Eeeeeew!

Beware! Sometimes the creepiest things happen in your own back yard.

I found that out in a big way a couple days ago. I’m lounging on the back porch when I feel some kind of insect crawling/buzzing near my ear. Not thinking too much about it, I brush it away. What happened next was bizarre. Instead of flying off, the thing dashes RIGHT INTO MY EAR!

OMG! I slap at my ear and dig my finger in. The thing burrows in deeper. I jump up and shake my head like a crazy woman. I can feel the thing crawling around in my ear, and it is about the WORST THING EVER. I don’t even know what kind of bug it was! But it wasn’t any tiny little thing. A fat fly? Or…OMG - a YELLOW JACKET? OMG! How long before it stings me? Images of Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn explode in my brain. I know just how Chekov felt when Kahn’s slug thing slithered into his ear.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!

I run inside the house screaming for my husband, who’s in the basement playing video games with the kids. He yells back for me wait a minute. Wait a minute? Wait a minute? While some alien bug burrows into my brain and takes over my thought processes? I can feel the thing wriggling. I’m clawing at my ear. “Wait a minute” suddenly sounds like grounds for divorce.

“No!” I scream. “I need you NOW!”

My panic must have cut through the video game haze. The DH bounds up the steps, my son and daughter on his heels.

“I’ve got a bug in my ear! Get it out! Get it out now!”

I’m thinking DH will need tweezers, or will have to haul me to the emergency room, but luckily as soon as I stop clawing at my ear long enough for him to look, the bug decides that maybe this nice dark hole isn’t quite the safe haven it had supposed. It crawls out and drops onto the floor.

It’s a creepy skinny black beetle with pincers.

My hands are shaking, I can’t breathe, and my ear is bleeding from a gash inflicted by my fingernail. DH gallantly scoops up the monster and disposes of it. I gulp in a lung full of air and try to calm down. My son thinks this is the coolest thing. My daughter puts her hands over her ears and declares that she’s never going outside again in her entire life.

DH says he hopes the thing didn’t lay any eggs while it was in there.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!

meet me at...

Hope to see you online or in person at one of the following events!

Sunday June 28 – 8-11 pm ET
Writerspace Beach Party Chat
More than 100 authors - register before the chat to be eligible to win many, many prizes! I’ll be joining the chat around 10 pm ET, and giving away a copy of A Little Light Magic!
Event info: www.writerspace.com/beach/


Jersey Shore Booksignings - if you're nearby, please stop to say hello!

Friday, July 3, 7-9 pm
Island HalfPrice Books
9412 Ventnor Avenue, MARGATE, NJ (where A Little Light Magic takes place!)
event info: 609-822-0300

Tuesday, Aug 4 11 am - 1 pm
SunRose Words and Music
756 Asbury Avenue, Ocean City, NJ
event info: 609 399-9190


DragonCon!

September 4-7
DragonCon Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention (OMG, my FIRST DragonCon ever!!!!)
Atlanta, Georgia
event info: www.dragoncon.org

All the best!

Joy Nash
www.joynash.com



Available NOW!

A Little Light Magic

Summer at the Jersey Shore has never been so hot!

Happy Summer!

Summer is here! Hooray!

And I will cling firmly to that calendar fact, even though the weather around here has not been very summerlike. It's been rainy and unseasonably cool. But hey, that just means the sun is due to be out soon, right?

In the meantime, all the rainy weather has forced armies of ants out of the ground to invade my kids' bedrooms.

First they went to my son's room, where a few days ago he woke to find a juice glass from a couple days before (he hadn't brought it down to the kitchen) covered with ants. Thinking quickly, he killed all the ants, washed the glass, and sprayed his room with the best insect deterrent he had on hand - his Axe deodorant. (hey, if Avon Skin So Soft can keep away mosquitoes...) Figuring I would be less than pleased (he was right), he didn't happen to mention the invasion to me.

The ant army, choking on Axe fumes, staggered across the hall to his sister's room - a place that has a lot in common with an archeological dig. The ants were soon happily roaming amid years of junk, hunting (and finding) candy & gum wrappers and soda tabs. There were enough of the little critters to send my daughter to sleep in the basement last night.

The upshot is that the ants have managed to get my daughter to do what her mother (aka ME!!) has tried and failed to do for the last three years - clean off her desk and dresser!!

Yay ants!!

And now for the moment you've been waiting for - my last three Countdown winners!! They are...

• dsadler53 - commented on 6/19 post at 9:41 pm

• Laney4 - commented on 6/15 post at 3:12 pm on 6/16

• Armenia - commented on 6/17 post at 12:40 am on 6/18

Congrats!

Each winner will receive her choice of one of my backlist books - Immortals: The Reckoning Anthology, Immortals: The Crossing, Deep Magic, Immortals: The Awakening, The Grail King, Celtic Fire, Crystal Shadows, Ultimate Warriors, or Alien Encounters.

To aid your choice...check my website - www.joynash.com - for info on all my titles. Please respond by email to joy@joynash.com with your snail mail address to claim your prize. If you respond by Tuesday nite, I'll be able to get your book out to you this week. If not, it'll be sometime after the 4th of July.

Thanks to all of you for counting down to summer with me these last couple of months! It's been a blast! I'll be taking a bit of a break until after the 4th of July.

If you happen to be at the Jersey Shore for the holiday weekend, you're invited to stop by Island Half-Price Books, 9412 Ventnor Ave, Margate New Jersey (609-822-0300) on Friday July 3, from 7-9 pm, where I'll be chatting with readers and signing copies of A Little Light Magic.

Be sure to check back here after the 4th of July--especially on Fridays--when I resume blogging. You'll hear more about my fall releases Santa Honey and Silver Silence, and about The Watchers, my new paranormal series about the fallen angels known as the Nephilim, which is set to debut in 2010 with back-to-back releases.

Thanks!

Joy Nash
www.joynash.com



Available NOW!

A Little Light Magic

Summer at the Jersey Shore has never been so hot!

Silver Silence

Days until the Summer Solstice: 2 !!!!!

Day in the life of a paperback writer... (cue Beatles music)

Yesterday I was proofing the galley pages for Christmas Unplugged, my novella in the October Santa Honey Anthology, when my editor called wanting to discuss edits on Silver Silence, my November Druids of Avalon book. Here's the abridged version of what she said:

"Loved it, loved it, loved it! Couldn't put it down, but... it's running a bit long so I cut out Chapter Two and axed a few flashback scenes, plus I have a bunch of other questions. I'm emailing the file, can you read it through and do the edits by Monday?"

LOL. So now you know what I'm doing for the weekend.

So far I've read about the first quarter of the book, where my editor's cyber red pen did most of its work. I have to admit, the pacing of the story has really improved. That's why editors get the big bucks, right?

Though I do love the lost flashback scenes. I wrote them to show the long pre-story history between the hero, Rhys, and the heroine, Breena. They'll not disappear completely, though. I've already decided they'll be joining the other "Before the Book" and "Between the Books" Druids of Avalon shorts on my website.

In the meantime...here's the very first sneak peek of Silver Silence....

Duty dooms Rhys to wander the endless roadways and wild forests, searching for Druid initiates for Avalon. It’s a hopeless, solitary life, that drives Rhys to take refuge in shameful dark passions, even as he longs for the young, innocent sister of his best friend.

When Breena disappears into the dangerous and mystical Lost Lands, Rhys does not hesitate to follow. He finds himself in Britain’s grim future, a troubled time when the dark magic Breena has foreseen threatens to extinguish the Light of Avalon.

And Rhys discovers that only together can he and Breena unravel the secret linking their past with the future King that is Britain’s last hope.


Excerpt...

The shore was cold and damp. The seat of Rhys's breeches was wet where his arse touched the ground. The discomfort was welcome. Or, if not exactly welcome, tolerated. It allowed Rhys to focus on the wretchedness of his body, rather than the wretchedness of his soul. For that small distraction, he was grateful.

Silence spread like a woolen blanket over Avalon. Far off, a raptor screeched. Perhaps it was Hefin, hunting. The village, however, slept. Rhys had tried to do the same, on the spare pallet in Trevor's roundhouse. He was as tired as he could ever remember--exhausted in soul as well as body. But sleep would not come.

Sleep never came to him easily, here on Avalon.

Aye, he could drop off at a moment's notice camped by the road, under trees and sky. He slept effortlessly in vermin-ridden hay lofts, or wrapped in a thin blanket in front of some stranger's hearth. And he'd slumbered soundly in any number of beds belonging to widows and whores.

But here in Avalon, surrounded by the people he loved, and who loved him in return, he could not sleep. His loneliness was too profound, his hurt too deep.

He wanted what he could not have. Desperately.

Gwen had scolded him soundly for staying away so long. He was sorry to have frightened his twin. Once they had been so close, they had shared nearly every thought, but now Gwen's husband was first in her heart, and her connection with her twin had faded. Still, his sister loved him deeply, even if she understood him less well. He wondered if she suspected that Breena was the reason Rhys had stayed away so long.

Now that he could no longer tell himself she was too young to give herself to a man, he could not look at her without wanting her beneath him. Or on her knees, her red lips parting eagerly. Or bent over a bed, or chair, or even a log… he broke the thought with a shudder of guilt.

Perhaps there might have been hope, had Breena been raised in poverty, as Rhys had been. Until four years ago, Breena's home had been a prosperous Roman estate. She'd been born to luxuries Rhys hadn't even known to dream of during his own childhood. The comfort and security of the Celtic settlement of Avalon was a primitive life for her. The hard life of a wandering minstrel's wife? He almost laughed. Unthinkable.

He stared into the fog and the darkness. He should not have come. Visiting Avalon, far from comforting him, had only driven loneliness and hopelessness deeper into his cold heart.

"Rhys?"

He would have known her voice at a hundred paces. As it was, she spoke from only a few steps behind his back. He dropped his head and pressed his forehead to his bent knees. He could not face her. Not now. Perhaps if he gave no answer, she would simply leave.

He should have known better. Even as a small lass, Breena had been too stubborn for her own good.

"Rhys, what are you doing here all alone? Are you...all right? You're not ill, are you?"

He admitted defeat by lifting his head. "Nay."

He didn't look back as she approached. His body tightened as she neared, the scent of roses wafting before her. He could not suppress the wholly inappropriate hardening of his body.

She stood beside him, just visible in his peripheral vision, hesitant, shivering. His first instinct was to pull her into his arms and warm her. But because he had some measure of honor left, he did not.

"Why are you here?" Her teeth chattered a little. She rubbed her arms. "The whole village is asleep."

"You are not."

She did not answer. He did not rise, nor did she move to sit. He glanced up at her, but could not discern her expression in the darkness.

"But you should be asleep," he said. "Did you follow me, Bree?"

"Yes," she confessed. "I woke and...I needed air. I opened my shutters, and saw you leave Trevor's roundhouse. When you did not return..."

"You should not have come after me. You should be in bed."

She hugged herself more tightly. "I...have not been able to sleep much of late."

He caught the tremor of fear in her voice. "The silver visions?" he asked sharply. "Have they returned?"

"Yes, the visions..." She blew out a white plume of breath. "But that is not all. You were gone so long. Even Gwen was frightened for you. As for me...I think of you often, Rhys. Especially at night, when I..." Her voice faltered.

Dear gods in Annwyn! He did not want to hear this. She stood so close now, her skirt brushed his knee. Exactly when she'd moved, he did not know.

She sat down beside him. He fought the urge put his arm around her. Or get up and run. He wasn't sure which he wanted to do more.

"The ground is wet," he said.

"I don't care."

A heavy silence fell between them. It lengthened into awkwardness. The night seemed to contract around him, until the darkness contained nothing but the lap of water on the shore, the shush of Breena's breathing, and his own pounding heart.

He inhaled her scent. She must have put rose oil in her bath water. It was a Roman fragrance, very much prized by wealthy women. The aroma seemed to draw a thin, straight line between them. He did not try to cross it. He knew better.

Unfortunately, she did not. "Will you stay the winter in Avalon? I...I do hope so. Everyone has missed you." She paused. "I have missed you."

He was ashamed at how fiercely he drank in those four words. She had missed him. His cock responded, even as he fought to remain detached from a rush of tangled emotions. In the grand scheme of things, it did not matter that Breena missed him.

"I'll stay perhaps a sennight," he said. "Until the harvest feast. After that...I must go."

She uttered a sound of dismay. "But that is hardly any time at all! Gwen will not have it, Rhys, I am telling you that right now. She will not allow you to--"

"My sister has no authority over my comings and goings." The words were harsher than he'd intended.

Breena sucked in a breath. "I...I didn't mean to imply that she did. Only...only that she loves you. She misses you dreadfully when you're gone."

"No one should miss me. I am not a part of Avalon."

"How can you say that? Why, you're the most important part of us! Without you, the sacred isle would be all but deserted. Most of us are only here because you brought us."

It was true. Of Cryic's original small band of Druids, only Mared and Padriag remained. And Gwen, of course. All the others... Dead. Or lost.

As Rhys was.

"I'm used to wandering," he told her. "I am more comfortable on the road."

"What nonsense! You could not possibly be."

He made no reply.

"Mared says in the past, when Cyric was alive, you visited far more often, and stayed longer. But now that your grandfather is dead, and your freedom greater, you stay away. Rhys, is it...is it because of me? Do you...do you hate me so much?"

He turned so abruptly she lurched backward. He grabbed her arm to steady her. He released her an instant later, as if he'd touched a hot coal.

"I could never hate you." He swallowed. "How could you imagine such a thing? You are like a sis--

"I am not your sister! I never was, and I don't want to be. Rhys, I lo--"

"Gods in Annwyn, Breena!" He jerked to his feet. "Do not say it. Please."

She stared up at him. "Why not? It is the truth."

"What you want from me can never be the truth between us."

Slowly, she pushed to her feet, regarding him with sober eyes. "Rhys. You are shaking."

He was. He turned and paced a few steps away. His hand went to the back of his neck. He needed some space.

But her voice followed. "I understand now why you rejected me that day at my father's house. I know why you flung all those hurtful words at me. I was too young for what I was asking of you. But, Rhys, that was four years ago. I'm no longer that girl. I'm a woman now."

He clenched his teeth. Gods. Aye, she was a woman. A lush, tempting...

Her words battered him. "There's no longer any need to push me away. Don't you see? I love you, Rhys. I always have, and I always will. And I think you l--"

Something snapped inside him. He spun around, and stalked toward her. "Breena, stop. Before you say something you'll regret."

"No! I won't. I'll say what's in my heart. I lov--mmph!"

He'd covered her mouth with his palm. His other hand gripped her shoulder. "Don't," he pleaded. "Don't."

Her eyes were huge. In the moonlight they looked gray rather than the clear blue he knew them to be. And in them...a spark of dangerous, feminine knowledge.

Her lips parted. Her breath bathed his palm. Before he could react, before he could even think, she tasted his skin with the tip of her hot, wet tongue.

The tiny point of moisture caused his brain to seize. His body, already more than half hard, flashed into full arousal. And still, he might have resisted. Might have pulled back completely, and retained some shred of his honor.

If she hadn't pressed her open palm on his stomach.

And slid it downward, slowly.

;-)


Joy's Countdown to Summer's final week of prizes...

Three readers will receive winner's choice of any book from my backlist, including hard to find small press releases.

• Alien Encounters (my novella is "Dream Guardian" in this futuristic anthology which also features stories by Ashley Ladd, Dominique Tomas, and Jane Toombs - New Concepts Publishing)
• Ultimate Warriors (my novella is "Heroes Incorporated" in this superhero anthology which also features stories by Jaide Fox, Breena Lyons and Michelle M. Pillow - New Concepts Publishing)
• Crystal Shadows (full length fantasy romantica novel from Ellora's Cave)
• Or...the winners can choose any one of my first six Dorchester books, Celtic Fire, The Grail King, Immortals: The Awakening, Deep Magic, Immortals: The Crossing, Immortals: The Reckoning Anthology.
  
• Check my website - www.joynash.com - for more info on all my books!

Comment on any post from Monday June 15 until Saturday June 20 for a chance to win. I was going to choose the winner at the precise moment of the Summer Solstice on Sunday June 21, until I googled it and found out that's 1:45 AM EDT! Since I'll most likely be sound asleep at that time, I'll pick the winners sometime after I wake up on Sunday, and post by Sunday night.


Good luck!

Joy Nash
www.joynash.com



Available NOW!

A Little Light Magic

Summer at the Jersey Shore has never been so hot!

Sneak Peek - Santa Honey

Days 'till the Summer Solstice: 4


It's Christmas in June time! Here's the very first sneak peek of my humorous contemp novella "Christmas Unplugged" from Dorchester's upcoming October Christmas Anthology SANTA HONEY.


Christmas Unplugged: 2 Brothers + 2 Sisters + 0 Electricity = 1 Unforgettable Holiday

Casey’s little sister Emma, having dumped her cheating boyfriend, is left with a fully paid, non-refundable Christmas getaway for two at Dutch Gorge, a remote Adirondack lodge.

Casey agrees to come along to nurse Emma’s broken heart...just as long as she can bring her laptop and catch up with some work over the holiday. Except Emma neglects to enlighten her big sis on one important detail about the weekend…


Casey reached into the trunk for one last bag.

"Might as well leave that one," Matt told her.

She glanced up at him. "What?"

"That's a computer, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why bring it in? You won't be able to use it."

She straightened, setting one hand on the open trunk door and trying to grip both her bag and his flashlight in the other. The beam bounced wildly.

"You mean because this God-forsaken crack in the Earth's crust is in a satellite blind spot? I already know that. My GPS lost its signal even before we started down the mountain. So I'm guessing there'll be no Internet, either. But that's okay. I can work without it."

He snorted. "Can you work without electricity?"

She froze in the act of slamming the trunk. Her eyes jerked to his, and even in the darkness, he could tell they were appalled.

"Without electricity? You can't be serious."

"Perfectly serious, honey. Dutch Lodge is off the grid."

Her head swiveled toward the house. "But...there are lights--"

"Gas light," he said. "And oil lamps. Don't tell me you didn't notice? It's usually the first thing that guests comment on."

"No." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "I didn't notice. But...what about TV? Hot water?" She sucked in a breath. "Heat?"

"Sorry, no TV. But there's plenty of hot water, courtesy of a mountain spring Uncle Fred piped in years ago. A large propane tank out back takes care of the gaslights and water heaters. And there's a fireplace or wood burning stove in every room. Don't worry, you'll get your hot baths, and you won't freeze."

"But--no electricity? How can anyone live without electricity?"

He laughed. "It's not so bad. I grew up here, you know, and managed to survive."

"But...but..."

The sounds of her sputtering shock made him wish for a stronger flashlight. "Didn't you know about the electricity? It's all in the brochure your sister was waving arou--" He cut off, and laughed outright.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"You didn't read that brochure, did you? And your sister didn't tell you."

Casey slammed the trunk. The crash echoed off the sides of the gorge like a gunshot.

"No," she ground out between clenched teeth. "She did not. But she is certainly going to answer for it now."

Still clutching her laptop case, she flung herself in the direction of the house, her footsteps hard and fast. Well, as hard and fast as footsteps could get in six inches of new snow.

"You know," he said, juggling the baggage as he fell into step beside her. "Most guests at Dutch Lodge consider the lack of electricity a good thing. In fact, it's the reason most people come here. To get away from civilization."

"Yes, well, I like civilization just fine. I don't want to get away from it. No electricity," she added under her breath. "This is insane. That brat is going to die. Painfully."

That repressed violent streak again, Matt thought, impressed.

"She's just lucky I've got some battery life. If I make it to tomorrow morning, I might let her live."

"Why?" Matt asked. "What happens tomorrow morning?"

She spun toward him, stumbling, then catching her balance. The flashlight beam glanced off the white ground. "What happens in the morning is that we're leaving. Whether Emma wants to or not."

Matt couldn't suppress a bark of laughter. "Leaving? Sorry to disappoint, but I really doubt that's gonna happen."

"Oh, it's going to happen, all right. The instant the sun comes up, I'm outta here."

The wind chose just that moment to kick up a wintery blast. "I'm curious," Matt shouted over the rising wind. "Did you happen to check the local weather report before driving into the gorge?"

They'd reached the house. Casey stomped up the three steps to the porch before turning to glare down at him. "No."

He smiled.

Trepidation crept into her voice. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I was listening to the update on the shortwave just before you got here. This storm's turning nasty, and it's going to last all night. They're predicting two feet."

"Two feet?" Casey's mouth fell open. "Of snow?"

"Well, not of rose petals," Matt assured her. "So I'm pretty sure no one's going anywhere tomorrow. Least of all you."



Joy's Countdown to Summer's final week of prizes...

Three readers will receive winner's choice of any book from my backlist, including hard to find small press releases.

• Alien Encounters (my novella is "Dream Guardian" in this futuristic anthology which also features stories by Ashley Ladd, Dominique Tomas, and Jane Toombs - New Concepts Publishing)
• Ultimate Warriors (my novella is "Heroes Incorporated" in this superhero anthology which also features stories by Jaide Fox, Breena Lyons and Michelle M. Pillow - New Concepts Publishing)
• Crystal Shadows (full length fantasy romantica novel from Ellora's Cave)
• Or...the winners can choose any one of my first six Dorchester books, Celtic Fire, The Grail King, Immortals: The Awakening, Deep Magic, Immortals: The Crossing, Immortals: The Reckoning Anthology.
  
• Check my website - www.joynash.com - for more info on all my books!

Comment on any post from Monday June 15 until Saturday June 20 for a chance to win. I was going to choose the winner at the precise moment of the Summer Solstice on Sunday June 21, until I googled it and found out that's 1:45 AM EDT! Since I'll most likely be sound asleep at that time, I'll pick the winners sometime after I wake up on Sunday, and post by Sunday night.


Good luck!

Joy Nash
www.joynash.com



Available NOW!

A Little Light Magic

Summer at the Jersey Shore has never been so hot!

winners - contact me!

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post ....winners Ruby, Phyllis and Darby'sCloset - please email me at joy@joynash.com with your snail mail addresses!

Thanks!

Joy

Winners and final countdown week preview!

Days 'till the Summer Solstice: 6

This week's winners!

• Darby'scloset (commented on 6/14 post on 6/15 @ 12:47) - choice of an Immortals title by Joy Nash: Immortals: The Awakening, Immortals: The Crossing, or Immortals: The Reckoning (anthology)

• Phyllis C (commented on 6/10 post on 6/11 @ 11:45 pm) - Insufficient Mating Material by Rowena Cherry
  

• Ruby D (commented on 6/8 post on 6/12 @ 12:52 am) An Accidental Demonslayer by Angie Fox

And now we're down to our last week before summer! I can hardly believe it. What's up? A recipe, a musing, and the VERY FIRST SNEAK PEEKS of my upcoming fall releases:

• October - a humorous contemp novella "Christmas Unplugged" in the Christmas Anthology SANTA HONEY (also featuring stories by Sandra Hill and Kate Angell)
  
  
• November - SILVER SILENCE - a Druids of Avalon novel - Rhys and Breena's story!
  

I'll also be giving away three final countdown prizes this coming week - three lucky readers will recieve winner's choice of any book from my backlist. That's including my small press books, which I'm told can be hard to find these days in print form. Luckily, I still have a few rattling around in the basement :-)

Small press works, in order of publication...

• Alien Encounters (my novella is "Dream Guardian" in this futuristic anthology which also features stories by Ashley Ladd, Dominique Tomas, and Jane Toombs - New Concepts Publishing)
• Ultimate Warriors (my novella is "Heroes Incorporated" in this superhero anthology which also features stories by Jaide Fox, Breena Lyons and Michelle M. Pillow - New Concepts Publishing)
• Crystal Shadows (full length fantasy romantica novel from Ellora's Cave)
• Or...the winners can choose any one of my first six Dorchester books, Celtic Fire, The Grail King, Immortals: The Awakening, Deep Magic, Immortals: The Crossing, Immortals: The Reckoning Anthology.
  
• Check my website - www.joynash.com - for more info on all my books!

Comment on any post from today (Monday), until Saturday June 20 for a chance to win. I was going to choose the winner at the precise moment of the Summer Solstice on Sunday June 21, until I googled it and found out that's 1:45 AM EDT! Since I'll most likely be sound asleep at that time, I'll pick the winners sometime after I wake up on Sunday, and post by Sunday night.


Good luck!

Joy Nash
www.joynash.com



Available NOW!

A Little Light Magic

Summer at the Jersey Shore has never been so hot!