Rock Wednesday (Yeah, I know it's Thursday)

Lifeline by Papa Roach

I know, day late. Sorry. Life.

I saw Papa Roach earlier this year along with Seether and Staind, and as much as I enjoyed Seether (not so much Staind) Papa Roach had a kinetic energy that really struck a chord.

I'd been a casual fan since "Infest" but the live show converted me into a true believer. "Scars," "To Be Loved" and "Last Resort" are all favorites on my Sirius, but when I heard "Lifeline," I thought, okay, they've really got it there.

Their new song (the album won't be released until March) has a hooky chorus and a plinky guitar riff that sticks with you.

True, it sounds like a bid for crossover appeal but don't hold that against them. They've been making sing-along hard rock for a while and they just keep getting better.

SEDUCED BY CHAOS excerpt

SEDUCED BY CHAOS, the fifth story in my Magical Seduction series, will release on March 4.

Tall, dark and handsome, the guy walks into Lacey’s bar like he’s expecting to be hit with a hail of bullets. There’s something about him that draws her but Lacey has a secret. One that could threaten her freedom, her very life if it’s exposed. One night of magical sex and all bets are off as Lacey’s secret catches up with her. Teo will risk everything, including himself, to keep her safe. And make her his.

The cover is amazing and here's a brief excerpt to whet your appetite.

Excerpt:

“Hi there.” She let her lips curve in a welcoming smile. “What can I get you?”

After a brief second, he lifted his head.

And oh, Sweet Mother Goddess, the guy was freaking gorgeous.

Lacey felt her eyes widen but caught herself before she became a complete idiot and drooled.

He wasn’t classically handsome. He didn’t have the refined edges of Cary Grant or the casual elegance of Paul Newman.

He looked like the all-American boy-next-door dialed up a notch and infused with the brazen masculinity of the Etruscans.

He had a strong nose that tilted up slightly at the end, making him look years younger than he probably was, but his broad forehead, square jaw and high cheekbones were all male.

And that mouth… Tinia’s teat, the man’s mouth should be cast in bronze. Strong lower lip, full cupid-bow upper lip. Made for kissing.

Then she looked into his eyes and the boy-next-door image shattered as she saw something she recognized all too well.

Heat flared in his beautiful hazel eyes when he looked at her. Heat and a strong dominance that should have made her run for the door.

She’d seen that look before, had learned to fear and dread it.

But strangely enough, she felt no fear here. Instead, those eyes drew her in. Such an unusual color, they were brown, flecked with green and blue sparks so bright, she swore they glowed.

Damn, she was staring. Not good.

“I’ll take a lager,” he said finally. “Whatever you’ve got on tap.”

Wow, the guy’s voice matched those looks, a slow, sexy cadence low enough to make her tingle from head to toe and every place in between. And she did mean every place.

She hadn’t had that happen in… Well, she hadn’t had that happen to her ever.

Shaking some sense back into her head, she gave the guy a smile she hoped wasn’t too bright. “Coming right up.”

She hightailed it back to the bar, cursing herself all the way.

* * * * *

Teodoro de Feo watched the bartender walk away, feeling like she’d just stuck a pugio blade through his gut and twisted.

Lust, strong enough to nearly topple the internal walls he kept around his amentia, the madness lurking in his very cells, broadsided him. If he’d come equipped with warning lights, they’d be flashing bright red right now.

He’d never had such a strong reaction to a woman before. He’d grown comfortable believing he never would.

Maybe Rio and Rosie were right. Maybe he had been stuck in his apartment way too long with nothing but work to do.

But when you were an Etruscan linchetto, a night elf, with the handicaps he’d acquired… Well, he’d learned to spend a lot of time by himself and like it. Or at least pretend to like it.

Still, he wasn’t so out of practice that he hadn’t seen through her glamour, the thin veil of magic she used to muddy her features into blandness.

Seemed she was hiding too. Which was a damn shame because she was a classic beauty along the lines of Audrey Hepburn. High cheekbones. Huge eyes tilted up at the corners. A full mouth that made a man wish she’d wrap it around his cock.

And if her mouth didn’t incite thoughts of sex, her body would make any red-blooded man want to get her out of her clothes. Especially those unflattering baggy jeans and that oversized button-down shirt. Even her shoes were scuffed black Converse high-tops. Not exactly high fashion.

What was she hiding from?

Rock Wednesday

I Hate My Life by Theory of a Deadman

The first time I heard this song, I was driving somewhere and I only caught the end of it. I remember being depressed and pissy at the time, thinking about throwing my hands in the air and saying enough already, I've had it with this writing business, I quit. I do that every now and then but have never followed through on the threat.

Then I heard this song and the last few lines made me smile then laugh. And I thought, this has got to be my theme song.

Yes, it's from a guy's point of view but the tone speaks to anyone in the same boat and there are so many of us, we may as well have booked passage on the Titanic. Without Leo, of course.

Life sucks. Well, not everything in life sucks, but uncertainty lurks around every corner. Every day there's another blog about another editor in the publishing industry losing their job or an editor or agent leaving for greener pastures.

Writers are, for the most part, a nervous bunch. Will I get a new contract? Will my editor like my next book? Will my agent be able to sell my breakout book in this economy? Will I be able to pay the bills next month?

We all need a little levity now and then. Listen to this song and I dare you not to at least smile.

Rock Wednesday

Hearts Burst Into Fire by Bullet For My Valentine

This Saturday is Valentine's Day so, yes, this is my second BFMV song in a row but it totally fits the week, not only because of the band name but also for the song.

It's a lonely-on-the-road song in the vein of Journey's "Faithfully," albeit with lots more guitars and drums and a few guttural screams. But when frontman Matt Tuck sings "my bed's become so lonely, no arms, just sheets to hold me" the longing makes your heart hurt.

And what woman doesn't want to hear her man say "I'm dreaming, too much time without you spent."

I Love Bruce Campbell

I'm a diehard cult movie fan and I have my mom to thank for that. From the time I was 10 until I had children of my own, my mom and I would seek out weird and wonderful films.

So in 1981 when I was 16, I read an article about Stephen King where Uncle Stevie raved about this film called "The Evil Dead." Being huge King fans, my mom and I immediately put this on our must-see list. And we weren't disappointed. It still ranks as one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen.

The film starred an actor named Bruce Campbell and I was smitten. He was handsome, sarcastic, funny and just the man you want to be stuck with in a rundown cabin in the forest or in medieval Europe. Through the years, I saw some pretty funky movies because Bruce Campbell happened to be in them. He made each and every one better. For years, he was a fixture in my favorite magazine, Fangoria.

Occasionally he'd pop up on TV (the Hercules and Zena shows are my favorites) and he even had a whole series, "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." for one glorious year.

Last year, "Burn Notice" debuted and though Jeffrey Donovan makes me go "Oh, my" in my best Susan Sarandon/"Bull Durham" impression, I watch "Burn Notice" for Bruce Campbell. He quips, I smile. He swears, I smile. He smiles, I smile. He shoots something with that inimitable smirk and I smile. He runs away from an explosion and flies through the airs and I smile. I'm sure you see a pattern.

As a romance writer, I typically write about ripped, gorgeous heroes who save the day with a stoic expression and the fewer words the better. But the hero in my first Magical Seduction story, SEDUCED BY MAGIC, is a smart ass with a quick smile and a penchant for using 25 words when 5 would do.

Thank you, Bruce Campbell.

Rock Wednesday

"Tears Don't Fall" by Bullet For My Valentine

I'm a writer who typically writes in silence. From 7:30 am when I open my email to 3 pm when the guys get home, there's no radio, no TV.

But in the car, I have Sirius radio (which my most favorite brother in the whole world gets me for Christmas each year). Commercial free and more than a hundred stations, Sirius is my lifeline as I shuttle my sons to various places. It's a common ground we share, one I never thought I'd enjoy but that shapes my writing in a way I never expected.

My favoriter stations are Octane (metal), Alt Nation (alternative) and Faction (hard rock and some rap). Until Sirius, my life was a wasteland of Top 40. Now my iPod is filled with Bullet For My Valentine, My Chemical Romance, Shinedown, Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold and Kings of Leon.

And my writing benefits. There's a real energy to metal and alternative music that I just don't find in other music. I write dark, sexy paranormals and these artists and their songs have become the background music for my scenes.

So I thought I'd pass along my favorites. Let me know what you think of this week's selection, "Tears Don't Fall." Check out the video, here Bullet For My Valentine

Sure, it's not for everyone but this group has a raw edge and driving energy that makes them my favorite group at the moment.