falls Away, an exquisite story that is the first in a vampire series that is Buffy goes Regency . Author Colleen Gleason is a friend and I've anxiously waited for this book to hit shelves after reading crumbs of the story early in its inception.

In Rest Falls the heroine, Victoria Gardella Grantworth, discovers her legacy as a vampire huntress just as she's on the verge of introduction into society. Victoria is a wonderful character who spends her time dodging between waltzes at lush society balls and stalking and staking the undead. The heroine is in romantic turmoil as her love for the Marquess of Rockley and her obligations as a Venator force her into a double life. We are drawn in to cheer for Victoria while she makes dangerous choices. Rest Falls Away is a captivating adventure that hooked me from the intriguing beginning right through all the wicked twists and turns.

I can't wait for the next in the series!

5 Crazy Things About Me

My good friend and fab author Jana Deleon tagged me with a meme - 5 Crazy Things About Me.

Crazy seems just a tad harsh LOL but let's see what I can come up with . . .

1. Lots of people know I have 4 children but most don't know I came from a family of 4 children and so did my hubby. You'd think we would've known better ...

2. As a child I had a trick shoulder that I could dislocate at will (it impressed the boys).

3. I have a fascination with all things Seattle and that's why my stories take place there.

4. My favorite movie of all time is the Wizard of Oz.

5. I've worked as a landlord and even done minor household repairs.

I'm going to tag another author friend, Diana Peterfreund.

Muse, News ... and a Few Loose Screws

I'm blogging today over at Muse, News...and a Few Loose Screws. Come over to the blog, visit and stay a while!

Hello 2007

The tinsel and tree are gone and my thoughts are drifting to stories yet to be written. My darling hubby gave me a fine gift this Christmas, twenty-four hours at a lovely hotel to complete my revisions due end of this month. It was divine. I even managed a number of pages in book two. Also, the couple in the room next to mine had a huge argument and it gave me even more ideas around killing people (on paper of course) in the future.

I've kept my writing goals specific this year and they'll certainly keep me out of trouble. What tops your resolutions for 2007?