Remembering 9-11

...

Let's all take a moment to remember today.

Nine years ago...

















Don't ever forget, America.

Iron King at the Emmys

So, I just got permission to post this...

The Iron King was at the Emmy's this year!

Or, more specifically, in the gift bags that went out to various VIPs.

How cool is that?!?

(Emmy gift bag. Click to enlarge.)















*Visions of Jane Lynch reading Iron King*

*__*

Teaser Tuesday: The Iron Queen

Okay, so it's Monday. This is a bit early, but I don't think anyone minds.

The first Iron Queen Teaser Tuesday.

And, by popular request...

...it's about Ash.


ETA:

WARNING! SPOILERS! DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE NOT FINISHED WITH IRON DAUGHTER!


All good? Okay, onto the (SPOILERY!) teaser.














His forehead bumped softly against mine, his brilliant silver gaze searing into me. “I plan to keep you, from everyone, for as long as I’m alive. That includes Puck, the false king, and anyone else who would take you away.” One corner of his mouth quirked, as I struggled to catch my breath under his powerful scrutiny. “I guess I should’ve warned you that I have a slight possessive streak.”




That's the first. Requests for the next one? Let me know!

Julie

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting

~

Can I just say how much I'm enjoying Kung Fu?

When I first started Wing Tzun, I kinda felt like this:






"There is now a level zero."


BUT, now four months in, I can say with certainty that I don't completely suck. So that's progress. And, maybe in a few years, I can actually get to this:
















But that's probably stretching it.

My 8-legged guest

There is a huge wolf spider living outside my back door, between the cracks in the wall. He looks like this.















I tried to gently relocate him to another spot in the yard, but he saw me coming with my broom and fled into a crack.

I know I'm very much in the minority, but I like spiders. I'm not going to invite them into my house or let them crawl on me, but I usually don't try to kill them either. (Exceptions being Brown Recluses and Black Widows. Sorry, but anything that can put me in the hospital needs to be squashed.) Perhaps this came of living in Hawaii for ten years, as the bugs there never die and grow to gigantic proportions. The Hawaiian cane spider makes these little wolf spiders look like wimps. Take your hand, put it flat on the wall, and try to imagine a spider that big crawling along the ceiling. Yeah, I thought so.

But, anyway, let's hear it. Tell me I'm crazy and insane; I won't mind. ;-) What are your thoughts on spiders and creepy crawlies? Me, I think they make awesome creepy atmosphere devices. Need your readers to get goosebumps or the skin crawlies? Just throw in a spider or two. Works every time.

And for the VERY brave of heart, below is a YouTube video of a Hawaiian Cane Spider. BEWARE, this thing is huge and scary, and if spiders freak you out, this will probably give you nightmares--you have been warned.

Sims3: Growing Up

Well, Meghan's birthday finally rolled around. To celebrate her passing from teenagehood to young adult, there was a party.

















With games

















And pizza
















And cake
















Meghan making a wish...

















And after the transformation. (I know, she doesn't look very different, but the changes are subtle. Like she's taller. :D )
















The boys had a quieter celebration the next day, passing from teen hood to adults with their family.

















Rowan grown up.
















Sage grown up.
















Ash (and Meghan) grown up. Still crazy for each other.


















And, finally, we have Puck, who had to celebrate his birthday alone, poor guy. Despite being at Meghan's party, he's still not on the greatest terms with either Meghan or Ash. Hopefully that will change, because who wants to spend their birthday alone?

















Puck all grown up.
















Now that everyone is grown, new changes and challenges lie ahead. Like getting a job, buying a house, raising a family. What will they decide to do? Stay tuned to find out.

To be continued...

The Iron Queen excerpt

Crossposted from Harlequin's blog.



Hey everyone! After the release of The Iron Daughter a few weeks ago, one of the questions I’ve been asked most frequently revolves around Meghan and her ability to fight back. I now give you a short excerpt from the upcoming The Iron Queen, the third book in the Iron Fey series, which I hope will help to answer that question:























Ash strode to a nearby rock, swooped down, and tossed me a long, slightly curved stick. When I caught it, I saw that it was actually a leather sheath with a gilded brass hilt poking from the top. A sword. Ash was giving me a sword … why?

Oh, yeah. Because I wanted to learn to fight. Because I’d asked him to teach me.

Ash, watching me with that weary, knowing look on his face, shook his head. “You forgot, did you?”

“Nooooo,” I said quickly. “I just … didn’t think it would be this soon.”

“This is the perfect place.” Ash turned slightly to gaze around the clearing. “Quiet, hidden. We can catch our breath here. It’s a good place to learn while you’re waiting for your father to come out of it. When we’re done here, I have a feeling things will get much more chaotic.” He gestured to the sword in my hand. “Your first lesson begins now. Draw your sword.”

I did. Unsheathing it sent a raspy shiver across the glen, and I gazed at the weapon in fascination. The blade was thin and slightly curved, an elegant looking weapon, razor sharp and deadly. A warning tickled the back of my mind. There was something about the blade that was … different. Blinking, I ran my fingers along the cool, gleaming edge, and a chill shot through my stomach.

The blade was made of steel. Not faery steel. Not a fey sword covered in glamour. Real, ordinary iron. The kind that would burn faery flesh and sear away glamour. The kind that left wounds impossible to heal.

I gaped at it, then at Ash, who looked remarkably calm to be facing his greatest weakness. “This is steel,” I told him, sure that Leanansidhe had made a mistake.

He nodded. “An eighteenth-century Spanish saber. Leanansidhe nearly had a fit when I told her what I wanted, but she was able to track one down in exchange for a favor.” He paused then, wincing slightly. “A very large favor.”

Alarmed, I stared at him. “What did you promise her?”

“It doesn’t matter. Nothing that endangers us in any way.” He hurried on before I could argue. “I wanted a light, slashing weapon for you, one with a good amount of reach, to keep opponents farther away.” He gestured to the saber with his own weapon, a blindingly quick stab of blue. “You’ll be moving around a lot, using speed instead of brute force against your enemies. That blade won’t block heavier weapons, and you don’t have the strength to swing a longsword effectively, so we’re going to have to teach you how to dodge. This was the best choice.”

“But this is steel,” I repeated, listening to him in amazement. He could teach a class with his knowledge of weapons and fighting. “Why a real sword? I could seriously hurt someone.”

“Meghan.” Ash gave me a patient look. “That’s exactly why I chose it. You have an advantage with that weapon that none of us can touch. Even the most violent redcap will think twice about facing a real, mortal blade. It won’t scare the Iron fey, of course, but that’s where training will come in.”

“But … but what if I hit you?”

A snort. “You’re not going to hit me.”

“How do you know?” I bristled at his amused tone. “I could hit you. Even master swordsmen make mistakes. I could get a lucky shot, or you might not see me coming. I don’t want to hurt you.”

He favored me with another patient look. “And how much experience do you have with swords and weapons in general?”

“Um.” I glanced down at the saber in my hand. “Thirty seconds?”

He smiled, that calm, irritatingly confident smirk. “You’re not going to hit me.”

***

Meghan’s story, and the war with the Iron Fey, continues in The Iron Queen, coming February 2011, from Harlequin TEEN.