Month: February 2015

50 Shades of . . . Wine

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The much ballyhooed movie version of the notorious Fifty Shades of Grey is being released on Friday, which is Valentine’s Day. I’ve read the trilogy. I have no interest in seeing the movie.

However, E.L. James came up with a wonderful bit of marketing: she “created” a Fifty Shades of Grey brand of wine. There are two blends: Red Satin and White Silk.

fifty shades of wine

The slogan is “Connect with your Inner Goddess.”

I thought I’d try the wine any way.

I actually tasted both wines this summer. As a general rule, I drink red wines. This red was okay. Nothing spectacular. A few weeks later, I tried the white.

50 shades of white

It may have been the company and the setting (a group of authors, lakeside, on a gorgeous summer day) or maybe it really was the wine, but I thought the White Silk was fabulous. Light, fruity, smooth. Silky. Really. (Remember, I make fun of wine tasting notes on Twitter every Tuesday.)

Being the open-minded kind of woman I am, I’m perfectly will to try the red again. Maybe on Valentine’s Day. But only the wine. That’s the only E.J. James “creation” that appeals to me.

 

 

WIP Wednesday: Melissa Snark

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This month’s guest author is the always delightful Melissa Snark.

MelissaSnark author photo for book

MJ: Welcome, Melissa. If you didn’t write, what would be your creative outlet?

MS: That’s difficult to say since I’m really bad at all other types of art. Think I’m kidding? I’m tone deaf and so off-key that even my four-year-old daughter begs me not to sing. I can’t draw a straight line and buttons pop right off. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have a creative outlet if I couldn’t write. I’d just content myself with being a reader and living in other people’s fantasy worlds.

MJ: Describe your ideal/dream writing space.

MS: An isolated beach cabin with panoramic views. Directly adjacent to a Peet’s coffee shop. With a built in teleporter so I could return home at the end of the day w/o the commute.

MJ: What do you love most about your WIP hero?

MS: His wit. Logan is completely sarcastic and pretty damn funny.

MJ: What do you least like about your WIP heroine?

MS: There is no heroine. I’m not writing romance.

MJ: What genre is your current WIP?

MS: Folklore Fantasy / Urban Fantasy

MJ: Will you share the first few sentences of your current work-in-progress?

MS: Yes. This is from The Trickster.

The strains of braying hounds soared into the night sky, raised high on the steadily gusting wind. The rays of May’s Full Flower Moon busted the howls into pieces, so broken refrains crashed to the earth. Those soulful notes fell upon the slopes of the mountains, and occasionally became trapped in the rocky crags.

Breathing heavily with exertion, the lanky young man broke free of the forest, escaping the clinging fingers of trees determined to restrain him in branchy embrace. He charged up a sharp embankment, running on uneven rocks. The texture of the ground changed beneath his feet, growing hard and even, and he stumbled at the unexpected difference.

Stopping, he glanced down at the black surface and realization sprang upon him. A road. In the distance, the hounds sang out again and his attention jerked toward his pursuers. The hunters were gaining ground. Being run down by humans rankled. His ego which protested the impossibility. No man alive could run down a werewolf, even on two legs. At the same time, he couldn’t deny the truth his own ears reported.

MJ: And what is your current release?

MS: Battle Cry, which can be purchased from Amazon, B&N, ARe, Kobo, iTunes, Google Play, and Scribd.

Battle Cry 750

MJ: And how can readers stay in touch with you.

MS:  my website, The Snarkology; Facebook Author Page; Twitter: @MelissaSnark; Goodreads;  Amazon Author Page

MJ: Thanks again for joining me, and good luck with your books!

Reading By the Season: February

Every February, I re-read One More Valentine by Anne Stewart. I was fortunate enough to have Ms. Stewart autograph my copy a couple of years ago. ::insert fan-girl squee!::

Jamey Rafferty is a dead mobster, shot down in 1929’s St.Valentine’s Day Massacre who comes back to life every February 13 for two days. “. . . he returned each year with exactly what he left with. A package of Black Clove gum, a crumpled pack of cigarettes and a wallet crammed full of very crisp thousand-dollar bills that was supposed to pay for a shipment of Canadian bootleg liquor.” He’ll keep coming back until he finds true love.

Helen Emerson is an assistant prosecutor in Chicago, and someone from Jamey’s past is trying to kill her. Jamey has 48 hours to make sure she’s safe for at least another year.

Originally issued as a Harlequin Special Edition, the story is now available on Kindle and is again available in paperback.