Monday, May 19, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Hip Hip Hoo-rah for JoAnn Ross
Friday, May 09, 2008
10. To improve energy efficiency, metal heating ducts should be as short as possible (so the air travels quickly from the furnace to the room it's heating) and built into interior walls only, so the hot-air temp won't be affected by outdoor temps.
9. Install high and low HVAC ductwork. The heat will flow out of the floor-level ducts, and the A/C will come from the high ducts, saving energy all around.
8. A tankless or "point of service" hot water heater will pay for itself in probably the first year or less.
7. Energy Star-compliant asphalt shingles deflect 20% of the summer sun's rays.
6. If anyone in the family tends to leave lights on in the bathroom, you can get timers that'll automatically turn lights off.
5. If you don't like the fluorescence of the screw-in fluorescent bulbs (those curly ones) you can try "pin-based" fluorescents and LED lighting that cast a more incandescent glow. The screw-ins are supposed to last longer, but some people can't tolerate the glow of light.
4. In general, photovoltaic panels are still too expensive for the average homebuyer, but some states are subsidizing their cost. PA isn't there yet...
3. Plant deciduous trees to the south of your house to help shade it in summer. Plant conifers on the other three sides to reduce winter cold and the wintry effects of wind.
To find out more, visit Studio26 Homes.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Take 3 . . . with Katherine Ramsland
Thursday, April 24, 2008
SH: Actually, I was given only four months to complete the entire manuscript of roughly 100,000 words. It nearly broke me, spiritually. Not a fun project, although I still enjoy the knowledge I gained from the research. And no, I didn’t have to do any “field testing.”
SH: Embrace rejection, it’s part of the process. The first book I sold 20 years ago was rejected by dozens of publishers before I eventually found it a home; and it just happened to be one of the largest publishers of educational material in the country. Learn from those who reject you, and don’t take their criticism personally. Every book I ever sold was rejected by dozens upon dozens of agents. I could never get any of them to work with me . . . and yet I eventually sold most of my book proposals and to large publishing houses.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Paranormal Romances--Market Deluge of Forgettable Tales
I just finished working on Kiss of Fury, the second book in the Dragonfire series by Deborah Cooke; and while I try not to slam books here—this isn’t what I would call a reviewer’s site, though I certainly am not shy with my opinions—I have to admit that I didn’t care for it. Deborah Cooke is a pseudonym, and frankly I can understand why the author uses one. Though imaginative, this book wouldn’t make the cut for my precious reading time. Signet Eclipse has committed to at least a trilogy.
Because I’m a fan of nonfiction and generally read for pleasure mainly books that are going to educate me rather than encourage escapism, I tend to be more difficult to please when it comes to paranormal literature. This book is about human men turning into brightly hued dragons, called Pyr, who are fighting powerful bad dragons called Slayers. Right there I was rolling my eyes with the “pure” fighting the “killers.” The storyline is at once too fantastical and trite, with jewel-toned reptiles (the hero of the story—buff Donovan Shea—turns into a lapis lazuli–colored dragon with golden accents and a pearl stuck in one of his scales) and dialogue like “Nothing worth doing is ever easy.”
Furthermore, the timing is a bit off for me. In the story, the fully human heroine—Alex Madison—is a scientist who is making a “Green Machine,” or a green car that uses saltwater as its fuel. The Slayers are out to stop her and have killed her partner. But Donovan and his Pyr cronies are out to defend her, partly because they just want to save the planet, and partly because Alex is destined to be Donovan’s “mate.” The Pyr don’t have sufficient motivation to be defending Alex to the death, and the author’s bandwagon jump is a bit irksome in a dragon tale. I’m a fan of the green movement, but suddenly everything is coming up green, which is a bit like the paranormal romance market. It’s a trend, and even good trends like environmentalism can have their down side.
Not everything is disappointing. The author does a fine job of linking the hero and heroine. As with some vampire romances, the magic couple is inextricably linked and feverishly attracted—it’s a pheromone thing that neither can resist for long. The author is quite good at building sexual tension and building likeable characters. But all things considered, there are better ways to spend $6.99 and a weekend.
Every spring I have severe cabin fever. But the wanderlust is completely natural and, I think, a healthy expression of being happy for the change in seasons. I'm already looking forward to a travel opportunity to Seattle in June, to see my dear friend Heather get married.
So my husband indulged me in a little fantasy, and we wrote out 5 places we'd love to visit if money were no option. (Money, unfortunately, is a very big option.) I was surprised to find out there was no overlap. These were our choices, but they're not ranked:
Hubby:
- Alaska
- Russia
- Argentina
- New Zealand
- Australia
Me:
- Ireland
- Greece
- Peru
- South Korea
- Istanbul
It was interesting to find this out about my spouse, who I know pretty well after 22 years of companionship--11 of those in marriage. But here's the predictable part: most of his choices were based on hunting and fishing possibilities, and most of mine were based on sacred sites and history.
Where would YOU go if money were no object?






