I spent the weekend in Jacksonville – just me and my husband. Only the second time since we had children that we were away from them for a night. My husband, on the recommendation of our friend Jessica, decided to treat me to a massage to ensure it would really be a relaxing weekend for me.

I was a little skeptical. I’ll admit it.

But we checked in after a wonderful lunch. The front staff was gossiping behind the counter which did nothing to calm my apprehension. We were early, so there was a short wait. It gave me a moment to go over the brochures and my husband and I to make plans for the evening. An evening without children. It was almost too much to wrap our minds around.

And then Carrie, my therapist, came for me. The moment she smiled at me, I knew I was in good hands. She immediately took me back and explained the process before leaving me to get ready. Once I settled on the heated table – relaxing in itself – she came back and got started.

Somewhere between the left hand and the right, I knew how to refocus the plot of my current WIP back to the central plot. Somewhere between my legs and my shoulders, I knew exactly how approach the changes required on one of the two manuscripts kicked back for revisions.

When Carrie finished, I felt like a new woman. My back, a constant source of pain thanks to a horseback riding accident as a child and exacerbated by my weight, didn’t hurt for the first time since my twins were born. My mind was whirling with the ideas and I couldn’t stop smiling.

While we checked out, we checked  the website and found that Massage Envy has an office in the town we’re heading. Talking to the front desk about membership packages sold us on the idea. One hour took me from apprehension at having a stranger’s hands on me to a convert.

If you’re interested in seeing what Massage Envy can do for you, check out their website and see if they’ve got an office near you! www.massageenvy.com

I highly recommend it. Thank you Carrie for a job well done.

Coming February 17th

The Ghost Shrink, the Accidental Gigolo, and the Poltergeist Accountant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is that a brilliant title or what?

For those of you who follow Samhain releases, I hope you are watching the calendar because the Tickle My Fantasy releases are coming.  This one releases on February 17^th, so I thought I’d take a moment to put it on your To BUY list.

Why?  Because it’s a riot.  I mean, come on…how many books do you know with Gigolo in the title?

But that’s not what makes it a wonderful book.  It’s a grand story for a novella.  Vivi Andrews writes it with such humor that it’ll make you think even while you’re reaching for your inhaler because you’ve laughed to the point you can’t breathe.  Yes, I know this from experience.

When she first showed this to me, I literally choked on my coffee as I sat down to read it.  The sheer brilliance of the premise combined with her humorous style had me in stitches from the very first line.   I lusted after the hero, related to the heroine to the point I wanted to be her, and found myself cheering for the plot.

When I flipped the last page, I was smiling with a lighter heart than when I started.  Why?  Because there’s nothing like a great story and honest laughter to lighten the soul.

Lucy is a Ghost Shrink who helps wayward ghosts release their worldly cares and transcend into the great beyond.  Unfortunately, a dry spell has put her a little on edge and created a situation where she’s attracting sexually repressed ghosts who just can’t get over the fact they died before they could live out some of their sexual fantasies.  In walks Jake Cox, who is thankfully not a ghost.  He’s a private investigator bent on talking to a specific ghost that he’s been tipped off will come to Lucy to work through his issues binding him to the world.

The problem?  Lucy and Jake have an instant connection and he has to keep his hands off her or the ghost won’t come.   Tie in a poltergeist account who thinks Lucy is his destiny and you’ve got a plot fit for Comedy Central.

This is Vivi Andrews first publication; however, it is not the end to her brilliance.  Her Single Titles are just as fabulous.

If you’re interested in a closer look at Vivi’s perspective, she’s the feature author on my website until the end of February where she talks about writing and how she came upon this story.

And for a teaser, why not check out Samhain’s Coming soon pages for the official blurb or link to the excerpt here?

2009 opened with a sigh rather than a bang around here.  My husband and I looked at each other at quarter past eleven and decided to give it up.  He was sleeping soundly when I watched the clock turn, my mind awhirl with excitement over the coming year.

Closing out the 2008 year, I had some serious reflection and reorientation of direction.  It marked the publication of my novella and a host of learning on my part, but it also was filled with trials – mostly internal.

I only made one resolution for 2009 – to but all that behind me and move forward.  There’s no where to go but up!

ANGELIC AVENGER is back in the vault pending revision.  HEART OF THE TIGER is awaiting revision, too.  LOVE AT FIRST SHOT is finally coming out of the vault and on the market.

The docket for 2009 is pretty  much set.  I have a vampire book nearly finished, a werewolf story ready to start, Del and Doom are slotted, too – for those of you who have asked for more of that story – and added to it is another Angel book – this one darker, edgier, and more romance oriented.  Yes, I’ve taken the wonderful feedback from ANGELIC AVENGER to heart and refocusing the Angel world accordingly with renewed excitement.

Stay tuned for more news as the ball gets rolling.

How did you close out 2008?  What kind of resolutions and realizations did YOU make?

Have you ever stopped to appreciate the little ones bouncing under your feet, especially this time of year?

Holiday decorations are up. The smells of baking and pine trees are heavy in the air. Excitement is building with every bow placed on the presents under the tree. Who’s feeling it the most?

The tiny Whos in Whoville.

One visit to the local elementary will give you the proof of it.

I volunteer twice a week and share my love of books with the Kindergarten classes. It reminds me why I write. These bright faces will someday be our target audience. Teaching them to love the written word at this age can make them readers for life.

Okay, I admit it. I do it because I love to watch them react to the funny voices as I share my favorite stories – some old, some new, but all wonderful.

Anyway, there’s been a curious phenomenon this year. For absolutely no reason with no prompting, the students have been known to burst into song. Funny versions of Jingle Bells and Frosty to crazy songs I don’t even recognize.

In the middle of lunch? Fine, no problem. They can even throw in a little dance as they line up to go back to the classroom.

In the middle of craft time? Glue goes on better with a song.

In the middle of math? Well…songs have a repeating pattern, don’t ya know?

In short…Kindergarten is like living in a Disney movie. Spontaneous bursts of song are the sign of happy children before adults pound the glow out of them. This year, it’s really hit me the most because I’ve been a Christmas grump.

In the past, the first day of December marked the happiest time of the year. Somehow, along the way, I’ve lost that joy. Granted, seeing my children happy has been rewarding; however, I just don’t get that sense of excitement over every little thing like I used to.

It makes me sad and has me even more determined to make up for lost time. So, I’ve pulled out my Disney Santa hat and began to practice my own version of Christmas carols… *wink*

Happy Holidays!

Have you ever wondered what came before?  Have you ever been fascinated by the legends of Atlantis or the origins of the Pyramids of Egypt?

Have you ever realized that the likelihood of having a similar site within driving distance is higher than you think?

My daughter is researching Creek Indians and their influence to our local culture for a school project.  While helping her do internet research, I realized two important things.  The first was, while I’m well-versed and historically educated in a variety of myths and legends involving everything from Asian mythology to Mayan death rites, I knew nothing about the mythology and cultural history of the ground I live on.

The second was that, like many people, I assumed that grand cultures were somewhere else.  South American temples and pyramids rival Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids.  There were no obvious evidence of a culture like that here, after all…right?

Wrong.  On one of my daughter’s random internet searches, we uncovered a surprising reality.  Ocmulgee Mounds – comfortably within driving distance – was a thriving Creek settlement.  Yesterday, we loaded up and took a field trip so she could see her subject first-hand.  But it wasn’t my daughter who had the biggest history lesson.

The site dates back 12,000 years.  That’s right.  TWELVE THOUSAND YEARS AGO, the American Indians had a thriving civilization.  Walking across the Macon Plateau, I felt awed and humbled by our own mound builders.  I also didn’t feel alone.

At Gettysburg, I have felt the dead watching as I tread on the grass fed by their blood.  Gettysburg is a restless presence.  The Ocmulgee site was a far more soothing, welcoming embrace similar to how it felt to walk the paths created by Vikings in Iceland.  It’s as if the ghosts from the past are glad they have not been forgotten…even if the threads of the historical records have been frayed by time.

I challenge you to do the same thing.  Take a moment out of your day to look into the possibilities of what came before European settlement in your area.  For the next six weeks, I’m going to hold a contest for a $25 iTunes giftcard.  To enter, all you have to do is comment with the State you live in and an internet link to a prehistoric or pre-European resource.

For me, it’s Georgia – and the link to the Ocmulgee Mounds (and I encourage you to check it out) is http://www.nps.gov/ocmu/.

Have you ever noticed that the full moon just brings out the lunatics?  There’s a reason lunatics originates with “luna.”

Today was just one of those days.  It had some really wonderful moments, but the day was overshadowed by a very anxious feeling over my heart.  No, there was nothing I could put my finger, just an overall feeling of anxiety lurking just beneath the surface that I couldn’t shake.

When I got home, I called Paige (my friend, Paige McKellan) and was telling her about it.  Her comment?

“Is it the full moon?”

Color me silly.  A quick check on the Moon Cycle Calendar from my bookmark reports that the moon is a Waxing Gibbous at 96% full.  Go figure.  Guess it’s going to be one of those weekends, huh?

As a shapeshifter author, you’d think this would help the writing process.  Since my latest shapeshifter novel is also a vampire book, it should be doubly so.  I’m hoping a cup of hot chocolate will shake loose the crazy crawlies up my back and boost the process along.

Dark and gloomy night, anyone?

*grins*  I feel better already!

You asked…and I listened because you were right.  And you know who you are!

I’ve been horribly remiss about my blog.  I’m sorry.  There isn’t an excuse, even.  I’ve just not done it.

As I write this, the house is quiet, the tree is bright, the fireplace is crackling, and my hot tea is getting cold because the house is entirely too cold.  As much as I love Christmas, I hate winter.  Here in Georgia, we don’t even have snow to make it worthwhile!

Yes, the woman who lived in Iceland hates the cold.  Who would have thunk it?  But, in Iceland, they have geothermal heat so there’s never a shortage of hot water and warm places to curl up.  And, in case you were wondering, Iceland is greener than Greenland, but only because Greenland is a frozen wasteland!  Okay, slight overstatement.  Only most of Greenland is a frozen wasteland – the middle of it.

But…I bet it’s a great place for Santa to put up shop!

Speaking of Santa’s workshop, has everyone’s Magic Elves arrived ready for mischief?  These delightful imps are the talk of the town around here.  Label me the clueless parent because I didn’t know what they were until this week.  I’ve jotted it down as something to pursue after Christmas.  I’ll drop a line to Santa and tell him if he’s got elves in need of a vacation after the toymaking is done, we’ll be happy to host a few.

Do you have special things you and your family do for the holidays?  I’d love to hear about them.

In the season of giving, Angela James, editor-in-chief of Samhain Publishing, is having a contest giving away not one, but TWO Kindle ebook readers as well as a slew of other prizes to make any reader happy!

How do I enter that contest?

I’m so glad you asked.  *grins* All you have to do is skip over to my website and click on the contest tab.  It’ll take you right to the information.

In fact, the contest goes live on December 1st, so if you click on that link on the first or later, it will take you directly to the forms to enter.  How cool is that?

The best part?  All you have to do is cruise authors’s websites.  Let’s hear it for the jingle of Christmas bells and the smell of pine trees…

My website link is www.kayechambers.com .

Something totally wild happened this week.

Tiger by the Tail went live on the Sony Connect Store!

Since that’s where I shop for most of my books, I was absolutely THRILLED!!  I always do a search for it when I log in, so imagine my scream when it actually popped up on Tuesday.  Yes, I see those smiles.

Then…I realized something.  The category Tiger was placed in was called Urban Studies.  Granted, it’s been a decade or more since I  had sociology, but I couldn’t see a paranormal book falling under a Nature and Science heading.

Shape-shifting tiger, Paranormal Romance, sitting right next to a treatise on Traffic?

There were 13 books listed under Urban Studies…and I seemed to be the only fiction author there.

I laughed, I cried, and then I panicked.

Have I mentioned how great Samhain Publishing is?  They put the wheels in motion to get it fixed right away.  Yesterday, it was re-categorized as a Fantasy & Paranormal Romance and filed with books Sasha feels at home with.

The silver lining?  *grins*  On Tuesday, I was #9 on the top 10 list on the Science and Nature category.  Yesterday, I fell to #10 where I’m still holding at today despite the reclassification.  I took a screen-shot of it and filed it just for giggles.

It’s not the top 100 Best Seller list of EVERY book Sony sells like my friend Paige McKellan’s Claiming Their Mate, but I’ll take it.  *grins*

For more information on Paige’s book, check out her blurb.