Jordan Summers

My signing at BEA starts bright and early (for me). Hope to see you there.

I’m off to New York for BEA. I’ll tell you all about it, when I return.

Greta, at I Do Not Want To Wait, I Want The Book Now has an interview up with me today. Stop by and say hello. I’m giving away a copy of RED.

Like Tess, I missed most of THIS. (Thanking the powers that be for small mercies.) I wish I could say that I find this surprising, but I don’t. The online community seems to become rabid when things don’t fall in line with their thinking. I don’t think that the editors are wrong. I actually agree with them, if you go by households that have computers, etc. The largest percentage of books are still purchased in stores (ie Wal-mart, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Powell’s, etc.). Is that changing? Yes, as more and more people venture online this will definitely change, BUT it’s not there yet. There are still a lot of people who don’t have a computer and even more who won’t buy anything online for fear of theft. Until those people are reached, the majority of sales will fall to the stores.

You can find me at The Plot Monkeys today. I’m talking about when your single title suddenly becomes a trilogy. Oh, I’m also giving away an ARC of SCARLET.:)

I’ve put an unedited snippet from Crimson up on the CRIMSON page for your viewing pleasure. *g* Enjoy! I’m off to clean the upstairs part of my house. Sigh, sucks to be me today.

I just got done watching the season finale of Criminal Minds. WOW! Just WOW! I did NOT see that ending coming. (And I’m not talking about the pigs or what happened on the farm.) I wonder if that means he’s not coming back. This is one of those shows that continually surprises me. Every time I think I have them figured out, they throw a curve ball. Hats off to the writers.

Speaking of writers, I know I’m WAY late to the game, but I finally picked up Karen Marie Moning’s FEVER series. It’s an urban fantasy set in Ireland. I tried reading the first book when it came out a few years ago, but couldn’t get into it. Something told me to hang onto it. I’m so glad that I did because this time around it sucked me in. I’ve devoured the first two books and need to get my hands on the third (which releases in paperback at the end of July). The fourth book comes out in August. I can tell already I’ll be counting down the minutes until the fifth and final book releases NEXT YEAR. Gulp. Do not want to wait. Sigh. I’m actually surprised by how much I’m enjoying this series. I mean I’ve always loved Ms. Moning’s historicals. She writes seriously hot Highlanders,(And yes, I’m biased. *g*) but I didn’t immediately take to this series. It wasn’t the writing or the fact she’d switched to a new genre. (I don’t really mind those things if the author has finished writing whatever else they were working on.) Don’t like dangling series. (I’m fully aware a lot of times that is completely out of the author’s hands.) Anyway, depending on how this series ends next year, I may have to go back and collect all the books to put them on my keeper shelf. I can definitely see re-reading these at some point in the future.

On a personal note, I am SO sore. My Wii Active is kicking my arse. I’m hoping I can walk by the time I get to New York. Ouch!

So I broke down and ordered Wii Active from Amazon. They promised to deliver it on the day of release for free. Yes, I’m that easily bought. It didn’t get here until after six. I very upset it took so long since I’d been waiting all day to play with it. For those of you familiar with my blog, you know I talked about how much I love the Wii Fit. (Still do.) Well Wii Active has just raised the bar. The claim on the box is that it’s like having your own personal trainer. They weren’t kidding. I did a medium level workout last night and I can feel it today. The program gives you multiple workout options. You have three levels of fitness: beginning, medium, and advanced. There are also time options, so if you don’t have 25 minutes minimum to work out you can set it for less or a whole lot longer. There are dietary journals, build your own workouts, and goal setting. It counts calories and has a built in 30 Day challenge, which I started even though I know I’ll have to stop when I go to BEA. It comes with an exercise band and a thigh strap (Note to self: work on getting thinner thighs). The exercises get progressively harder as you get in better shape. For the sports fiend, there are basketball, baseball, tennis, volleyball, boxing, and I know I’m missing something drills but you get the picture, to challenge yourself.

If you have a Wii and are serious about working out, you might be surprised to find this is the ‘game’ for you. If like me, you’re trying to lose weight and like the idea of being led by a trainer (without having to pay trainer fees), then you’ve found a wonderful alternative. But I warn you now, there will be pain. *g*

So I’m watching a recorded episode of Paranormal State and they’re somewhere in the deep south. Turns out the people who used to live in the house they’re investigating went from performing a seanse to worshipping satan in a fairly short period of time. (Did I forget to mention the dearly departed was a cross-dresser, which obviously leaves him open to demonic influence? NOT!) So anyhow, the family is being tormented. Turns out the husband ’sold his soul to satan’ when he was in the fifth grade so he could become a werewolf. (Did I forget to mention he and his step-son supposedly seen a ‘wolf-like creature’ crouching on their porch?) Educational concerns aside, I’d be recommending counseling, but that’s just me.

Now I realize I don’t get out much, but what are the odds of this really happening? Seriously. This show turns up more ’satanist’ or ‘dabbling satanist’ than they do ghosts. I almost said demons, but they seem to find them just about every place they go. It’s like a game of spot the blue car.

I don’t care what peoples’ religious affiliations are (really I don’t), but I do believe that satanism still maintains a fairly small percentage of followers comparatively speaking to the major recognized religions of the world. There are far fewer satanist than there are pagans in the world. (No, they’re not the same thing. Yes, there are differences. Biggest one being that most pagans don’t believe in satan. Yeah, that’s a biggie.)

Anyway, my question for you all is have you noticed a rise in people running around in black cloaks in your neighborhoods?

In the cannot wait until the movie comes out category, I give you THIS. Man, is it going to be a long summer.

I’ll start with the important stuff. Mr. Gaiman put this LINK up on his site. I know stem cell research is a controversial topic, but it’s an important one. That requires serious thought, not knee jerk reactions. I have three friends who are currently battling MS. I have taken care of several alzheimer patients throughout the years. (I pray none of you have to go through that–ever. It’s a horrid, horrid disease.) If something in this research could help them all (and more), I think it’s worth trying. And that’s all I’ll say on the subject.

Went to see Angels and Demons today. It was an entertaining enough film. Fast paced. I have to admit I’m always intrigued by stories that involve symbolism and conspiracy, especially things related to religion. They always send my thoughts off in odd directions. When I saw the last film, I looked for hidden symbols in the churches I visited in Scotland. And you know what, they were there. It’s amazing what you don’t pay attention to until it’s pointed out. Anyway, for some reason I haven’t been able to stop thinking about ghosts since I got home. *ggg* There were no ghosts in the movie. (I told you it sends my thoughts off in odd directions.) I do recommend seeing the film. It’s a decent way to spend a couple of hours. It’s NOT Star Trek, but it does what it’s supposed to do. Makes me wish I knew all the things that have been hidden and distorted. I think I may have to dig out my copy of Holy Blood, Holy Grail and read it.

Today I’m having brunch with my elderly neighbor. We do this about every two weeks. She’s a dear friend, who I love spending time with. I also have several blog posts to write. On Saturday, I’ll be playing at the Plot Monkey’s site. On the 26th, Greta has graciously interviewed me. And on June 6th, I’ll be visiting the Deadline Dames. I have an entry to put together for Fresh Fiction, but I’m not sure when that will be posted. I’ll let you know when I have more info.