Happy Romancing in 2011

Evening purrs, my Beautiful Big Cats... little did the Kougaress know that the howling wolf winds she heard on the tame prairie, along with the winter thunderstorm, lightning included... meant tornadoes were on their way south and east of her... blessings to all those who were/are affected.
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Happy Romancing in 2011~ A great big pussycat-rubbing THANKS to everyone who stopped by during the BLOG HOP. The Kougar certainly enjoyed ya’ alls company. And, more sparkly smooches are on the way.

Hang onto your tails. The winners will be announced soon. Good luck to everyone! And again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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A NEW ERA IN MUSIC

Oh, darling KitKats, it looks like, feels like, to this Big Cat that 2011 will bring dramatic changes in music, and in the music scene, itself. That is, at a grassroots level new types of music will be born and will sweep like mighty winds over the world landscape. Of course, this natural and good change in musical expression will likely be co-opted by the evil powers that be... at least, as much as they can get away with. As much as possible, if you find new musical artists that especially appeal to you, try to buy directly from them, not some BIG CORP outlet or store. [no, moi does not have any music for purchase... this is not a promo]
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Big Cat by-the-numbers ~

December 31, 2010 ~ 1:11 pm... 2:12 pm... 4:44 pm... one year from the New Year’s Eve of 2012...

January 1, 2011 ~ 4:44 am... 2:12 pm... 2:22 pm... 5:55 pm... 8:44 pm... 11:11 pm... 20ll is a FOUR YEAR... think HOME, FAMILY and stability... and how LOVE creates home, family and a good kind of stability...

January 2, 2011 ~ 2:12 am... 2:22 am... 3:33 am... 1:11 pm... 2:12 pm... 4:44 pm... 12:12 am... Volcano’s Angelic Forecast for this week ~ sirenbookstrand.blogspot.com ~
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Authoress news and mews ~

The Kougar is blogging at the FF&P member’s blog on January 5, 2011 ~ Here’s the beginning ~

In the Moment of Creation
by Savanna Kougar

Creation is both an act of magic, and magical. I’ve experienced that since I began writing stories. No, not as young as some authors, but when I was a young teenager.

There’s that undeniable spark, that in-the-zone period of time where the scene you’re penning simply flows. It’s as if you’ve waved a sorcerer’s wand, and summoned it into beautiful and powerful existence. And, there it is on the page, or on your monitor screen.
~~~
Featured at SHAPESHIFTER SEDUCTIONS ~

A Bird in the Hand...
by Serena Shay

Burgess absorbed the slight weight of the fragile beauty now wound around him. His hands cupped her perfectly rounded ass even as she wrapped her legs around his hips. Her dress inched higher on her thighs, but thankfully, still covered her interesting bits. Her tongue delved deep, mated with his while her hands held tightly to his face. This mad grope in an airport terminal was as close to heaven as he’d gotten in far too long.

AND!

Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year, New Start
by Solara

“Oh my head,” Danny groaned, clutching his head as the room spun around him. Grabbing the nearest receptacle, he rushed toward the bathroom hoping he didn’t need to toss his cookies again.

He leaned over the porcelain sink and squinted as he looked in the mirror ten minutes later. Blood shot eyes and tuffs of hair standing out all over his head greeted him. Two lines of varying sized hickeys ran up and down his neck. As he looked closer, his reflection revealed tooth and claw marks still faintly marking his shoulders and chest.
~~~
Featured at HAPPILY EVER AFTER ~

New Years Traditions Around The World
by Stephanie Burkhart

Around the world, New Years Eve is traditionally celebrated on 31 DEC, which is the final day of the Gregorian calendar. Interestingly enough, it wasn't until 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII established the Gregorian calendar, which most of the western world now uses.
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Featured at Lindsay Townsend's THE PINK BLOG ~

Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New.
By Jane Richardson

New Year's Eve means so many different things to different people. For some, it's a farewell to what was maybe not such a good old year, a chance for things to change for the better. For others, it's the opportunity to state, almost publicly, the things they're going to achieve in the next twelve months - lose weight, quit smoking, maybe even finish that novel....!
~~~
Featured at ROMANCE WRITERS BEHAVING BADLY ~

A Recipe for a LUCKY New Year!
by Jeanne St. James

I made this recipe for a family holiday party.
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AUTHORS/ASPIRING AUTHORS... do you know about the changes at Amazon for Indie authors?

Hi All,
If you are an Indie Author with books published through the DTP program for the Kindle at Amazon their lending program "snuck" through and began today. If your books are sold for 35% royalties you can opt out of the lending program. However if you get the 70% royalties, you cannot opt out.
Here is the NEW section of the DTP agreement: 5.2.2 Kindle Book Lending Program. The Kindle Book Lending program enables customers who purchase a Digital Book to lend it subject to limitations we establish from time to time. All Digital Books made available through the Program are automatically included in the Kindle Book Lending program. However, for Digital Books that are in the 35% Royalty Option (as described in the Pricing Page), you may choose to opt out of the Kindle Book Lending program.
This will disable lending of the Digital Book by customers who purchase it after you have opted it out, but this will not affect the right of customers who purchased it when lending was enabled to continue to lend it. You may not choose to opt out a Digital Book if it is included in the lending program of another sales or distribution channel. If we become aware that a Digital Book you have opted out is included in the lending program of another sales or distribution channel, we may enable it for lending. Digital Books that are in the 70% Royalty Option (as described in the Pricing Page) cannot be opted out of the lending feature.

This definitely looks like a good feature for the readers but I'm hesitant about how it will affect our sales as authors.

Rebecca J. Vickery
Victory Tales Press
Western Trail Blazer
***

Moi’s response...

Rebecca, bottom line, imo, this is just another way to rip off authors. They'll say it will improve sales because many more readers will be exposed to your book. NOPE!!! I say, it will just be like the e-pirate sites. Readers will form communities and simply LEND or TRADE their ebooks.

Now, I'm damn glad I don't have a self-pubbed book with Kindle. Authors/Artists are simply NOT RESPECTED in this culture, and are treated as second class citizens.

Sincerely, Savanna Kougar
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AUTHORS/ASPIRING AUTHORS ~ THE HAPPY WRITER

Happy New Year, Everyone! Hope you all have/had a chance to toast in 2011!

No matter how great or not so great 2010 was for your writing career, there's always room for improvement, right? I had a bit of an epiphany back in October about writing and what I really want out of it...and what I think other writers are looking for from their writing. Or, more importantly, what we often FORGET about our writing. That it is supposed to make us Happy.

Once upon a time, when we were just writing for fun, we loved it! We ached to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. But things may have gotten in the way of that over the years. Too much focus on trying to be published (which can drag us down when we want it so bad and it feels so far away!). The business of being published (which can be overwhelming and frustrating!) Slogging through manuscripts that seem too hard, even though we love them so much.

With all these things bombarding us, we forget sometimes to be Happy Writers. And really, if you're not happy writing, the thing you love the most, what's the point of even doing it?

That's kind of how I feel about it. And I want to change it.

So, I decided to see what I could do to help myself be a Happy Writer and help others be Happy Writers, too! I've created a website that I hope will become a community of writers striving to find things to be happy about, even when life (and the writing) are hard.

The website is TheHappyWriter.com. There are several posts up already, so if you want to start at the beginning and read about the theories behind being a Happy Writer, just click on the link at the top of the page that says "New? Start Here!"

I really hope to see a lot of you there and feel free to spread the word to other chapters or other writing groups/writing friends you have, within and outside of the RWA world!

Here's to a Happy New Writing Year!

~~~
Shannon McKelden
ShannonMcKelden.com
TheHappyWriter.com
VENUS ENVY and VENUS GUY TRAP (Tor/Forge)
THE KISS TEST out now from Harlequin's Carina Press!
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From Astrology.com ~

Your January Forecast

Prepare for 2011

January blasts its way through the trials and tribulations of the past month to kick off the New Year with activity and optimism.

2011 starts off with a solar eclipse in Capricorn, as well as a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, both happening on January 4th. The solar eclipse may seem a bit startling initially because there's a good chance some sort of parting of ways will occur. Keep in mind that the effects of solar eclipses can take some time to finalize, so what starts out as a separation will end, eventually, with a coming together. The final result will be a partnership much stronger and more enjoyable than anything you had before. Don't be surprised if you feel a bit restless the day before and of the eclipse - this is just another opportunity for you to focus on a particular project and see how much you can accomplish.

Jupiter and Uranus have been travelling together since May, and the conjunction on the 4th is the last time they'll come this close together for 13 years. Jupiter is the planet of luck and optimism, while Uranus represents inventiveness and creativity. As the two join forces for this last round, you can expect positive surprises, especially those beneficial surprises that bring a sense of relief to some aspect of your life.

A few days later, things could get a touch more dramatic as Venus saunters from sultry Scorpio into adventurous Sagittarius on the 7th. For those seeking serious drama, this could be your chance to turn a friend into a lover. If you like to keep things more low key, but still want to take advantage of these energies, try throwing an exotically themed party. There's nothing like a beach party in the middle of winter to help ease cabin fever!

Meanwhile, Saturn, ever the spoilsport, may try to dampen the fun as it moves into a square with the sun on the same day. This influence will be short-lived, so just be sure to double-check every detail as often as possible, and you won't experience too many problems.

Then the universe is back in full swing and full of energy from January 11th through the 19th, as Mars, the Sun and Mercury frolic and dance with Jupiter and Uranus. You couldn't ask for a better time to have an adventure. On the 15th, Mars will move into Aquarius, followed by the Sun on the 20th. Be prepared to deal with some obstinacy and hard-headedness - this is not the best time for compromise. On the other hand, Aquarius, known for creativity and inventiveness, will force Mars to provide you with an excellent opportunity for incredible innovation.

It's a full month so far, but January's big astro-news is Jupiter's leap from Pisces to Aries on the 22nd, where it will remain until mid June. Jupiter's move will help bring about an attitude that is upfront, confident and filled with enthusiasm. Jupiter in Aries is the ultimate motivator. You might be inclined to be a bit headstrong, or to leap before you look, or to take things a bit too far. But remember to always take a deep breath and a moment to consider your actions. The impulsive optimism of these months mixed with a hint of responsibility will garner some pretty impressive results.
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Now ~ FIRST! just for the big cool cats ~ from the Flash Cat...

Happy Courtship on another Earth

X-Serial Flash in Two Hundred ~ Sylva and Zeke’s story continues...

Part 735 ~

Sylva smiled at Ginger. “Of course. Zeke will like that.” Sylva continued sipping, and cast her mind toward Zeke. It took some moments, but the scene formed. And, she saw him inside a sleek aircraft, a design she wasn’t familiar with. Knowing he was on his way back, and was concentrating on what had occurred, she withdrew. Feeling lighthearted over Zeke’s return, she settled herself more comfortably. “Earth changes,” she burst out. Puzzled at herself, she gazed at Ginger. “Do you mean the natural cycle of changes that are occurring?” Ginger asked. Sylva nodded. “I do. What about the ranch?”

Zeke automatically grinned, even though the pit of his stomach clenched. He wasn’t certain why, other than the current Secret Circle doin’s. He hadn’t dealt with Big Gun often, and certainly never during a situation of this magnitude. The ranchers, and other folks, governed themselves, and their own, only relying on the Sheriff to handle county matters. “Lookin’ forward to it,” Big Gun continued. Zeke glad-handed him. “You’re mighty welcome. I’m lookin’ forward to showin’ off my bride, and introducing her to folks ‘round here.” After a nod and a casual salute to each other, Zeke spun on his heel.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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Part 1 - 15 ~ see blog ~ January 15th Cometh, then Part 15... and before...
Part 16 ~ 734 ~ see the Kougar’s prior bloggies... or the Passionate Ink forum, the FREE READS page ~ passionateink.org/forum ~ OR! Now available on The Romance Studio Forum, JANUARY 2009 through JUNE 2010 flashes ~ theromancestudio.com ~ Click on the FORUMS, then Savanna Kougar ~ the Fantasy Lair ~
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The most powerful weapon is the human soul on fire.

~ HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH ~

May you live the dreams of your heart...

Happy Romancing in 2011 kisses from the Kougar...