Okay…this post is going to be about movies because, well, I love movies. (Movies rank third on my obsession list–after books and chocolate.)

Last weekend, I had the pleasure (and, yes, I’m being serious, not sarcastic) of seeing Snakes on a Plane. So. Much. Fun. Sure, it was a bit graphic at times–definitely not a movie for the kiddies, but it was GREAT! I am such a Samuel L. Jackson fan! Put Samuel in plane full of snakes–basically snakes hyped on crack–and you have a sure-fire winner of a movie. No, the flick isn’t going to win an Academy Award–but who cares? It was a fun film!

Now, on to other films that I am greatly anticipating…magic films (and I mean honest-to-goodness movies about magic). First up, The Illusionist starring Edward Norton. Forbidden (possibly doomed love) and a magician with unbelieveable illusions…how can I pass this one up? Next on my agenda (all right–next when it releases in October) is The Prestige. Starring Michael Caine and Hugh Jackman, The Prestige promises awe-inspiring magic…but not just parlor tricks. The preview hints that the magic may be all too real.

Very exciting–it’s been far too long since I saw a good “magic” film. Actually, I don’t think I can remember the last magic movie I watched. Anyone out there know of a few good ones?

Yay! I heard from my editor at Red Sage today–she likes Caged Wolf and wants to buy it for a future Secrets anthology! Caged Wolf is the last of my stories about my French werewolves–the trilogy is complete! I don’t have any estimated release date yet–hopefully, some time late next year (maybe December). Here’s a brief description of Caged Wolf (Alerac’s tale):

Alerac La Morte is not having a good day. He’s been drugged, kidnapped, and taken to some hole in the wall far from civilization. It seems that someone has discovered Alerac’s secret, someone knows that he’s a werewolf. He’s chained to the wall of the house, desperate for his freedom, furious…and then he sees her. Madison Langley, his captor. His mate. Just one look, and he knows that she’s the woman meant for him. But Madison hates his kind, she blames them for the death of her father, and she wants vengeance.

When captor is turned captive, Madison finds herself unable to resist Alerac’s desire, his hunger. Their need for each other is explosive, uncontrollable. And as their passion burns fiery hot, Alerac learns there’s more to his mate than meets the eye, for within her beats the heart of a wolf. Faced with the truth about herself, will Madison be able to accept her wolf nature, and will Alerac be able to convince her that he’s not the monster she thinks, that wolves are true, and when they mate…it’s forever?

I’m really excited over this sale. I’d hoped that Red Sage would buy my complete werewolf trilogy, and I’m so thrilled that I had the chance to write stories for all my Weres. (Or at least, all for now…)

Okay, I’m feeling torn. I have two story ideas that are calling to me. Two very different ideas. One is for a fun, contemporary romance (on the racy side), and the other is a dark paranormal–very dark. I want to write them both, truly I do, but I just can’t decide which to do first.

For the writers out there–does this ever happen to you? Do you get 2 (or more) completely different ideas? And if so, how do you decide which to write? I think I’m going to sit in front of the computer–one hour today, one hour tomorrow. I’ll give each story its own hour. And perhaps, well, perhaps one story will flow faster for me. Easier. I’ll just have to wait and see. Fun and light, or dark and tortured…oh, decisions.

I’ve got easily a dozen different story ideas rambling around in my head right now. One of my favs: A psychic investigator/debunker.

A few months back, Nick sent me this great link on cold reading. Very interesting little how-to guide.

For a time, I watched Crossing Over with John Edward on Sci-Fi. I didn’t watch it because I believed Mr. Edward was actually contacting the dead. I watched because I thought the guy was a great showman. Was he a cold reader? Or a true psychic? Honestly, I didn’t care–I just loved seeing the way he responded to his audience.

But the next time I’m with a large group of people, I think I might just try my hand at cold reading. Just to see what happens…

Okay, now that things are getting semi back to normal here in Alabama, I can finally get around to giving my RWA Recap. So, here goes:

I arrived late Wednesday–just in time to check in and then hop over to the Literacy Signing. Wow–talk about wild. The place was packed! So many authors, so many readers. After the signing, I went to The Gathering. Great event–several editors and agents spoke about the paranormal genre (and there was a chocolate fountain!!!–talk about my kind of event…). I sat at a table with several wonderful authors, including Jeri Smith-Ready. Her book, Eyes of Crow, will be released from Luna on Octover 24. (After reading the blurb, I can’t wait to get my hands on the book!)

On Thursday, I attended the Crime in Mind workshop and then a body disposal workshop–both were great. Later, I took a trip to the aquarium with Nick and Jack–the place was jam packed with people, but I still enjoyed seeing the Beluga whales and the whale sharks. Thursday night, I went to the eHarlequin PJ party–very fun.

Friday was full of workshops. I attended several spotlights and went to the Passionate Ink luncheon. Then I joined in for the Blaze anniversary party. For dinner, I met with the Red Sage authors–what a great bunch of ladies! Everyone was so gracious and fun!

By Saturday, I was pretty much exhausted. I pitched to an editor, got a request for a full, and attended more spotlights.

So, from all my spotlights, here are a few highlights:

NAL (New American Library) prefers agented submissions, but will consider unsolicited materials. Unsolicited submissions should be mailed to: Editorial/Romance, New American Library, 375 Hudson, New York, NY 10014. Initial submissions should include the following: a cover letter, first 3 chapters of the work, a synopsis of 5-10 pages, and a SASE. The current response time is 3 to 4 months.

To submit a historical or contempoary romance (including paranormals) to Avon, you must query first. Send the query to avonromance@harpercollins.com. Also, here’s a fun bit of info on Avon–check out their fanlit site: www.avonfanlit.com. Editors and writers will be teaming up on the fanlit site to write a novella. Very interesting idea.

Okay, that’s all my news for now. I brought home a ton of free books, met a lot of really wonderful writers (PJ, Lynda, Leigh C., Leigh W., Jane, Rachelle, Terri, Rae, Calista, MK, and many, many more) and I met a great lady from Germany who is operating the equivalent of a German Romantic Times–it’s called LoveLetter Magazin.

So, my verdict? Interesting, informative, but oh, so tiring…I think I need to sleep for at least 3 days in order to fully recover.