Brit Blaise

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I’m not sure of the pub date for Thoroughly Mannerly Millicent…
You might think that’s strange, but not half as strange as the story about why I’m scared to ask. I’ve flubbed up so horribly with TMM. (Thoroughly Mannerly Millicent) After a harrowing weekend trying to set my publishing nightmare right, I was told I’d have the final edits for TMM in a month.

I guess I should share what I did, so you can avoid a similar mistake. (like anyone would really do this)

I pitched Thoroughly Mannerly Millicent to Avalon at RWA conference 2004. I had thirty pages written and the editor asked for the full manuscript. I began writing on the drive back to Phoenix and three weeks later had a finished and polished manuscript, thanks in great part to my critique group…the butterscotch martini girls. www.butterscotchmartinigirls.com

So this is about two years ago…and then I received a contract for the manuscript this August. And while I’m published, everything I’ve done has been via computer. When I read the contract, I realized what I’d sent Avalon two years earlier had been way too short of their required word count.

Why would she agree to buy a book too short?

I got busy and added about 10,000 words and it was still too short. However, I failed to mention to my editor I’d changed the manuscript. I’m thinking…”She’s going to love me for this.” …I’ve gotten rid of the pesky “W” word…was. I dropped those weak verbs with ing endings. I added tags and got rid of he said/she said. And I’ve upped the word count! What a clever girl I am! Those of you who are published are cringing right now.

In the meantime, my editor sent edits…to the wrong addy. I waited until the day before they were due to call her. At this point, we work through the address problem and she emails the edits. Only they aren’t line edits like I’m accustomed to getting …they are done by page number. Do you get the picture?

My page numbers now no longer match hers.

I had to call her back and tell her what I did. I could tell by the tight sound of her voice, I’d suddenly become a big pain in her keister. I promised I’d get them done and in the mail, sent overnight by the next day.

Wait! Where did I put the original manuscript? I’ve moved twice across country in the last two years. I also have a dilapidated Victorian in small town Ohio where I’ve stuck stuff I couldn’t get moved. I’m not too worried because I have an old trusty hard-drive where I’m sure it is. I go hook it up and push the button to power it up and the button collapses. So what do I do?…dismantle the computer or start looking elsewhere. I have five computers…don’t ask. Most all of the new ones don’t take disks, and I can’t find the disk with TMM on it anyway. Eventually I found a version near enough to make sense to me.

Breathing easier…

Until I get a closer look at the edits… and there are a couple of things there I don’t quite “get”. By now it’s well past the end of the workday in NY and my editor didn’t give me her home number.

?

I’d promised to get them in the mail the next day, so I did the best I could. Sent a fax to NY proving I’d sent the package overnight on Friday. In the meantime…I thought I’d send a backup copy on Saturday since Friday’s excursion to the post office was $20.50. Sending the backup on Saturday was less then $9.00.

In my fax, I told the editor she’d find a detailed explanation of the changes in page numbers…”page 109 is now 158″…

Who knew the backup copy could get there before the one I’d over-nighted with my detailed list? The editor said she was just getting ready to email me(again) when the first copy arrived at her office.

A day in the life…

By the way, at the last minute I’ve decided to give away an eCopy of Knights of the Magical Realm: Warrior Gone Wild in a drawing from the comments to this post! November 15th…write a comment and your name will be entered!

Also, It’s Friday afternoon and we’re headed for Disneyland…if you comment and it doesn’t show up…I have to moderate because I didn’t figure out how to do otherwise. I’ll moderate this evening…

It’s now the following Friday afternoon and Tiffany is in the hospital…I knew she shouldn’t have chemo this week with how low her blood count was. I’m at the house with three little kids and without a clue to how she’s doing.

http://britblaise.com/blog/?p=23

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I’m not sure of the pub date for Thoroughly Mannerly Millicent…
You might think that’s strange, but not half as strange as the story about why I’m scared to ask. I’ve flubbed up so horribly with TMM. (Thoroughly Mannerly Millicent) After a harrowing weekend trying to set my publishing nightmare right, I was told I’d have the final edits for TMM in a month.

I guess I should share what I did, so you can avoid a similar mistake. (like anyone would really do this)

I pitched Thoroughly Mannerly Millicent to Avalon at RWA conference 2004. I had thirty pages written and the editor asked for the full manuscript. I began writing on the drive back to Phoenix and three weeks later had a finished and polished manuscript, thanks in great part to my critique group…the butterscotch martini girls. www.butterscotchmartinigirls.com

So this is about two years ago…and then I received a contract for the manuscript this August. And while I’m published, everything I’ve done has been via computer. When I read the contract, I realized what I’d sent Avalon two years earlier had been way too short of their required word count.

Why would she agree to buy a book too short?

I got busy and added about 10,000 words and it was still too short. However, I failed to mention to my editor I’d changed the manuscript. I’m thinking…”She’s going to love me for this.” …I’ve gotten rid of the pesky “W” word…was. I dropped those weak verbs with ing endings. I added tags and got rid of he said/she said. And I’ve upped the word count! What a clever girl I am! Those of you who are published are cringing right now.

In the meantime, my editor sent edits…to the wrong addy. I waited until the day before they were due to call her. At this point, we work through the address problem and she emails the edits. Only they aren’t line edits like I’m accustomed to getting …they are done by page number. Do you get the picture?

My page numbers now no longer match hers.

I had to call her back and tell her what I did. I could tell by the tight sound of her voice, I’d suddenly become a big pain in her keister. I promised I’d get them done and in the mail, sent overnight by the next day.

Wait! Where did I put the original manuscript? I’ve moved twice across country in the last two years. I also have a dilapidated Victorian in small town Ohio where I’ve stuck stuff I couldn’t get moved. I’m not too worried because I have an old trusty hard-drive where I’m sure it is. I go hook it up and push the button to power it up and the button collapses. So what do I do?…dismantle the computer or start looking elsewhere. I have five computers…don’t ask. Most all of the new ones don’t take disks, and I can’t find the disk with TMM on it anyway. Eventually I found a version near enough to make sense to me.

Breathing easier…

Until I get a closer look at the edits… and there are a couple of things there I don’t quite “get”. By now it’s well past the end of the workday in NY and my editor didn’t give me her home number.

?

I’d promised to get them in the mail the next day, so I did the best I could. Sent a fax to NY proving I’d sent the package overnight on Friday. In the meantime…I thought I’d send a backup copy on Saturday since Friday’s excursion to the post office was $20.50. Sending the backup on Saturday was less then $9.00.

In my fax, I told the editor she’d find a detailed explanation of the changes in page numbers…”page 109 is now 158″…

Who knew the backup copy could get there before the one I’d over-nighted with my detailed list? The editor said she was just getting ready to email me(again) when the first copy arrived at her office.

A day in the life…

By the way, at the last minute I’ve decided to give away an eCopy of Knights of the Magical Realm: Warrior Gone Wild in a drawing from the comments to this post! November 15th…write a comment and your name will be entered!

Also, It’s Friday afternoon and we’re headed for Disneyland…if you comment and it doesn’t show up…I have to moderate because I didn’t figure out how to do otherwise. I’ll moderate this evening…

It’s now the following Friday afternoon and Tiffany is in the hospital…I knew she shouldn’t have chemo this week with how low her blood count was. I’m at the house with three little kids and without a clue to how she’s doing.

http://britblaise.com/blog/?p=23

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Title: Warriors Gone Wild Anthology
Author: Tina Gerow, Linda Wisdom, Dakota Cassidy, Brit Blaise
Publisher: Triskelion Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mythological, Sci-Fi, Time Travel, Paranormal
Publication date: August 2006
ISBN: 1-60186-010-2
Pages: 163
Series: Knights of the Magic Realm

Heat Level:

Rating: There are four and a half lips here, but when I copied the half dropped off…4 !/2 lips

Fantasy Quest by Tina Gerow

Astiria Petrey needs a vacation and when the opportunity for a free one pops up, she takes advantage of the opportunity. Fantasy Quest is a beautiful Caribbean resort where the oddest things keep on happening such as room service arriving with exactly what it is she wants to eat without her ever ordering it. It’s enough to make a girl wonder if she’s losing her mind. As a self-proclaimed computer geek, she’s more than happy to play video games while a storm brews outside.

Lord Lerik is a strong and powerful master warrior that lives in Verrath, an alternate universe to Earth. He’s been waiting for the mate that the Seer foretold would arrive when the time was right.

Tina Gerow is an absolutely delightful author. If you’ve read either book in her Maiden series, you’re in for an immediate chuckle as soon as you start Fantasy Quest. I was completely captivated by the characters in Fantasy Quest and amazed by Ms. Gerow’s creativity. Astiria’s insecurities and Lerik’s ability to alleviate them brought balance to their relationship.

Guarding the Hellion by Linda Wisdom

Brad Hayes is hired by Shar, the Lord of the Underworld to keep an eye on his baby sister, Raven. Raven is not to know he’s there to protect her while she’s on vacation.

Raven convinces her half-brother, Shar, to let her go on vacation. Shar doesn’t know that her main purpose is to spend the time trying to come up with a way to have to return Below.

Guarding the Hellion is a lighthearted romp with several serious moments. It’s a nice balance and both Brad and Raven are likeable characters. Their private thoughts and interactions were entertaining. Their chemistry was hot and exciting. I enjoyed reading Guarding the Hellion.

Mac To the Future by Dakota Cassidy

Jaynie Renfro is the Editor-In-Chief of That’s Amore’, a magazine owned by her mother. She hosts the annual cover model contests yet is not impressed by man-girl vying for the coveted role.

Cormac of Anglesey, or Mac, is from the year 1450 and is on a quest to find his magic sword.

Mac To the Future is fantastic. Jaynie’s interaction with the cover models was hilarious and her inner ramblings pure entertainment. Mac is truly a sexy man with a rapier wit and his bantering with his sword is absolutely delightful. Dakota Cassidy really “owned” these characters and made sure that they lived up to their potential. I wish this had been a full-length story, as I didn’t want it to end!

Time Thieves by Brit Blaise

Colonel Daken Parker is a Borka, and head of Shadow Team Ten. He’s been sent with his team to catch Korin, individuals that wreak havoc throughout time and space. When a security guard attempts to stop his team, they try to erase her memory and when they fail, are forced to take her with them.

When Jenny Bender came upon five men breaking into a storage unit, she didn’t know it would save her life by altering the future. When one series of events leads to another, she offers her assistance and her loyalty to these men and their quest to save the future.

Brit Blaise is a master storyteller. The characters in Time Thieves jump off the pages and the storyline is both action packed and exciting. The love scenes are so hot you’ll be challenged to catch your breath. I hope that this is the beginning of a wonderful new series because I would love to hear Peck’s tale. Or Lawzard’s. Or….
http://www.twolipsreviews.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=182&Itemid=36

http://www.butterscotchmartinigirls.com/?p=52

astore.amazon.com/wwwbrtiblaisc-20

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Title: Warriors Gone Wild Anthology
Author: Tina Gerow, Linda Wisdom, Dakota Cassidy, Brit Blaise
Publisher: Triskelion Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mythological, Sci-Fi, Time Travel, Paranormal
Publication date: August 2006
ISBN: 1-60186-010-2
Pages: 163
Series: Knights of the Magic Realm

Heat Level:

Rating: There are four and a half lips here, but when I copied the half dropped off…4 !/2 lips

Fantasy Quest by Tina Gerow

Astiria Petrey needs a vacation and when the opportunity for a free one pops up, she takes advantage of the opportunity. Fantasy Quest is a beautiful Caribbean resort where the oddest things keep on happening such as room service arriving with exactly what it is she wants to eat without her ever ordering it. It’s enough to make a girl wonder if she’s losing her mind. As a self-proclaimed computer geek, she’s more than happy to play video games while a storm brews outside.

Lord Lerik is a strong and powerful master warrior that lives in Verrath, an alternate universe to Earth. He’s been waiting for the mate that the Seer foretold would arrive when the time was right.

Tina Gerow is an absolutely delightful author. If you’ve read either book in her Maiden series, you’re in for an immediate chuckle as soon as you start Fantasy Quest. I was completely captivated by the characters in Fantasy Quest and amazed by Ms. Gerow’s creativity. Astiria’s insecurities and Lerik’s ability to alleviate them brought balance to their relationship.

Guarding the Hellion by Linda Wisdom

Brad Hayes is hired by Shar, the Lord of the Underworld to keep an eye on his baby sister, Raven. Raven is not to know he’s there to protect her while she’s on vacation.

Raven convinces her half-brother, Shar, to let her go on vacation. Shar doesn’t know that her main purpose is to spend the time trying to come up with a way to have to return Below.

Guarding the Hellion is a lighthearted romp with several serious moments. It’s a nice balance and both Brad and Raven are likeable characters. Their private thoughts and interactions were entertaining. Their chemistry was hot and exciting. I enjoyed reading Guarding the Hellion.

Mac To the Future by Dakota Cassidy

Jaynie Renfro is the Editor-In-Chief of That’s Amore’, a magazine owned by her mother. She hosts the annual cover model contests yet is not impressed by man-girl vying for the coveted role.

Cormac of Anglesey, or Mac, is from the year 1450 and is on a quest to find his magic sword.

Mac To the Future is fantastic. Jaynie’s interaction with the cover models was hilarious and her inner ramblings pure entertainment. Mac is truly a sexy man with a rapier wit and his bantering with his sword is absolutely delightful. Dakota Cassidy really “owned” these characters and made sure that they lived up to their potential. I wish this had been a full-length story, as I didn’t want it to end!

Time Thieves by Brit Blaise

Colonel Daken Parker is a Borka, and head of Shadow Team Ten. He’s been sent with his team to catch Korin, individuals that wreak havoc throughout time and space. When a security guard attempts to stop his team, they try to erase her memory and when they fail, are forced to take her with them.

When Jenny Bender came upon five men breaking into a storage unit, she didn’t know it would save her life by altering the future. When one series of events leads to another, she offers her assistance and her loyalty to these men and their quest to save the future.

Brit Blaise is a master storyteller. The characters in Time Thieves jump off the pages and the storyline is both action packed and exciting. The love scenes are so hot you’ll be challenged to catch your breath. I hope that this is the beginning of a wonderful new series because I would love to hear Peck’s tale. Or Lawzard’s. Or….
http://www.twolipsreviews.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=182&Itemid=36

http://www.butterscotchmartinigirls.com/?p=52

astore.amazon.com/wwwbrtiblaisc-20

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Four Fallen Angels from Fallen Angel Reviews

Knights of the Magical Realm: Warriors Gone Wild

In Knights of the Magical Realm: Warriors Gone Wild be prepared for action, adventure, lots of laughter, and plenty of heat.

Tina Gerow starts off the anthology with Fantasy Quest.

Astiria Petrey is on vacation at Fantasy Quest; however, the beauty of the beaches and sunsets seem lacking. The only man who appeals to her is within the confines of the resort’s online game. What happens when she finds herself standing next to her dream man?

Tina Gerow always delights with her ability to blend humor and romance. With unusual situations and witty dialogue, I found myself smiling throughout. The connection between Astiria and Lerik is passionate and romantic. What I especially enjoyed is how Ms. Gerow crafted an ending that captures Astiria’s personality to a “t”.

Linda Wisdom continues with her own type of warrior in Guarding the Hellion.

Brady Hayes owes a very powerful demon a favor. Fortunately, all that is asked of him is to guard said demon’s sister while she is on vacation in the human realm. Of course Brady is expecting someone hideous, not the vivacious and alluring Raven. The ideas running through his mind have nothing to do with protection.

Guarding the Hellion is a fun story. Raven is nothing like readers or Brady expects and thus begins the excitement. The instant chemistry between them delivers some wonderful scenes. Raven’s secret intent brings conflict and tests the bounds of their feelings, but also makes this a unique romance. The story flows well from start to finish with the ending being especially touching.

Mac To the Future by Dakota Cassidy is next and it continues the trend of sexy warriors.

Mac is not from our time and he is especially not your average cover model contestant. This warrior is on a mission and it does not include discovering the best hair gel and sleeping with a Prima Donna author. However, his quest is interrupted by lovely coordinator, Jaynie Renfro. Can this time traveling hero finish his mission and have the girl too?

Dakota Cassidy delivers plenty of raw wit and comical dialogue. Jaynie’s dilemma is enough to have any woman rolling their eyes and laughing at the antics of her charges. Mac is a wonderful counterpart to this often too serious woman. He brings her laughter and passion that are wonderful to experience. These two combine to create an unlikely, but well-matched couple.

Brit Blaise rounds out this anthology with her engaging story, Time Thieves.

Daken is on what should be his last mission. He and his team are supposed to stop the latest round of time thieves and return home. Only their mission hits a snag in the form of Jenny Bender. This twentieth-century cop can’t believe the bevy of sexy men before her; even more unbelievable is that she is stuck with them as they embark on a fantastic assignment. What’s a girl to do?

Time Thieves is an action packed story that brings this anthology to a wonderful close. I was impressed with the level of character development and storyline details Brit Blaise conveys in this short story. Not only are Daken and Jenny fun to get to know, but the additional characters have this reader hoping we will be seeing more of them.

Knights of the Magical Realm: Warriors Gone Wild is winning combination. The four distinct stories combine to create a composite piece of work well worth reading.

Reviewed by: Amanda

http://www.butterscotchmartinigirls.com/?p=49

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