The Concubine's Tale by Jennifer Colgan

I just finished the recently released The Concubine's Tale by Jennifer Colgan. It is the story of the lovers trapped for 3000 years inside The Soul Jar (an earlier release). As for TCT, I enjoyed Grant and Cait's story, and Nayari and Khanu's story is absolutely fabulous. Made me cry, and even though this is a paranormal, I really want to believe it is true. Ever read a paranormal like that?

Below is a blurb from Jennifer Colgan's website...

Separated in time, united in passion

An ancient papyrus scroll tells the sensual and tragic tale of Nayari, concubine to a power-hungry magistrate bent on usurping the Egyptian throne. The chronicles of her forbidden love for Khanu, the stoic warrior sent to transport her from her master’s home to the temple of Min, enflame the passions of modern day art collector Grant Pierson for sexy gallery curator Cait Lang.

As Cait relates Nayari’s erotic adventure she stirs more than just Grant’s curiosity in the priceless artifact and they find themselves caught up in a love story three thousand years in the making.


Jennifer posted an excerpt on her blog today.

Oh, and here is a recipe for COQ AU VIN (CHICKEN WITH WINE). I'd never heard of it. Sounds yummy.

Earlier today I brushed up on the old memory banks and also read...

The Soul Jar by Jennifer Colgan. It's funny, a mystery, paranormal, and sensual. I so enjoy stories where the characters are jet-setting around the world. The heroine compares the hero to a blond James Bond. It matches. Well, there are no BMW car chase scenes! LOL.

Below is a blurb from Jennifer Colgan's website...

"Three thousand years in the making...

When Bree Sennett’s search for the fabled Soul Jar of Ammonptah brings her face to face with Mason “Chance” MacKenzie, the pain of his previous betrayal mixes with the joy of finding him alive. When she discovers Chance is after the Soul Jar as well, she’s drawn back into his dangerous world and into his arms again.

Chance MacKenzie left Bree two years ago, faking his own death to save her life, and his own. Now the woman who stole his heart is about to steal the Soul Jar, but a life he promised to protect hangs in the balance.

Chance can’t expect Bree to forgive him, or to still love him after what he had to do, but can he trust her to help him complete his mission before he loses her forever?"

This is a relic-hunting story, published alone, but written as part of the idea that prompted Relic a 4-story anthology (that I have a story in).

Arctic Circle
http://www.athropolis.com/map2.htm (huge map that shows settlements north of the Arctic Circle)
http://www.athropolis.com/sun-fr.htm (guide to arctic sunset/sunrise)

Inuit
http://www.civilization.ca/educat/oracle/modules/dmorrison/page01_e.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_mythology

Greenland
http://www.greenland-guide.gl/leif2000/history.htm

Northern Lights
http://www.robbreport.com/Articles/Leisure/Art-Culture/Art-Northern-Lights.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit
http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Sky-Inuit-Astronomy-Legend/dp/0888544278
http://www.allthingsarctic.com/aurora/index.aspx
http://www.nunavik-tourism.com/adventurelights.html

Russia
http://www.geographia.com/russia/rushis02.htm

The ability to buy any domain name you want has proved once again that some people are opportunistic.

Today I mistyped myspace and got http://www.mypsace.com/

Not much else to do but shake my head. 

Kushtaka are mythical creatures found in the stories of the Tlingit Indians of Southeastern Alaska. Loosely translated, Kushtaka means, "land otter man".

They are similar to the Nat'ina of the Dan'aina Indians of South Central Alaska, and the Urayuli of the Eskimos in Northern Alaska.

Physically, kushtaka are shape-shifters capable of assuming either human form or the form of an otter. In some accounts, a kushtaka is able to assume the form of any species of otter, in others, only one. Accounts of their behaviour seem to conflict with one another. In some stories, kushtaka are cruel creatures who take delight in tricking poor Tlingit sailors to their deaths. In others, they are friendly and helpful, frequently saving the lost from death by freezing. In many stories, the kushtaka save the lost individual by distracting them with curiously otter-like illusions of their family and friends as they transform their subject into a fellow kushtaka, thus allowing him to survive in the cold. Naturally, this is counted a mixed blessing.

Since the Kushtaka mainly preys on small children, it has been thought by some that it was used by Tlingit mothers to keep their children from wandering close to the ocean by themselves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushtaka

Urayuli, or "Hairy Men", are a mythical race of creatures that live in the woodland areas of southwestern Alaska. Stories of the Urayuli describe them as standing 10 feet tall with long shaggy fur and luminescent eyes. They can be heard emitting a high pitch cry, almost like a loons. Their long, lanky arms reach down to their ankles.

Living in the forests near the area of Lake Iliamna, the Urayuli are known to be peaceful, unlike the Kushtaka of Southeastern Alaska.

It is said the the Urayuli are transformed children who become lost in the woods at night. It is possible that this tale was started to keep children indoors at night.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urayuli

http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=shop&second=books&third=HowRaven

A long time ago, Raven was pure white, like fresh snow in winter. This was so long ago that the only light came from campfires, because a greedy chief kept the stars, moon, and sun locked up in elaborately carved boxes. Determined to free them, the shape-shifting Raven resourcefully transformed himself into the chief's baby grandson and cleverly tricked him into opening the boxes and releasing the starlight and moonlight. Though tired of being stuck in human form, Raven maintained his disguise until he got the chief to open the box with the sun and flood the world with daylight, at which point he gleefully transformed himself back into a raven. When the furious chief locked him in the house, Raven was forced to escape through the small smokehole at the top--and that's why ravens are now black as smoke instead of white as snow.

A Thleen-Git Legend of the Creation of Water - adapted by The North Star, Vol.4, No. 12, November 1891, Sitka, Alaska

When Yea'hl created the world for his people, Thleen-Git, he did not provide water for them to drink. Ganook, a most powerful chief and magician had control of all fresh water. Ganook lived in a distant world; it was almost impossible to gain access into the house where he jealously guarded the water. But Yea'hl was wise. The White Yea'hl must provide water for his people whom he had created.

After a journey of many days he came to the magician's house. The White Bird changed into a man. He saluted Ganook with the familiarity of an old friend, "I am cold, my noble partner, you have there a nice warm fire. You will let me warm myself?"

By some power Yea'hl exercised over Ganook he forgot for the time his precious water. The house was very warm, and after a time Ganook, the mighty magician fell asleep. Immediately Yea'hl changed into a beautiful white bird again. Filling his beak with the coveted water, he flew straight to the opening in the roof, which served as a chimney and ventilator to Ganook's house.

But the White Bird was not to escape so easily. The magician awoke and saw the trap in which he had been so artfully ensnared. "My powers, hold him I command you!" he roared. Instantly Yea'hl felt himself held by a thousand invisible chains. The magician built a fire of pitch and wet wood, from which a thick cloud of smoke rolled upwards and enveloped the White Bird completely.

When, almost dead, Yea'hl flew out into the world through the opening, he found himself totally black. The smoke from the fire of the wicked magician had blackened forever the beautiful white feathers. To this day the Raven is black. As he flew he dropped the water from his beak; the large drops made great lakes and rivers, small drops made ponds and springs.

Thus the Raven distributed water over the land which he created.

Found this among the messages from M&M's Paranormal Day at NCP's Reader & Author Group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/new_concepts_pub/message/47298

Did you see the discussion about the average subway reader earlier in October? I figure the Greater Washington Initiative didn't do their research. Smart people aren't supposed to fall for the stereotypes. They did. Romance readers aren't the average on the subway, we are the above-average reader on the subway! Not only does the romance genre rule the publishing world. Romance readers in general are women that are well-educated, well-to-do, and read more than the average person.

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English."

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c" . Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the ekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful, and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl-

As molasses...

Been awhile since I've posted.

Starlit Destiny was released in print. For those who have been asking where to buy my books, New Concepts Publishing offers their print books at a discount from retail. I have included the ISBN numbers so they can be ordered at bookstores or from Amazon.com, though Starlit Destiny will be in bookstores later in June 2006. NOTE: When ordering a copy from NCP, make sure to check out front page at NCP website for the latest information about expected shipment times.

Starlit Destiny by Annalee Blysse (Futuristic Romance)

Dena is determined to stop Krys from delivering the weapons that will destroy her world, but her heart insists that her destiny is at his side. With her world hanging in the balance, how can she follow when everything she trusts is wrong?

Sensuality: SENSUAL

Trade Paperback ISBN 1-58608-749-5

Buy link and excerpt are at:
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/starlitdestiny.htm

Reviews and info in general are at:
http://www.annaleeblysse.com/starlitdestiny.html

CONTEST RESULTS! Congratulations to newsletter member echo_daphne ... winner of an autographed copy of Starlit Destiny. If you'd like to win a free copy of my next release when that happens, please join Electric Romance. It's an update newsletter, with "3" authors posting a few times a month.

Also available in print is...

Immortal Lovers by Annalee Blysse, Jennifer Colgan and Marie Morin (Paranormal Erotic Romance)

Sensuality: SPICY

Trade Paperback ISBN 1-58608-743-6

Buy link at:
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/immortallovers.htm

Excerpt and general information at:

http://www.annaleeblysse.com/immortallovers.html

I was thinking about songs fitting into cultural ideals. When I was a child (or younger) there were a lot of country and folk-style songs with the general theme of one lover that went off to the big time and left the one they wanted at home alone waiting for them.

There was Dan Seals rodeo song “Everything that Glitters Isn’t Gold”. I have it on my WMP because it is one of my favorite songs. I’ve hard a version of that sung by a Hawaiian artist and I love it but I can’t recall the name of the guy. If anyone knows who it is... tell me... please!

Every body said you’d make it big someday,
And I guess that we were only in your way.
But someday I’m sure, you’re gonna know the cost.
Cause for everything you win there is something lost.

But oh sometimes I think about you,
and the way you used to ride out
with your rhinestones and your sequins and the sunlight on your hair
and though the crowd may always love you
as for me I’ve come to know everything that glitters isn’t gold.

Then there is “Please Come To Boston” by Joan Baez and tons of others.

Please come to LA and live forever
California life alone is just to heard to bear
I’ve got a house that looks out over the ocean
And some stars that fell from the sky
Are living up on the hill
Please come to LA, but I said no...
You come home to me.

I said ramblin’ boy why don’t you settle down
LA ain’t your kind of town
There ain’t no gold and there ain’t nobody like me
I’m the number one fan of the man from Tennessee.

And there was another song by Don Williams about if Hollywood doesn’t want you , I still do. Probably many more.

But now...

The songs with a similar theme, have a different focus. Now we are listening to songs about how leaving home isn’t such a bad thing. There aren't regrets. You can still love your roots, and don’t have to change, but the big time is a good thing to strive for. You earn a lot of money for one thing.

There is the song by Sugarland's "Baby Girl" song...

Dear Mom and Dad,
I’ll send money. I’m so rich that it ain’t funny.
Well it oughta be more than enough to get you through.
Please don’t worry 'cause I’m all right,
See, I’m stayin’ here at the Ritz tonight
Whaddya know, we made our dreams come true.
An' there are fancy cars an' diamond rings,
But you know that they don't mean a thing.
Well, they all add up to nothin' compared to you.
Well, remember me in ribbons an' curls.
I still love you more than anything in the world:
Love, your baby girl.

Faith Hill’s “Mississippi Girl”

Cause a Mississippi girl don't change her ways
Just cause everybody knows her name
Ain't big headed from a little bit of fame
I still like wearing my old ball cap
Ride my kids around piggy back
They might know me all around the world
But y'all I'm still a Mississippi girl

This is just a sampling, and I am not so sure it is a true trend. But it got me thinking about themes in music and how they change over time. Kind of funny that the Dixie Chicks say country music is "redneck" (and they mean it is an offense) when I see it as progressive. A couple decades ago "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy" would have shocked the price stickers off Minnie Pearl's hat at the Grand Ole Opry.

And even when someone is at least supposed to be moving back to the "country" it doesn't work out... "There is No Arizona" by Jamie O'Neil.

Each day the sun sinks into the West
Her heart sinks lower in her chest
Her friends keep asking when she's going
Finally she tells them, don't you know

There is no Arizona
No Painted Desert, no Sedona
If there was a Grand Canyon
She could fill it up with the lies hes told her
But they don't exist, those dreams he sold her,
She'll wake up to find there is no Arizona

He promised her a new and better life...
Out in Arizona.

Anyway... have my thoughts changed over time too? I think so. I think I used to view other places are some how bigger, better. It's not why I moved out of small town Alaska though. I really don't feel that way anymore. I just wanted a change. Besides, I left the small town for the "big city" and where are my diamonds? Sometimes I miss the small town, but I don't feel as if I lost my roots. I figure I'm in the right spot because when I wake up each morning... here is where I am.

Would you want to live in the country or city? Are you in the right spot?

As I'm wrapping up I realize that...

The book I finished yesterday was Beth Ciotta's latest Medallion release Lasso the Moon. This is the story of Paris Garret who made the promise early in life to lasso the moon, and become a big star. Does it fit my theme? No! Not really because our spunky heroine leaves the big time (San Francisco in 1877) for the Arizona Territory to sing in the back of beyond in an opera house.

Despite the lyrics in the Jamie O'Neil song above... for Paris there is an Arizona. She meets one hunky lawman named Joshua Grant. This story made me laugh. They are both loveable. It is great.

This is one book I'll have to keep because I see on the author's website that more installments will come about Paris's sexy brothers ... they are all named after towns too. The one due in 2008 is called The Fall of Rome. This will be so far out I just might need a refresher.

Well a Scotsman clad in kilt left the bar one evening fair
And one could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than his share
He fumbled round until he could no longer keep his feet
And he stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street.
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh
Ring di-diddle-aye-oh
He stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street.

About that time two young and lovely girls just happened by
One says to the other, with a twinkle in her eye
"See yon sleeping Scotsman, so strong and handsome built?
I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt."
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh
Ring di-diddlee-aye-oh
"I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt."

They crept up on that sleeping Scotsman, quiet as could be
Lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see
And there behold for them to view, beneath his Scottish skirt,
Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth.
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh
Ring di-diddlee-aye-oh
Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth.

They marveled for a moment then one said, "We must be gone.
Let's leave a present for our friend before we move along."
As a gift, they left a blue silk ribbon tied into a bow
Around the bonnie star the Scot's kilt did lift and show.
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh
Ring di-diddlee-aye-oh
Around the bonnie star the Scot's kilt did lift and show.

Now the Scotsman woke to nature's call And stumbled towards a tree
Behind the bush he lifts his kilt and gawks at what he sees
And in a startled voice, he said to what's before his eyes
"Lad, I don't know where ye been, but I see ye won first prize!"
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh
Ring di-diddlee-aye-oh
"Lad, I don't know where ye been, but I see ye won first prize!

(I got this from Morag McKendrick Pippin over at Romance Divas.)

What a picture... men in kilts.

Has anyone seen one of the sponsored level accounts where they add ads in? I am wondering what they look like. I use this account more than it seems but most of my posts are private because it is really boring stuff. So I think that I should sign up because I don't pay, yet I have used this service for 2.5 years. I just figure it is giving back to LJ for providing the service. But before I take the leap I am curious what the ads look like.

Now Available @ NCP More Information	Starlit Destiny Now Available From New Concepts Publishing Futuristic Romance Coming Soon in Trade Paperback * * * CONTEST!!! In honor of the May 2006 trade paperback release of Starlit Destiny, one member of the newsletter Electric Romance will receive a signed copy. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ electricromance/join electricromance-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://sierrapromotions.blogspot.com/

Found this one in a comment on Myspace.

Hamster You scored 29 nervousness!

You have mood swings, don't you? Sometimes you scream and bite people, sometimes you're cute and star in children's shows from Japan.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 64% on nervousness You scored higher than 55% on smallness

Link: The Small Nervous Animal Test written by zombieface on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

I found this in a comment from Robin on my Myspace page. I don't remember seeing it before. Have a great day.

Immortal Lovers
Now Available
From New Concepts Publishing

Paranormal Romance

Trade Paperback
ISBN: 1-58608-743-6

* * *

One kiss is all it takes to fall under their immortal seduction....

Never A Sunset by Annalee Blysse

When opportunity knocks--flee. Victrina does, but a blood oath can not be broken--even in a land where the sun never sets.

Fresh Blood by Jennifer Colgan

One life in exchange for another. Will Erica Talbot give her body, her mind and her soul to a vampire to save her sister one last time?

Eternity by Marie Morin

Emily Hendricks has realized a dream--she's just bought a tiny Scottish castle, lock, stock and barrel. Unfortunately, it also came complete with one coffin and one vampire who overslept by 200 years and is laboring under the mistaken belief that the castle is his.