Jax's Artistic Journey...

Curious? Go to Cassidy Kent's Website and view the Literary Trailers that I've created for SUNSET KEY and SANTA'S HELPER.

Love to have your input.

Thanks!

Enslave Me Sweetly by Gena Showalter
She has the heart of a killer, and the body of an angel. . .

Eden Black walks among humans, protecting them from the murderous evil of other-worlders who abduct and enslave. And though she appears to be human herself, Eden is an alien, a Raka, distinguished by her golden hair and skin, and gifted with the ominous ability to kill without remorse – and with total accuracy. That is, until the fateful night she has one shot to eliminate her target, a human slaver – and misses.

“Failure” is not in Eden’s vocabulary. Neither is “partner” – but that’s what she is forcibly assigned after recovering from her disastrous mission. A sexy, steely-nerved human agent, Lucius Adaire enjoys nothing more than sparking the fury – and rousing the desire – of the fiery female assassin to proud to admit defeat. Locked in an assignment they cannot afford to lose, Lucius and Eden find themselves bound in two high-stakes, heart-pounding games: the dangerous web of kill or be killed, and the erotic dance of seduction. . .

Showalter first demonstrated her skill at blending sizzling romance and nail-biting suspense set in a convincing futuristic society in Awaken Me Darkly (2005). She now continues the roller-coaster-like adventure in an equally entertaining tale that will please a wide cross section of readers. *Starred Review* Booklist.

Order your copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or BooksAMillion.

For more information, visit Gena’s website at http://www.genashowalter.com and her blog at http://www.genashowalter.blogspot.com

You Are Rogue

You're reluctantly special. In fact, you long to be normal. You consider your powers to be a curse, and something you can't control. Powers: absorbing other people's memories and abilities, weakening and killing people with your touch

Got my tix, ready for the 9:40 PM showing of X-MEN: The Last Stand

Granted, I haven't heard favorable reviews regarding the story, but I don't care. The only thing I care about is HUGH JACKMAN...okay, I'm also in it for the action and some of the returning characters like Rogue, Iceman...

I would have so enjoyed seeing Gambit, alas, it may be another adventure in itself. Okay, my game plan is to get there at 7-ish and wait in line for good seats. Who knows how many comic book dweebies I'll be fighting with for preemo center seats, so I'm coming armed with Dweeb Repellent.. hehe. How about dirty looks and a mouth like a sailor? That should work as well.

Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Be safe and come back and visit.

I spent the weekend at the NoHo Arts Festival, attending a b-day, writing on the Samba entry and editing Ghosthunter to send out this week. I've had like 5 hours of sleep so far and I'm ready to pass out at the keyboards. Lucky for me it's a quiet 3 days without the new boss! They're at a conference that I was suppose to be at, but I got out of it!!! Whew!

The NoHo Arts Festival consists of blocking most of 2 major streets in my area. They set out booths to sell and display art, food vendors of all sorts, two oversized stages for live music, a mini-fair complete with ferris wheel and games...and last but not least, chalk art! Well, these artists spend 3 days on an artpiece by using pastel or colored chalks to create a masterpiece on sections of the road. The art gets judged on the last day and it's pretty darn exciting. Of course, I hate that my street is trashed by the spectacles and there's over crowding and no parking spaces, but once the event is done..they're all gone! :p

I have to tell you...the major highlight of the festival is the BBQ turkey legs that were, no kidding, the size of my head. They were sooooooo Yummmmmmmy! I can't even describe the magnitude of the flavors and the juiciness of the meat! I'm such a carnivore... Of course, the best part of my Sunday was working on Samba and when I took a break to stretch a bit, I saw Samba dancers on stage! The dancers were in full costume with plenty of sizzling moves...as my Samba story is set in Rio during Carnival...it fit right in! What a great sign! I was so jazzed about it. Okay, once I got back to the apartment I knew it was time to finish my GH project so I edited for 7 hours straight..no wonder I'm fried today.

Yawn...rainy days and Mondays always get me down....

I'm alive! Just getting along with life. With this new job I've been swamped with a major event coordinating for Vegas. Lucky for me, I'm not going. Serious. I need to finish my edits on GHOSTHUNTER and work on the Samba submission.

Can you say distractions? I've been forced to turn in artwork for an artshow that was so disorganized that I thought I'd never do art again! Needless to say, I'm not committing to anything like this in a long time!

Then, there's this carnival that was set up in the park last weekend where I stuffed my face with hotdogs and dacquiris..I forced Amanda to ride the ferris wheel with me and she confessed about her fear of heights. Great going! Of course, she did it so eloquently when we were stuck at the very top and she was worried I'd rattle the seat. :)

Now there's a street arts festival set up on a major street and will be going through the weekend. How am I suppose to get any writing done! I will be writing, so maybe I'll visit the festival when I get a moment.

Oh yea, it's my friend's birthday Saturday..so I have to go to that, too!!!! Yikes, will it ever calm down?

For all you LA folks...I was told two days ago my art show would be Friday. Yes, you're right, I was not thrilled about last minute notices. This means, no sending out pretty little postcards, no early evites, no 'nothing'... so, what can I do except stay up all night getting my art ready. Hope ya'll can make it.

Here's the 411 if you'd like to see my artwork:

Date: Friday, May 12, 2006
Time: 8:00 - 10:00PM
Location:
Amsterdam Cafe
10905 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(On Magnolia across from the Ralph's supermarket. Close to Vine Street.)
Tel: (818) 506-1938
Drinks: Provided, donation appreciated

Dilemma #1

I just got a job and have been there for two weeks and today I get a phone call for a better position with better pay elsewhere. It's even a promotion!

Sigh..what to do? What to do?

Dilemma #2

Got three agent request which should be outstanding...but when I sent out the queries I was expecting a long turnaround. I'm in the midst of a killer re-write to get this thing totally polished..and it looks like it'll be like 3 weeks before I'll be done..now, would these folks be annoyed if I don't send it out right away from their request or they won't remember?

I'm sure they keep a log, but I want to get it right and land a killer agent.

Sigh..the pressures of trying to have a real career! :)

Now on tour...

MIDNIGHT SECRETS by Jennifer St. Giles
(Berkeley, May 2, 2006)

"When two are born together, one will die by the other's hand..."

This is the Dragon's Curse that has plagued the Killdarens for generations and continues on in this tale set on the Cornish Coast of 1879 England.

Sean and Alex thought they'd escaped the Dragon's curse until in a rage of suspicion and accusation the twins come close to killing each other the night the woman they both loved was murdered. Eight years later, the only thing they agree on is to remain unwed and childless, to never pass on the Dragon's Curse. Then another woman disappears. This time from Sean Killdaren's castle and his reclusive world is shattered when Cassie Andrews, a journalist, goes undercover as a downstairs maid. He can no more ignore her than he can ignore the murderer hiding behind the secrets of Killdaren Castle's stone walls.

Excerpt:
http://www.jenniferstgiles.com/midnightsecrets.shtml

ABOUT JENNIFER ST. GILES
Following the birth of her third child, Jennifer St. Giles quit her job as a nurse and became a home educator to her three children and pursued her life long dream of writing in her "spare time". Jenni lives in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband of twenty-three years, her three children, two cats, one dog, and a two-handfuls of neighborhood kids who make the household the wildest most wonderful Grand Central Station in existence.

REVIEWS
St. Giles brings the classic Gothic to a new sensual level. . .combining dark atmosphere and the twisted plot of great mystery. Four Stars - RT BOOKClub ...a terrific Victorian romantic suspense that grips the reader and the paranormal elements blend in completely... Harriet Klausner Midnight Secrets incorporates classic Gothic themes with its brooding atmosphere... filled with tragedies and secrets. Susan Wilson

Website:
http://www.jenniferstgiles.com

I love summer...it marks the beginning of a series of back-to-back movie releases.. which I am an avid movie watcher...well, will be again. Okay, so the last movie I've seen was "American Dreams" which I thought sucked.

But I'm not going to talk to you about that. I want to talk to you about a beautiful Korean movie (with a paranormal element) called "Il Mare" which was beautifully written, gorgeously shot, and terrifically acted out-- but now I've heard they've re-made the movie and it's called "The Lake House" which stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Of course, like all things adapted, there are plenty of changes but I'm hoping they will keep the magical element of the movie... which comes down to amour, a key to why the Korean version was such a big hit. It was beautifully crafted and it was just a sweet romantic journey.

That said... THE LAKE HOUSE will be released June 16th.

Synopsis:

Two people develop an unusual relationship that bends the boundaries of time and place in this romantic fantasy. Kate Forster (Sandra Bullock) is a doctor who lives in a beautiful home by a lake. Forced to move elsewhere, she requests that any correspondence that arrives at the lake house be passed on to her new address. To her surprise, she soon receives a romantic note from Alex Burnham (Keanu Reeves), an architect who lives in the cottage she once called home. However, a look at the postmark on the letter reveals that he lived at the home two years before she did, and that somehow they've come in contact with one another through a space in time. A remake of Lee Hyun-seung's acclaimed Korean romance Il Mare (aka Siworae), The Lake House was the first American production from Argentinean filmmaker Alejandro Agresti; the supporting cast includes Christopher Plummer, Dylan Walsh, and Lynn Collins.

Watch the trailer: I think you'll love it.

I checked on the Phaze site today to see our rankings on the Surge Bestseller's List and SUNSET KEY is #1! We crept up from the #5 slot and in a few days we're on top! Woohoo!

I'd like to thank everyone who has purchased the novella and for all my friends who have supported me through my first publication! It really does mean a lot to me...so THANKS!!!!