Monthly Archives: June 2012

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Today is spa day

My daughter and I are having a spa day today where we will be using some of the sugar scrubs and scented lotions we’ve been making all week – plus a coconut oil hair treatment, since her hair goes to her butt. And while we’re waiting for the coconut oil to do its thing (an hour) we’ll be painting our nails and relaxing. We have been wanting to do spa day for ages but we’ve always put it off – until now. It’s going to be fun. :)

I’ve been doing the oil cleaning method for a few days and I’ve got to say my skin is fantastic. It seems counter-intuitive to deliberately put oil on one’s face but the idea behind it seems sound. I’ve only done it twice – with a day in between so as to not over-saturate my skin – and I’m impressed. Well, so far. There have been those who have a reaction after about a week of use, but in one case I think it was because the person was simply washing her face too often and her skin freaked out. It’s all about balance. The hard part is finding that balance.

In writing news, I managed to type up 4,500 words yesterday. I don’t know how that happens because at the time it doesn’t seem like I am writing so very much – I mean, in between solitaire games and minesweeper, when is a girl to write? But there you have it. If I can keep this up I hope to have the first draft of Stone Romance ready in a few weeks just so I can get the proof so I can start the long and arduous editing process and after several edits possibly send the book to beta readers to make sure there is continuity – and probably to a beta who hasn’t read Stone Lover to see if the book can stand on its own.  So, yay.

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My first author interview!

http://independentparanormal.blogspot.com/2012/06/interview-with-ac-warneke-author-of.html

Click on the link to read my first interview with Jennifer Rainey of Independent Paranormal. I enjoyed the interview because she emailed me the questions and I could write the answers down. In real life it takes my brains a few minutes to warm up and by the time it does the person I’m talking with probably thinks I’m a complete idiot. :) When I write the words are just there, but when I speak there is a bridge that has to be erected so the words can find their way out of my mouth. With people that I know well – friends and family – the bridge is solid and strong and always there; with strangers it’s a ghost bridge and I don’t always know if the fates are going to be kind and let it solidify enough to speak or if it will disappear and let the words go crashing down.

 

 

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Darkness Comes trailers (new)

New Darkness Comes book trailer

 

 

This is my Darkness Comes trailer with the new cover. The final cover is a little different and I am happy with the finished product. It will probably be a few days before the new image works its way through the system at amazon. One thing I like about smashwords – the image is available immediately and a person can upload each version of the cover since all of the files are available. It will be a few days/weeks before the new cover is available at other online book retailers.

Now that I’ve messed around with my covers and made book trailers it’s way past time to get the books written. At least the time was productive in terms of story development – I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next…. :)

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Local Author Showcase is tonight

Tonight is the night I do my first IRL author appearance at the Headquarters Library in  Fayetteville, NC. I’m excited and incredibly nervous even though there will be 15-20 other authors and I am bringing two of my minions. My third minion told me several weeks ago that he was going to be sick tonight and he wouldn’t be able to make it. The other two wanted to go as soon as I told them my application was accepted and they have been plotting accordingly. We have had t-shirts made up and business cards printed and pens designed… and I don’t know if anyone that goes to the library to meet 2- authors is really that interested in steamy romance novels, especially when I may or may not be the only romance author showing up. At least I’ll be able to offer some guidance on indie publishing. :)

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sugar scrub update

So, the other day I posted my experiences with sugar scrubs and discovered the yummiest concoction – sugar, coconut oil and vanilla. Today, I picked up a bottle of Victoria’s Secret Love Spell eau de toilette and instead of vanilla I spritzed about 10-15 spritzes into the mix and ended up with a  sugar scrub that leaves a subtle scent and glowing skin.This concoction is not edible.

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tsp coconut oil (more or less as per desired consistency – make sure it is in its liquid form)

10-15 spritzes of favorite scent (again, to desired strength)

There are a lot of great ideas out there for storing the sugar scrubs. For my first scrub I used a disposable plastic container with a screw on lid. For my second endeavor I used a short, wide mouth 8 ounce mason jar. There are ways to decorate the jars and tags that can be made in order to give the scrubs away as gifts.  I need to move on to another project… I get obsessive and start going over board in making things. I have a ton of ribbon wands that my daughter and I have made. Part of the process includes painting the wand and I find that very calming – which is something I need when I get stuck. I will have to post about the ribbon wands in a few days – if I can get a picture taken and uploaded. Those are REALLY fun.

 

 

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Sugar scrubs and other stuff

The other day, I went surfing on the web to find out how to make sugar scrubs and I found a recipe that called for sugar, olive oil and essence oils. So I made a batch up and while it make my hands very soft, it also made them smell like popcorn. Wanting a sugar scrub but not wanting popcorn-smelling hands, I went to the store to see if maybe there was another olive oil with a less olive-oil-y smell  – and I came across coconut oil. Holy crap, I got home and made up a batch with the new oil (1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup coconut oil and 1TBSP vanilla extract or a few drops of essential oils if you prefer) and it is delicious. I mean it works and smells so yummy. I am sure you can use whatever scent/essential oil you prefer but, drool, vanilla sugar scrub is wonderful. And with typing and/or writing all day, it is an necessary indulgence.

This Friday is the Local Author Showcase at the downtown library in Fayetteville, NC. It looks like it will have about 20 authors, though I am among the few (possibly the only, unless more authors signed up) romance authors. I’m not sure what to think about that. But I have my swag and my books and my minions, we’ll see how it goes. If you are in the area – or know someone who is – be sure to stop by and say hello and pick up some bookmarks and a pen.

Also, I am still waiting for Stone Lover to be approved for Premium status at smashwords. I checked the epub file and there is a gap between the end of Chapter 2 and the beginning of Chapter 3 and I am unsure how to go about fixing it since it has the exact same number of spaces as every other gap in the book – and there is no page break. I have switched the settings in my files but I haven’t uploaded the new file yet because I am giving it a full ten or twelve days to get through the backlog. Either way, it is available at smashwords.

 

** Shortly after posting this, I checked smashwords and Stone Lover had been approved for premium status so it will be shipping out to other online ebook retailers over the next couple of weeks.