How many people can say they've played a cow bell?

What does a writer do on a Saturday night?

This writer went out with some friends. . .notice the picture. Don't be frightened by the scary looking guy sitting on my left. That's David, the owner of Big Easy Bagel in Manchester and on my right is his wife and partner, Lori. She is obviously the brains and the beauty behind Big Easy, but shhh! Don't tell David.



Saturday morning, I went for my bagel sandwich and while chatting with Lori, she invited me to hang out with them at Whippersnappers to listen and watch a band called Mama Kicks.

Picture below is lead singer Lisa and in background is drummer David.



If you ever need inspiration for a story, go watch Mama Kicks. Not only was the music fantastic, but they were great entertainers. Every had a terrific time and yours truly got to people watch and take mental notes.

Seriously, someone tell the guy wearing the Boston Bruins hockey jersey that he is so NOT hot. Go put a real shirt on.

The older guy who wore a red t-shirt and a sweat jacket that was way too small should get a grip.

The woman who wore this ugly black lace top that showed basically everything, not to mention the way she danced pretty much gave you the impression that she did everything. . .should maybe get a room some place.

Then there was Nana Nancy. I call her Nana because she was by far the oldest person in the place. Let me tell you this woman had fun. She shook her polyester clad booty along with her gray hair. Go Nancy!

As for me, I sat at my front row table drinking and grinning like a fool, tapping my toes all night long while I mentally catalogued the events and the people of the evening.

Until the end that is. Then when I had just returned from the ladies' room and found myself being summoned on stage by David the guy playing. He was a blast to watch, but yeah, no, I did not want to get up on stage. Are you kidding me?

Like I had any say.



To my complete embarassment I got up on stage and was handed a cow bell and a drum stick. A cow bell? Seriously?

Now, I've had voice lessons, even worked with a musician to write a song, but no, I have never played an instrument. No laughing!

Luckily, Lisa, the lead singer of Mama Kicks coaxed Lori up on stage to play the tambourine. The Pink Boxes as Lisa so named Lori and I, played back up to the group on the last song of the night.

Do we look hot or what?

Okay, maybe not hot as in sexy, but hot as in those lights are bright.

We had a blast and we will be back to Whippersnappers to see Mama Kicks on April 10, 2010. Mark your calendars and join the fun!

Happy Birthday to. . .

Happy birthday to ME!

Yes, today I am celebrating my birthday so blow up the balloons, sound the whistles and horns, toss confetti, and my favorite. . .drink champagne and eat cake.

I don't know about you all but a birthday is not a REAL birthday without cake. The cake cannot be just any cake. It has to be a Chambord Torte. Chambord and raspberry mousse layered in between dark chocolate cake. Mmm. My fave!

No, I do not require candles on the cake. Just lots of shaved chocolate pieces!

The champagne is Veuve Cliquot. OMG! This is just the best! Ask my friends.

I will be celebrating this event all week long! Help me celebrate the day I was born and forever more became known as "Sweet Cheeks" in my father's eyes.

What are you going to do to help me celebrate? Come on, put your thinking caps on, spin that propeller on that beanie, or just think like me (scary thought).

A week away to Killer Bunny Hill release

For Immediate Release

Local author uses N.H. mountains as setting for romantic thriller

The majestic New Hampshire mountains are the setting for Salem author Denise Robbins’ new romantic thriller Killer Bunny Hill that incorporates the latest technological advances in a page-turning tale of suspense.

Robbins, a software engineering manager by day, integrates her knowledge of computers and technology into all of her romantic suspense novels. In Killer Bunny Hill, the plot revolves around the relationship of manmade diamonds, computers and laser weapons, giving readers a glimpse into the breakthrough science of nanotechnology.

“Nanotechnology is fascinating and is going to affect us immensely in the future,” Robbins said. “It is being hailed as one the greatest technological breakthroughs because it touches everything.”

Robbins also incorporates a little known fact of underground tunnels in New Hampshire in her plot. “The New Hampshire mountains are the perfect location to combine beauty, romance and intrigue,” she said. “I can’t imagine a better setting.”

In Killer Bunny Hill, a wrong turn down the Bunny Hill hurls the main character into a chilling race against a killer’s bullet. The book is set for a July release and can be purchased through the publisher at http://www.lldreamspell.com/KillerBunnyHill.htm.

Robbins is also busy promoting her current release, It Happens in Threes, which involves one of the characters using computers to launder money under the guise of upgrading their network security. Readers can learn more about Robbins and her current and future book releases at www.deniserobbins.com.

Book-A-Week Challenge

I decided that we all need to read more. Actually, I usually read two books a week. I also decided that we need to get us authors more exposure.


In honor of those two big decisions made by me (LOL!), I have created a Book-A-Week Challenge. Look to the left column on my blog and scroll down past the kitty pictures. I started the list.


What exactly is that? Well, every week we should read a book. Okay, yeah, that was kind of self-explanatory. But, besides reading the book, we should post comments/mini-reviews of the book we read.


My thought is that I will post ahead of time the book that I will read for the next week. You can choose to read the same book or read another. Either way, on Sunday, I will post my review of the book I read and ask you to add your comments for the book you read.


What will we get out of this? Simple. We can expose each other to books that we may never have heard of or read if someone else hadn't recommended it.


Added benefit is the fact that some of the books we read may not be on the NY Times Best Seller list. In fact, what I would like to do is suggest to authors like me who are just starting out that you submit on a post your book titles for the TO BE READ PILE. I'm game to read.


Here is my one caveat: I personally like to read mystery, suspense, romance, and the occasional true crime. I will read another genre if someone says "OMG! You have to read this." Well, I will if you beg and plead. :-)


Remember, it's all about being hooked, so hook us to want to read your book.


My first Book-A-Week Challenge post will be next Sunday, May 10. I'm starting with Sweet Forever by Ceri Hebert http://www.cerihebert.com/.

Book Hooks

I think we'll spend the next couple of days discussing hooks for your books.

BOOK HOOKS

Let’s say you have to go on a business trip or you’re going to visit your family and you need a good book to bury your face in while your brothers and sisters argue over who gets the house when your parents are dead. By the way, your parents are sitting right there, alive and well.

Okay, yes, this has happened to me, although I only have sisters.

Now that you know this situation is inevitable, you need to get a good book to read. With so many books available, how will you choose the book you want to take with you?

Standing at the newspaper stand in the airport, you have five minutes to get a book. Staring at the wall of books, shuffling your feet back and forth, you pull one out. What do you look at to decide if that is the book you want to take on that 3-hour flight to tune out the screaming kids all going to Disney?

Come on, we have all been on that plane ride.

Some people judge a book by its cover, some will read the blurb on the back, and yet others will read the first page. Remember you only have five minutes to make a decision because they have just announced that your flight is boarding.

Whether the reader is a man or woman off the street, an editor, or an agent, five minutes is the rule of thumb to capture a reader and get them to want to read more and buy your book.

This is what you, the writer, need to keep in mind when you are writing the very first page of your book. No matter what you write, you have only five minutes to hook your reader. Therefore, your hook needs to be on that first page, in the first paragraph, even better the first sentence of your story.

Here is your first exercise for Book Hooks.

Exercise: Post a first sentence of a book you have written or one from your WIP, or even just do a free write. Feel free to post several examples.

My examples:

A warning whisper in the back of her mind didn’t stop Ruby from pushing open her fiancé’s bedroom door. - from It Happens in Threes

Tiny hairs danced on the back of Charley’s neck. - from Connect the Dots

When she discovered her date wore pink women's underwear with frills, Jane did not stick around to find out what else he may or may not have. - from my Pink Undie story free write

She had turned the place upside down, inside out, and could not find it. - free write


Have fun and look forward to seeing what you write!

Book Covey Trailer Awards

Good evening!

I just got home and saw this in my email. My book trailer for It Happens In Threes is up for a covey. Take a look, vote, and leave a comment if you wish.

http://thenewcoveytrailerawards.blogspot.com/2009/04/entry-14-it-happens-in-threes.html

Jeannie Ruesch did the work on the video. Checkout her site at www.willdesignforchocolate.com

You know it's a bad day when. . .

Yup, that post title says it all. You know it's going to be a bad day when you drop and break your laptop before 7 AM.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's what yours truly did this morning. And do you know what I did?

I cried like a baby. I have had this laptop for almost three years. It is my baby and my lifeline to writing. I carry it wherever I go and now it has died a tragic and heart wrenching death. I cannot believe after all this time that I made the mistake of setting it on a chair and it fell and crashed to a hard floor below causing instant and permanent death.

In honor of my little Sony Vaio's passing, I am wearing black. Please feel free to do the same. While you're at it, backup your PCs.

More later.

Online interview of me, a writer, author, and lover of the written word

HA! Didn't you just love my blog post title?

Anyway, Stephanie Giancola, a writer for www.examiner.com, posted the interview she did with me. Check it out here. http://www.examiner.com/x-2533-Romance-Novel-Examiner~y2009m4d14-Romance-author-QA--newly-published-Denise-Robbins

Judge my book by its cover

Had to put this out here because of an interesting thing that happened to me. So let's do a quick blog about book covers.

Do you judge a book by its cover? Do you judge how good it is by the cover? Do you judge what genre type of book it is by its cover?

The reason I ask this, is because of an invitation I was extended and then was later rescinded all based on the cover of my book. First, for those of you who are asking yourselves, "What does the cover look like?" Check out the left column of my blog or go to www.deniserobbins.com and voila, there it is.

Now that you have seen it. What do you think? Is it offensive? Does it make you think it is a "smut" book? Is it any worse than what you see on television or in-person at the beach?

Personally, I love it. It leaves everything to the imagination and lets you know that the story has swimming and diving and sharks in it. At no time do you see the woman's face because I don't want you to know what she looks like. I want you to use your imagination. Honestly, the only thing I want you to know is that she likes pink. . .see her fins. :-)

Now that I have asked my questions, let me tell you what happened. Yesterday afternoon I was asked if I wanted to be on a community TV show and talk about my book. WAHOO! Yeah!
So I emailed the woman who contacted me the information she requested, one of which she wanted to see the book cover. Well, about 15 minutes later I received the following message back.

I am so sorry Denise, but I am not going to be able to have you as the guest. My viewers will have a heart attack. I could get away with it if the cover was not so sexual because the story sounds fabulous. I have a lot of viewers that are of the older generation and they let me know what they like and dislike. Please do not feel bad but perhaps when you next book comes out let me check out the cover and that might work. We always show the book on the air as you are talking about it.

Notice that her take was that my cover was "sexual." For the record, I am a pretty easy going person and thought her email was hysterical. It was the first negative comment I have received about the cover. Most people think it is eye-catching and gorgeous. Me included! Yes, the book is a romantic-suspense, therefore it does contain love scenes, but so do books by Jonathan Kellerman, David Baldacci, Janet Evanovich, etc.

Here's a question. Do you think if David Baldacci had that same cover on his book that anyone would have thought it was "sexual?"

So, do you judge a book by its cover? Should you?

Share your thoughts.

Love Scene Discussion Day 4 Recap

Day 4 Recap: Let's talk about "where" your characters make love.

So your assignment was two-fold.

Part 1 - Identify 5 places your characters could make love (none of them having a bed).

You've seen several responses. All GREAT! It's so much fun thinking outside the box or in this case the bed. Now, here is my contribution.

Airplane bathroom (Mile-high club)
The stairs
Against the wall
An underground tunnel
Hammock
*Glass-enclosed elevator*

Part 2 - Give an example of a scene with your characters making love anyplace but in a bed.

Don't ya just hate only getting excerpts?? It's such a teaser. :-)

This is just after the hero and heroine had dinner and cleaned up. Guess where they are??

“Jake.” She whispered his name and it was all he could do not to shove her against the counter, strip her naked, and slam into her. Charley needed comfort and if this were the only way she would take it from him then he would give it. For now, physical comfort was enough.

She reached up and grabbed him at the back of the neck, pulled his face to hers, and she kissed him. His finger was wet and she tightened around him. He felt himself get even harder. She turned in his arms, pushed at the hem of his shirt, and the next thing he knew her tongue flicked out at his nipple. His eyes widened and his stomach tightened at the new and quivering sensation.

When she moved to his other nipple, her hands went to his zipper. Okay! He undid his own pants, letting them drop to the floor still wrapped around his ankles, and in the next instant, he had Charley stripped and sitting on the counter. He feasted on her breasts, capturing one nipple in between his lips, his tongue teasing it to an excited little nub. His fingers tweaked the other nipple caused it to rise and beg for his mouth.

Her head flung back and hit the cupboard.

“Oops.” Not good. He needed more of her. Wrapping her legs around his waist, he pulled her from the counter, and spun around forgetting that his pants were still around his ankles. Not wanting to fight to get them off, he splayed Charley across the table.

Sliding his arms up under her back so she didn’t bruise, Jake slammed into her. Charley fisted around him, and she ignited. She moaned and writhed, tightened her wrapped legs around him. She pulled him in and under her spell. His head swam as he felt her climax build. The muscles in her legs started to quiver. He thrust into her hard then withdrew slow, feeling the tug of her as he retreated, then she opened and welcomed as he thrust again. It was like coming home.

Love Scene Discussion Day 4

Continuing the love scene discussion - Day 4: Let's talk about where your characters make love.

Do you plan where your characters are going to make love? Does it need to be a bed? With bed being the most comfortable location, why have sex in other place?

The answer is that, in fiction as well as in real life, it's usually not a premeditated decision. "Because it's there," is a typical reply.

Truthfully, that's probably pretty accurate. Let's say your characters are so overwhelmed with desire they have to pull over on the side of the road, or maybe the hero is so thrilled and overwhelmed by emotion that the heroine is alive he has to take her then and there, wherever "there" may be.

Come on, admit it. You have probably had sex in at least one or more places and there was no bed in sight. I mean seriously, who has not at least thought of "doing it" in a a glass-enclosed elevator? Well, okay, maybe that's just me. :-)

Wait! Don't you remember playing "truth or dare" when you were in college on a drunken night with your guy and girl friends and of couse, one of the questions was "Where was the strangest place you did the deed?" Be honest. I am so remembering what some of the answers were.

But that gets me to the next exercise. This is a 2 part exercise.

#1: List 5 places where your characters could make love. (None of them include a bedroom or a bed)

#2: Show an example of your hero and heroine making love some place besides a bed.

Good luck and I can't wait to see your list!

You don't say no to girls - T-shirt

Deb and Kim just sent me an image they took at the Made in NH Expo.

Here is an image of the front side of the T-shirt from my new friends at http://www.youdontsaynotogirls.com/.

Disregard the blonde chic modeling and imitating the girl logo. It's the shirt that counts.

The second image is Kim talking while the lovely backside you see is mine modeling the ". . .before caffeine" T-shirt.

Kim and Deb are working on my T-shirts that you all voted on "You don't say no to girls . . .who do it and write about it"

I will have some Friday evening!! Yippee!

Thanks, Girls!!!

Love Scene Discussion Day 3 Recap

Day 3 Recap:


So your goal was to write a scene where the hero and heroine kiss WITHOUT using the word "kiss" in the paragraph. Even if you did not share it could you do it?


What words did you use to describe the mouth, lips, tongue?


Here are some examples that you may have come up with:

• captured her lips with his
• took her mouth with hungry urgency
• tasted her sweetness
• sipped from her lips
• tongue darting inside her mouth
• entangled with hers
• his tongue found hers
• reclaimed her mouth
• sweet invasion

You get the idea. :-)

Here is my rough example from my WIP:

“Uh, Gilly.”

“Hm,” she answered, flicking her tongue against the flat brown disc of his nipple. The quiver that rippled through him sent shivers over her body. With her free arm, she reached her hand up and entwined her fingers in his silky black hair, and tugged his head down. When his face was within an inch of hers, she leaned up and met his mouth with hers. The gentle, warm nature of their embrace was intoxicating. Lucas parted his lips and her tongue darted out, teased, and explored the taste of him. When his tongue tangled with hers a hungry urgency to claim him invaded her senses. When he pulled back and peered down at her, she was breathless and his chest was heaving.

Response to writing prompt

Can you tell I did very little writing on my WIP today? Oh, well.

The prompt was: She looked through the telescope. . .

Here is my quip to finish it:

She looked through the telescope on her back deck and saw. . .she blinked to clear the fuzz from her eyes. It didn’t help. She saw pirates? Jane flipped the telescope around, wiped the lens with her shirt and then peered through it a second time. On the bow of some big ship stood a man in tall black boots and one of those puffy poet shirts, his hair whipping back behind him.

Jane stepped back and squeezed her fist against her chest. Okay, she was losing her mind. That was the only explanation. This was 2009. There was no such thing as pirates. Once she stopped hyperventilating, she pressed one eye to the telescope again and this time her heart jumped out of her chest and did a jig before it leapt back in and raced out of control. He winked at her! The pirate, his dark hair waving, turned his head, and looked straight in her direction. Then one lavender eye winked at her! Now he was grinning.

Could he see her? No way. She was the one with the telescope, not him. But, but. . .knees weak, vision blurred, her world went black.

Love Scene Discussion Day 3

Day 3: Let's talk about Kissing!

What is used to kiss? Yes, I'm talking about parts of the body.

Lips, mouth, tongue. Heck! A really great kiss ususally involves hands and body contact.

Remember that movie "Bull Durham" with Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon? Remember his line about kissing?

". . . and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."

I don't know about you all but that made my toes curl.

Your assignment:

Show a kiss. Use the lips, mouth, tongue, etc. Make toes curl!

But here is the kicker. You cannot just say he kissed her or she kissed him. Uh-uh! Use another word besides "kiss".

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Love Scene Discussion Day 2 Recap

Recap day 2: Sexual tension is more important than sex itself. “The buildup makes the actual act that much sweeter.”

Your assignment: What leads those characters to sexual tension?

Yes, you guessed it! The characters conflict leads them to sexual tension.

The hero and heroine are physically drawn to each other, but the fact that they are enemies, or in competition keep them apart. The stronger the conflict, the higher the sexual tension and when the love scene finally does happen, it is more meaningful and exciting. Whatever you use as a conflict to build sexual tension, make sure it is part of the plot.

In my case, the logline for my book It Happens in Threes says it all. "Once burned, twice learned, did she dare trust again?"

The hero had walked out on the heroine before, would he do it again? There is more than the heroine's trust issue, but you get the idea.

Authors Promoting Authors

Tina-Sue from Author Promoting Authors blog just posted information about It Happens in Threes. Stop by and leave a comment. http://authorspromotingauthors.blogspot.com/2009/04/it-happens-in-threes-denise-robbins.html

Made in NH Expo Special

If you can't make the Made in NH Expo, I posted on my website http://www.deniserobbins.com the opportunity to order a signed copy of IT HAPPENS IN THREES from me between March 27 and March 29 and automatically be entered in a drawing to win a FREE copy of KILLER BUNNY HILL when released in July.

A book you refuse to part with

Is there a book on your shelf that you refuse to part with? Maybe there is more than one.
What is the title and who is the author?
Why do you refuse to lend it to another living soul, not even your spouse or best friend whom you have known since 2nd grade?
Is it autographed by the author? Did you meet the author in person? Was it a gift from your first love or your parents?
Do you every once and a while look at the book and think, "I should get rid of it." Then you get heart palpitations, freak out and put it back.
How many times have you read the book cover to cover?

Me? Well, I used to have an all-time favorite first edition by Iris Johansen called THE UGLY DUCKLING. A couple of years ago I gave it to a friend. Bye-bye book.

I have a couple of signed Janet Evanovich books. One, I waited in line for hours to get (my first book signing ever). The nice thing was that the bookstore gave all of us in line a slice of cheesecake. When I finally made it up to meet Janet, she was funny and friendly and made the drive and the wait well worth it. Ever since then, I have loved going to book events.

Reviews of It Happens in Threes

The following are review links on my computer-thriller/romantic-suspense It Happens In Threes. Check them out and leave a comment on their pages.

http://reviewsbychristy.blogspot.com/2009/02/it-happens-in-threes.html
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Ithappensinthrees.html
http://bookbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/03/it-happens-in-threes-review.html