by Christine | LA Times Festival of Books, Life, Observations, Writing
I Did It!
I only went to the wrong parking garage twice. Sigh. BUT. Traffic behaved (though there were a couple of folks out there who learned how to drive by playing Mario Kart 8). I got there, parked, found my way to the Los Angeles Romance Authors booth (924), and settled in to start the volunteer process.
Let me tell you – we had SO many people! We were out of free goody bags way before lunch! I don’t know how Alexis Morgan-Roark and all the other wonderful volunteers did it. A great big beautiful booth, not too far from the LA Times Main Stage – we were perfectly positioned for excellent foot traffic, and we got it.
Yes, there were a LOT of people. But the Festival was spread out across the campus, so it wasn’t like we were all crammed into a performance venue. Below is our booth…The Duke, Just Ken, and Fabio got a LOT of attention. Just Ken is the object of an Opportunity Drawing…a fundraiser for our chapter. We’re hoping someone will take him home today!
There was music, there were outdoor talks that were free, there were panels and indoor talks that you needed to have previously purchased tickets for. There were food trucks galore, and they all had huge lines, but I chatted with Kelle Z. Riley and we got to know each other a bit, which was nice.
I took Sandy R. home (a chapter mate I’ve known since 2002), but unfortunately we received the wrong directions to get to the Shrine Parking Garage – We were sent to Exposition Blvd and should have been sent to Jefferson St, which we were actually closer to! Which means we walked the length of the Festival. Twice. But I got 8,200 steps in, so that counts for something, along with aching feet.
The drive home was jammed with traffic – where was everyone going??? Always a mystery…but I got Sandy home safely, and made it to my house where Tom had my bath ready. A hot bath, a lovely nap, and some wonderful Mario Kart 8 racing (Tom won, thanks to the algorhythims. Bloody blue bomb…). A tasty dinner, and a wonderful night’s sleep, and all is right with my world.
My fears dissipated with the morning clouds yesterday – and I vowed then and there that I’d be signing books next year, at the Festival of Books, with my LARA Chapter mates. Which means I have plenty of work to do now. It took me twenty years, but I did it.
Is there something that scares you, but that you know you want / need to do? Grab your courage with both hands and give it a go. You’ll never know until you step into your power and do the thing.
Sending everyone love and hugs. Always.
–Christine
by Christine | Life, Writing
After 20 Years of Resistance – I’m Being Brave. Seriously.
Seriously. It’s been at least 20 years since I’ve known about the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, but I’ve never gone. Today – in little over an hour, actually – I am going to show up. This is a BIG deal for me. I LOATHE huge crowds. I am always anxious about driving to places I’ve never been to – and anywhere downtown or near USC is enouch to put me into a near panic attack.
But I’m going. I signed up to be a volunteer at the Los Angeles Romance Authors chapter of Romance Writers of America booth (#924 in the Black Zone) for today, for six hours. I figured out parking and even paid for my spot, got the app, did the stuff. I just need to shower, dress, remember to feed myself, and actually get in the car and go.
That last part will be extremely difficult. I find I don’t like going to new places anymore at all, especially not by myself, but no one in my family wants to go, and no one in my chapter lives close enough to swing by and pick me up (or I pick them up, either way), so…it’s just me and my sense of impending doom, toddling off to USC. The main saving grace in today’s adventure – looking on the bright side here – is that it’s during the day, not at night. Also, I have a full tank of gas, so I won’t have to find a gas station down there.
I’m not going to be that stereotype person who as she gains wisdom, experience, and silver in her hair, also decides to become a hermit and never go anywhere or try anything new.
This is me, trying something new. And I’m just a few shades of terrified. I’ll take photos and write an update when I return this afternoon.
Be cool, people, and be kind. You just never know.
Always,
Christine
by Christine | Observations, Publishing, Writing
March is almost over, and I’m finally turning my attention to my website again. I know, it’s been rough and I haven’t been here. I apologize. Life, you know? At any rate…so much has been happening. I did a lot of travel after my book about Scott came out in September last year; San Diego, Massachussets, London…it all wore me out, and after we got home from London, both Tom and I got very sick. So December was mostly a rest month, and the first quarter of this year has been about me reclaiming myself.
Which basically means putting relationships in the past, after acknowledging the good and the ill I received (and gave) to them. That was a very long season of help and harm during some of my worst moments over several years; now it’s done and done, and I’ve moved on. I’m eating healthier (and feeling ill when I don’t eat healthy); I’m loving Pilates, and walking the dog, and gardening again.
And I’m back to writing. I’m behind in the book of a new series, which I’m SO excited about but can’t really talk about just yet. So there’s that. I’m also figuring out the details of getting a newsletter up and running again; as soon as I do, I’ll let the world know.
I don’t know if I’ll get back to blogging about affordable wines…it seems very few are under $10 anymore, which was my top price when I first started blogging about wine. We shall see.
In the meantime, thanks for being here. I promise I’ll be showing up more. Sending you love and lots of hugs.
Cheers,
Christine
by Christine | Observations, Writing
A year or so later…
Hello! It’s been a minute, yeah? Depression and a global pandemic stopped this girl from writing romance. Instead, I was working on my passion project – a book about my brother Scott. More on that in another post, but if you want the skinny head over to my other website where I share all the details (and more!).
I’m back to writing. My first anthology in a long time doesn’t have a romance in it from me – instead it’s a dark paranormal story called The Witches’ Revenge.
Preorder now!
The Soul Retrieval anthology is available for preorder – check it out! It’s available wherever you get your digital reading material. 11 authors exploring all your darkest paranormal dreams and showing you theirs. Join them on their journeys to the other side of reality.
Here’s a little bit of the story…a “sneak peak” if you will…
Present Day – The Storyteller
The college kids settled around the last bonfire on the beach before the new school year started, waiting for her to begin. The sun wasn’t quite down yet, and the sand still held the heat of the day. The waves added music to the evening.
Amarie smiled. They were all so young. Hopefully they’d learn something tonight that could save them in the future.
“Does everyone have snacks and beverages? Has everyone made a restroom stop? Because once this story starts, no one will want to leave before it ends.”
Brand grinned and lifted his beer. “We’re all good, Amarie.”
“You all know who I am,” she began.
“The Ageless Witch of the Beach!” someone yelled, laughing, and others hushed them.
“Ah, yes. The Witch of the Beach. I’m also your unofficial counselor. Your tarot card reader. Your truthteller.” Amarie settled more definitely on her pillows, crossed her legs, and set her hands on her knees. “I’m the one you come to when you know your friends are unable to help you, you don’t dare call the police, and you can’t bear to talk to your parents.”
At those words, a chill shivered through the crowd. Brand fed another log on the fire, and anticipation rose.
“Tonight, I am going to tell you the story of the Man of Three Faces.” She looked around. “You might have heard of him by another name, but we shall call him Trey, for he was the third of his name, and was very proud of being third but at the same time, chafed at what he perceived as neglect by his wealthy parents. So much so that he moved away right out of high school, refusing all help, and eventually lost touch with them. When our story starts, he no longer knew where they lived or what their phone numbers might be. All he was certain of was the amount deposited in his account each month from his trust fund.”
A girl’s voice piped up. “Isn’t he the one who…”
“Hush, Penny.”
Amarie smiled. “Many of you know only part of the story. Some of you know absolutely nothing of the story. I am one of the few who know the whole story, and I’m about to spill all the secrets this summer night. I’m going to have to condense it some, as it spans years. Are you ready?”
At the murmured assent, she took a breath.
“Once upon a time, there was a woman. There was Trey. And there was a chain of events that put these two together. There was another man, as well, who comes into play in our story, but this story is not a romance.
“The woman was called Grace Thompson. She worked from home in data processing, data analysis, and transcription for authors. She had very little interaction with the public, but she was well paid and enjoyed her work.
“Which was perfectly fine, you see, because she did not trust people. She did not trust her own intuition either, so she was working on honing that part of herself. In fact, she was training herself in works of magic and divination, spell casting and tarot reading, for the sole purpose of feeling more comfortable within herself and while dealing with other people. She wasn’t a joiner, but she did join a small coven in order to learn from a person, rather than books.”
“Then one day,” Amarie continued, her voice deepening, “she received an email containing an audio file to transcribe that both disturbed and called to her, in a quite specific way. This is what happened.”
Thank you for reading! I hope you pick up the anthology and finish out the story. Find out what happens to Grace and Trey.
by Christine | Writing
Good morning! So today I’m introducing you to Kellan Caine and Aubrey d’Avila, from The Hidden One (available in the box set Rite to Reign), and how I came about creating these two characters.
Kellan has been a part of the Caine world since Book 1, Demon Soul. He finds his cousin, Gabriel, as they both independently investigate a vampire stronghold in the daytime.
I wanted someone who had known Gabriel, and loved him, since Gabriel was born. Kellan was a teenager when Gabriel came into the world, and he took it on himself to protect Gabriel from his older brother, Gregor. (Long story short – Gregor saw his mother attacked and raped by a demon. Gabriel was the product of that union, and his birth killed his mother. Gregor saw only his own weakness in not protecting his mother, and it took him years not to blame his brother for his mother’s death.)
Kellan became a needed part of the Caine clan, someone who loved explosives and firepower and knew how to close portals. He chooses to live in Quartzite, Arizona…not a terribly hospitable place, but useful for being able to detonate explosives without fallout.
We meet Aubrey in Book 2, Demon Hunt (Gregor and Serra’s book), when her old college coven is called upon to help the Caines patrol for demons. A portal has been opened, and five out of the seven women in the group who come to help need to shut it down and remove the demons before the winter solstice. Out of her coven, Aubrey is one of three witches who survive. Kellan, of course, is drawn to Aubrey from the minute he sees her, but keeps his flirting to a minimum.
Aubrey is also there in Book 3, Demon Rage (Justin and Maggie’s book), but still keeping Kellan at arms’ length. He gets distracted by a police detective…but that does not end well.
We know that Aubrey and Kellan have been working together, closing portals and killing demons across the southern states, when we see them again in Wolf’s Heart; but that’s just about all we know of them. Wolf’s Heart is Doc Megan’s story.
By the time we see Aubrey and Kellan in The Hidden One, they’ve been apart for almost 
six months due to various and sundry reasonings. But The Hidden One takes them far from southern California; and together they meet the new challenges head on. The Hidden One is Book 1 of The Covenant of Witches series. Look for Book 2, The Dark One, and Book 3, The Radiant One, in Spring/Summer of 2019.
I hope you enjoyed this brief look into their relationship, and a little about them! Grab The Hidden One, a part of the limited-release Rite to Reign box set!
by Christine | Writing
Behind?
It can be difficult to keep up. We all know this, and yet we all feel guilty when we fall behind. When others are doing more than we are, which makes us feel we’re not “worthy”.
I’ve been panicked and behind for most of the past three months, and I have come to the realization that panic does not get the work done. Panic does not foster creativity. Panic does absolutely nothing to forward the situation, whatever it may be.
Please understand me, I’m not talking anxiety or panic attacks, those monster things that grab you by the throat and make it difficult to speak or move or breathe. I’m just talking about your garden variety panic.
ANYWHO…Breathe. Let go. If your situation is like mine, it’ll resolve itself in due time. Or maybe you need to shift your priorities. I’m not sure, but I do know that life is too short to always feel behind, and feel bad about it.
THE BIG PUSH!
Today is the day all the authors in the Rite to Reign box set are making a big, concerted push to get pre-orders. There are so many wonderful novels in this set, all in one place – and all for a limited time (three months total, I believe). So if you were on the fence about getting this box set, look at it this way. It’s less than a dollar, all these books are in one place, and getting them individually will cost you a LOT more, and maybe some of these books won’t be put out again.
So what do you have to lose? NOTHING, of course! Grab that box set. I promise I’ll make you my new best friend if you do!
And don’t forget about the Scavenger Hunt – it’s open until November 3rd, I believe. Go HERE to get the story from me, and make sure to check out the links to the map!
)O(
As always – thanks for listening.
