FYI

Well, suggestions for my hero are still coming in. At the moment, I'm leaning heavily toward Logan or Jake. I used Logan for a western hero many years ago; I used Jake in a Silhouette romance. I know, there are many names I haven't used, and there have been many great suggestions, but, for one reason or another, they didn't work. Some remind me too much of heroes from other books or movies, some just don't conjure a vampire image for me.

Guess I need to make a decision soon....

Thanks, again!!!!!

Mandy

WOW!!!!!

Well, I had a brilliant idea the other day. I discovered I needed to change the name of one of my characters in an upcoming book since I had already ued the name Jason twice - in "Masquerade" and "Immortal Sins" - and I decided using the same name 3 times was a bit much. So.... I sent out a newsletter asking for suggestions.

Oh, my, did I get suggestions! I've never received so much mail!!!! Of course, I want to thank all those who responded. You sent a lot of names I really liked but felt just didn't work for one reason or another. For instance:

Damien was suggested many times, but it reminds me of "The Omen" and that creeped me out.

Armand is a good name, but is too well-known in books by Anne Rice.

Nicolas has been used too many times in too many other books.

Of course, a lot of the names suggested were names I've already used in other books ~ Ethan, Gabriel, Rourke, Alexander, Jesse, Matthew, Luke, Rafael, Michael, Morgan, Caleb, Ryder, Grigori, Dominic, Antonio, Vince, Erik. And Rhys, which is my hero's name in my current work-in-progress.

At the moment, I'm leaning heavily toward Logan (I used it in a western, but that was many years ago).

Hope life is being good to you and yours.

Mandy

May the Force Be With You

The Star Wars 501st Legion was in town last weekend. If you're a Star Wars fan and you get a chance to see them, you should go. Really fun! We went early in the day, but the line was so long, we left. I decided to go back later, right before they were scheduled to leave. Turned out to be a smart move. We were the last ones inside and we got to hang around a little after everyone else left.



The weather here is mostly cool and cloudy. I love it! It's perfect for walking Lady in the morning. She's kind of skittish out there in the big wide world. Not too sure about the big dogs that bark at her as we pass by, and definitely afraid of the horses! We've only had Lady a short time, but she's already part of the family and firmly entrenched in our hearts.

I'm almost finished with my current work-in-progress. Only 9,000 words to go, and still not sure how to tie it all up!

Hope life is being good to you!

Mandy

Life

Life is so uncertain. You just never know what lies around the corner. One day you're at the birth of a baby and the next you're at a funeral.

On the 27th, our family welcomed a new baby girl. She's lovely and healthy and perfect. My best friend's family wasn't so lucky. They also had a beautiful baby girl born into their family, but the baby isn't expected to live more than a few days, a few weeks at most.

On the 28th, we went to a funeral for a young man that our sons grew up with, a boy I've known most of his life. He passed away unexpectedly. His family is still recovering from the loss of this young man's mother, who passed away only a month ago.

I don't have anything profound to say about this, no words of wisdom, no flash of insight as to why these things happen. I guess it's just life and you have to take it as it comes, the good with the bad, the happy with the sad.

Mandy

Unreal

One of my readers mentioned some of my books were available in Kindle editions from Amazon, so I went to have a look, and while I was there, I clicked on a link for MIDNIGHT PLEASURES in hardback. Imagine my surprise when I saw 2 new copies listed for - are you ready? - $358.89!!!!! There were 7 used copies selling for $92.44.

Geez, if any of you are willing to pay $358.89 for this book, I'll sell you my copy, and I'll even autograph it for you!!!!



I found it highly amusing that they listed the authors as Amanda Shayne and Maggie Ashley.

Mandy

This-n-that

Well, I'm totally in love with our new puppy. It didn't take her long to find a place in my heart. She's so cute and lovable, she always makes me smile.

We went to see STATE OF PLAY starring Russell Crowe, one of the best movies I've seen this year. Crowe was great in it, and while I'd rather see him looking sexy and buff, his acting in this movie was fabulous. I highly recommend it.

We also went to see EARTH. Amazing movie filled with beautiful vistas and views of our planet that are breathtaking. Of course, being from Disney, the animal scenes are also amazing.

I also saw the new WOLVERINE flick. It's much more intense than the first three. More violent, more profanity, and a nude (from a distance) Hugh Jackman! This is not a movie for kids.

17 Again was a delightful movie. Much better than I expected. A friend of mine saw it twice in one day!

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Mandy

New Puppy

We have a new Pomeranian puppy. She's 3 months old and her name is Lady. Some might think we didn't wait long enough to get a new dog. My husband is one of them. He said he hoped I waited longer to replace him! But I'm not replacing Teddi. That's impossible. Still, the new puppy has helped to fill the hole in my heart. She's so cute and has such a funny personality, it's hard to be sad when she's around. She very curious, of course, like all puppies, and seems fascinated with the dishwasher.

Mandy

Farewell

When told about my sweet Teddi's passing, a friend of mine wrote the following....

"April 6


. . .So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to the man to see what he would call them.”

-and they called her Teddi-

This morning, I received an e-mail from a dear friend, telling me that her dog had made her transition. Teddi was a seventeen-year-old Pomeranian who looked very much like my little Zen Master, Punkie. She was a joy to her family and will be missed by them all.
Our precious pets enrich our lives, give us total, unconditional love and have even been known to lower our blood pressure.
In my home, I have a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of animals and all creation. Every animal has a purpose in the balance of our ecosystem, as well as being wonderful sources of enjoyment. Birds give us song, butterflies and lady bugs enrich the earth with color and squirrels can entertain us for hours.
Enjoy the creatures of the earth—love them.
Dance with the angels, dear Teddi, until we join you on the other side."

Thanks, Molly.

A sad day

Today the world is sad and gray, our cherished Teddi passed away.
Hard to believe something so small could leave such a big hole in my life. I got Teddi when she was just 5 weeks old, a little tiny fluff of fur, the only dog I ever had that was cute when she was a puppy and stayed cute her whole life. She was 17 1/2 when she passed away.



I knew I would miss her when she was gone. Her passing wasn't unexpected; she'd been sick for several months. I just didn't realize how much I would miss her, and how empty our house would feel without her.

Mandy

Sea Gulls and Stimulus

I read a story once about great flocks of sea gulls that were starving in the midst of plenty. Fishing was good in the town, but the gulls didn't know how to fish. For years, they had depended on the shrimp fleet to toss them scraps from their nets. Then the fishermen moved on.

The fishermen had created a welfare state for the sea gulls. The big birds never bothered to learn how to fish, or to teach their young to fish. Instead, they took the young gulls to the shrimp nets.

Sadly, the sea gulls, once fine free birds, were starving to death becasue they gave in to the lure of "something for nothing". They sacrificed their independence for a handout.

Sound familiar? If you think about it, a lot of people these days are like the sea gulls. They don't want to work, or pay their own way. Instead, they want Uncle Sam to toss them a bail-out here, a stimulus there, wihtout realizing they are giving up their freedom and their independence, never stopping to wonder what they're going to do when Uncle Sam runs out of money.


Mandy