The A to Z of Me (Rebecca Hart): What Makes Me Tick? #writing #author

So, I saw this little list of A to Z’s on fellow Inkspell author, Stephanie Lawton’s blog today and it looked like fun, so I stole it (thanks, Steph!) from her (and she apparently hijacked it from another Inkspell author, Brooke Moss).

Maybe this will give you all a little insight into my personal sanity issues 😀

Here we go…

A. Age: I’m one of the oldies, I guess, though I never much considered myself as being old. I am a very young, and somewhat immature 42.

B. Bed size: KING — I have to have room to poke at least one foot out from beneath the covers to be able to sleep properly. Not to mention, I snore when on my back, so my boyfriend, Pete needs some extra space for when he has to push me over on my side to keep me from sawing wood so loud he can’t sleep. Sexy, right?

C. Chore that you hate: Laundry. The pile never seems to get any smaller no matter how many loads I do. In addition, my “High Efficiency” washer eats one article of clothing per load. (Yes, it is as inefficient as it sounds)

D. Dogs: Gotta have em. We have always been a dog family – since I was a child, so when I grew up and had my own place, one of the first things I did was get a dog. I’ve had a few over the years, but our current dog is a very adorable beagle named Digger.

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee — and usually more coffee.

F. Favorite color: Green — of any type. Just love the cool, natural feel to the green hues. That and what self respecting irish lass doesn’t love green?

G. Gold or Silver: I’m not one of those ladies that loves jewelry (or chocolate for that matter). I have always been a bit of a tom boy. But, I guess I would pick gold, since my boyfriend’s favorite hobby is gold prospecting. (Yes, people still actually do that)

H. Height: 5’10” – A tall drink of water, as my pop would say. I take after the Brennan side of the family on that one. It didn’t serve well at HS proms and dances, as I would always have to take off my shoes so I wasnt taller than my dates, but it was great for playing volleyball in HS and later, in college.

I. Instruments you play: Absolutely none. My sister, Chris and I made up names for bands with a friend growing up, even though none of us played any instruments or could really sing. Does that still count?

J. Job title: Impatient, soon to be published novelist. In the real world, I am a full time IT geek for a state agency.

K. Kids: I’ve got three. My son, Steven is out on his own at age 21, but my two daughters, Casey (17) and Shelby(11) still live with me at home… and usually find a way to make me giggle every day.

L. Live: I was born and raised in Upstate NY, and currently live in a small (rural) town named, Cambridge. You know, where it takes a ten minute drive to buy a gallon of milk and the air smells a bit like cows when the wind is just right.  Ahhh, country living…

M. Mother’s name: Catherine (everyone calls her Cathy). My mother rules… that is all 😀

N. Nicknames: I have had a few over the years, some good, some not so much. Most of my friends call me Becca and the ones that don’t call me Bex

O. Overnight hospital stays: My appendix burst when I was a senior in HS, so I spent about a week in the hospital then. I also don’t dilate, so I had overnight stays for C-sections for all three of my children. Yay me 😛

P. Pet peeves: Mean people, anyone driving less than 5 MPH under the speed limit when I am on my daily commute.  Oh, alright, I’ll be honest — anyone who drives 5 MPH under the speed limit if they are in front of me, period.

Q. Quote from a movie: Gotta go with one from my all time favorite movie. “Stay alive no matter what occurs. I will find you.”  Should I make you guess the movie?

R. Right or left handed: Right-handed, thought two of my three children are left handed.

S. Siblings: I’m the oldest of four children. I have a sister a year younger than myself, followed by a set of twins (a brother and sister).

T. Time you wake up: As late as possible. (About 7am on weekdays after 30 mins of snooze button abuse)

U. Underwear:This goes back to that whole tomboy thing.  I prefer wearing men’s boxers or none at all. (God, I hope my mother isn’t reading this)

V. Vegetable you hate: Brussel Sprouts and cooked cauliflower (love the stuff raw, though)

W. What makes you run late: My snooze bar, and the fact that sleeping rules.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Hrmm… some broken bones during the sports years. No major physical issues *knock on wood*

Y. Yummy food that you make: Pete tells me I am an expert cook as long as it comes out of a box. I would disagree. I don’t cook because, well, he is home (retired) and does, so I don’t have to. I am quite talented with homemade soups, and potato and macaroni salads.

(I have no idea what the hell happened to Z. I’ll make one up.) – ME EITHER SINCE I STOLE THIS FROM YOU, STEPH 😛

Z. Zamboni-related story: Holy cow, really?  ermmm… ZERO 😛 (hey, it starts with a Z, anyway)  I’ve seen one at a hockey game before. How’s that for a story? Oh, wait… happy ending… And my team won! 😀

There ya have it. 🙂 Anything revealed that you find shocking? Or spurred a follow-up question?  Feel free to toss it below and I promise I will answer them.

Happy Tuesday!

From Fellow Inkspell Author: Stephanie Lawton (A Chance to Get to Know Her Better)

From Fellow Inkspell Author: Stephanie Lawton (A Chance to Get to Know Her Better)

Stephanie Lawton

After following some fellow writer friends’ blogs, I’ve come to realize I must come across as kinda serious on here, which is hilarious since I’m one of the goofiest people I know. I have the mouth of a sailor and the sense of humor of a sixteen-year-old boy, but I guess in an effort to be “professional,” I may have sacrificed personality.

So. Here’s a totally self-indulgent post to prove I am not a robot, no matter what CAPTCHA says. (Completely stolen from fellow Inkspell author Brooke Moss.)

A. Age: Really? We have to start with age? Okay, fine. I’m 32. But I look older (thanks for those genes, Dad). It was cool when I was in high school and got mistaken for a college student or hit on by my boyfriends’ dads, but now? Not so much. Especially when people assume my mother and I are sisters. (Stop dying…

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The Clan Takes Boston… Kinda. (part 1) #travel

As I promised earlier today, it’s time to share the deets on the Harko/Hart/Sharp (sorry, we’re a modern family) gang’s recent sojourn to the great and historically rich city of Boston, MA.

With my full-time job and my two daughters in school, we don’t find much time for “family vacations”. with my two daughters off from school this week, I decided to treat them and take the week off from work as well.

We discussed options for short trips (ones we could afford) and the Boston Aquarium came up as an option. Pete and I booked a room at the Marriott Custom House which according to Google maps was smack next to the Aquarium and Quincy Market. Plus it was better for Pet and I than a standard hotel room with two double beds, as it was a suite. Private bedroom with king and a fold out queen bed for the girls. Kitchenette for breakfast. I’m now thinking mini fridge and microwave. Rock on. I can make good coffee when I get up. Book it, baby!

We even had the forethought to make an online reservation (omg, I’m such a net geek sometimes) at the nearby, and supposedly famous, Union Oyster House, also within walking distance of the Custom House the night of our arrival in Beantown.

Now for the fun part, the actual trip. (Fasten your seatbelts)

The first thing I have to say about Boston, is this. Never, EVER, drive in Boston. I cannot even begin to explain the maze that makes up the streets of this city. Before I went, I thought, “How hard can it be? I’m from New York.” Welp… it was NOT pretty. Picture Pete driving, me looking at a pittance half marked piece of map we got off the hotel site in a maze of one way streets curving and merging from every conceivable direction. The girls did mention they saw two vagrants, and were disturbingly excited by this apparent coup. They went on to explain that we didn’t see them “because you were too busy yelling at Pete.” (In my defense, he had just almost run over a pedestrian taking his life in his hands by crossing against the light)

We literally spent an hour driving in circles trying to find State Street, only to finally find it but it’s a one way street leading away from the part of it we needed to be on. Are you freaking kidding me?

The gang was quite pleased to finally manage to find the traversable end of State Street and were able to find our lodgings at the Custom House. YAY!

I have to tell you, the place was GORGEOUS. Far beyond my expectations based on the website information. Turns out, a “resort” facility. As you can see in this first pic, it comes complete with its own clock tower. The green strip above the clock face is the lookout. More on that later.

 Our room was on the 19th floor and check in was a breeze. Valet parking. You had to pay extra for parking, by the way ($39 for the overnight). The lobby was beautiful, with a three-story domed ceiling. The girls nabbed a snap of that. Check it out.

Sweet, right? It was what I would imagine the inside of the White House dome might look like.

The hotel is also quite secure. You needed your room key to operate the elevator up. Smart and helped ease my concerns on the choice we had made sight unseen (basically).

I mentioned earlier we were on the 19th floor, right? Well, let me tell you, the view from the windows of the suite was killer! Here’s a quick menage.

Yup. Jackpot.

The room itself was just as impressive.  I would show you nice pics of that, but apparently I didn’t take any that didn’t contain my dear, Pete in his undies and Shelby’s Silly Balloon Hat (more on that later, too). This is the only one I managed free of rated PG-13 material. It’s the view of the room from its entrance foyer (yes, it had its own posh little foyer inside the door).

View from Room Entrance Foyer

Oh, there’s the Silly Hat I mentioned. I promise we are almost to that part of the trip. Patience, eh? 

Once we arrived in Beantown and settled out stuff, the gang headed out to explore Quincy Market and see if we could really reach the restaurant we’d made reservations at on foot. I did not relish the idea of more city driving. been there, done that.

Considering it was the dead of winter in the Northeast, the weather was wonderfully accommodating. A cold brisk wind, but certainly not the chilling temps expected in the region (like the rest of this winter has been). We toured a row of shops and indoor carts, not really paying too much attention. Just getting a lay of the land, as it were.

Pete was ready for a beer and I wanted some sort of snack, having only had sandwiches we’d packed for the drive. A beer sounded pretty good to me, too.

We headed into the Salty Dog Tavern. It seems we entered the bar side, so we were directed through the think kitchen area in the center (dish station, I believe) into the back where the tables were located. It was small but quaint, and the gang took a load off and had a bit of fun.

I didn’t tell you I had a normal family or anything, right? I should tell you all now — if you didn’t know this already — my daughter, Shelby is quite unique. She refuses to take a “normal” picture. So, you will not see one here.

Pete had a beer, but they didn’t have Corona, so I opted for a soda. The girls had sodas as well. We ordered a bucket of clams to share and Casey (who doesn’t eat seafood, really) had an order of fries. Pete added some Oyster Stew and I had a bowl of New England Chowder. I guess, technically, Boston Chowder in this case. ($65 for the whole kaboodle) Tasty vittles and the server was friendly and efficient. Casey and Shelby came up with a saying while we were there, though I couldn’t tell you now why. The Salty Dog, Where Anything Can Happen. (*shrugs* not sure – they’re kids, after all)

That’s all for now. I’ll finish up the fantastic clan adventure in another post tomorrow. I can’t be hogging all your time with my silly family slide shows.

If you have been to these places and have experiences to share, or just want to post a comment or question on the trip so far, just drop me a line. 🙂

Until, tomorrow… and the saga continues.

Tuesday Task Tally: This time I have a good excuse. #tuesdaytask

You might think that being this is Wednesday, I may have once more forgotten my Tuesday Task Tally. I swear, I did not. I was actually in Boston enjoying the sights with my family yesterday, and was having too much fun to break free to post on the blog. But, I am here now.

To begin, I will do as I am supposed to, and give a run down of my writerly tasks this week. The neat part, is I really only had one big task this past week. My cover reveal (on 2/20) — which went swimmingly well.

On that note, I would like to extend some special thanks to the following bloggers for helping me get the word out about my novel. You should definitely check out and follow these blogs if you don’t already.

Rocking Bloggers/Writers:
Amaleen Ison
Julie Belfield
Julie Reece
Jocelyn Adams
Kelly Said
Anna Simpson
Lydia Sharp (post to come 2/24)

I am still “working” on a short story I started for the J. Taylor Publishing “Make Believe” anthology. Getting closer to the deadline on this one, so I really should get it in gear.

Stop by later for a fun post about my family’s adventures in Boston this week.

Cover Reveal: Call of the Sea by Rebecca Hart #CotS

Good morning, lovely readers. I have another fantastic cover reveal to share with you today. I am really excited about this one. (Gee, I wonder why :P)

Today’s cover comes from CALL OF THE SEA, Rebecca Hart’s debut paranormal romance to be published by Inkspell Publishing in June 2012. Rather than talk your ear off, I will let the cover speak for itself.

From the back of the book:

Elysandra Winters has always yearned for a life of adventure on the rolling seas and is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill her dream. When her Privateer father continually refuses to allow his only daughter to sail, Ellie defies him, disguises herself as a boy, and goes in search of a captain who will give her a chance to prove her worth.

Thanks to the cursed selkie blood coursing through his veins, Daniel O’Rourke needs the sea to survive. After giving up on his humanity and spending three years in seal form, he decides to give his human side another chance. Daniel goes in search of a job and a sense of normalcy, earning himself a position aboard Captain Winter’s ship, The Surf Runner. However, his new captain’s first assignment has nothing at all to do with sailing, and everything to do with his headstrong young daughter.

Years later, when the leader of a band of bloodthirsty pirates murders Captain Winters, Daniel and Elysandra’s lives come crashing back together with the force of a hurricane. Both experts in deception, they must find a way to trust each other if they are to have any hope of hunting down the captain’s killer.

I just love it. 🙂 Definitely squee! worthy by my standards.

But, you guys out there viewing this post are the readers. What do you think about the cover? Share your thoughts on the cover below. Looking forward to hearing your opinions, so don’t be shy.

To learn more about the author or the publisher, please visit their websites (links below):

Inkspell Publishing
Rebecca Hart

Cover Reveal: Call of the Sea, by Rebecca Hart (That’s me!) #CotS #coverlove

I cannot believe the day has FINALLY arrived. It has been near torture waiting to share the cover art for my debut novel with you all. But, time marches on, no matter how slowly, and the 20th of February has arrived. YAY!

Ladies and Gents — the cover for my novel, due out in June 2012 from Inkspell Publishing.

From the Back Cover:

There is no denying the call of the sea.

 Elysandra Winters has always yearned for a life of adventure on the rolling seas and is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill her dream. When her Privateer father continually refuses to allow his only daughter to sail, Ellie defies him, disguises herself as a boy, and goes in search of a captain who will give her a chance to prove her worth.

Thanks to the cursed selkie blood coursing through his veins, Daniel O’Rourke needs the sea to survive. After giving up on his humanity and spending three years in seal form, he decides to give his human side another chance. Daniel goes in search of a job and a sense of normalcy, earning himself a position aboard Captain Winter’s ship, The Surf Runner. However, his new captain’s first assignment has nothing at all to do with sailing, and everything to do with his headstrong young daughter.

Years later, when the leader of a band of bloodthirsty pirates murders Captain Winters, Daniel and Elysandra’s lives come crashing back together with the force of a hurricane. Both experts in deception, they must find a way to trust each other if they are to have any hope of hunting down the captain’s killer.

I absolutely LOVE it. The girl fits Ellie so perfectly, and the designer, Naj also managed to give me a little Daniel (selkie) out in the ocean by the beautiful ship.

Be sure to add the novel to your Goodreads To-Read list.

What do you all think? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Six Sentence Sunday: The Curse of the Awkward Silence #sixsunday

Thanks for stopping by for another installment of Six Sentence Sunday. This week’s post is special for me, as the cover reveal for my debut novel is tomorrow. (A Hearty SQUEE for that)

In honor of the unveiling of my paranormal romance, this week’s six sentences comes from the soon to be available (Inkspell Publishing, June 2012), CALL OF THE SEA.

Without waiting for an answer, she[Ellie] headed down the dirt road, keeping her gaze focused on the path ahead and as far from the distracting Daniel as possible.

On a good day, the trek to Newquay was long. The trip with Daniel that morning was pure torture. Neither spoke a word, the silence between them stretching into an impenetrable chasm. Each time Ellie considered breeching it, her thoughts fled, palms got sweaty, and her ears burned. She’d already made enough of a fool of herself on the beach, she saw no reason to add to the humiliation.

Hope you enjoyed the snipit. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, and click the banner at the top of this post to visit with the other participant sites.

Thanks again, my friends, and Happy Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday: Give me chills, baby! #sixsunday

Welcome back for another sizzling Six Sentence Sunday posting. I’m glad to see you here again.

This week, I thought I would post an excerpt that gives me the chills, since we don’t seem to be getting enough of them in Upstate NY this winter. These sentences are from my published erotic horror short, Blood and Fire.  This posting is for MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY.

Hope you enjoy.

Kevin ground the heel of his hand against my clit sending my eyes wide open as shivers of lightning shot through my splayed legs. He slid his hand up, tracing the split of my lips with his index finger, pressing my juices through the intricate lace. He brought the finger to his lips and sucked my pleasure from it like a glazed doughnut. “Such a good girl.”

 I moaned with barely constrained desire as he pulled into a long winding driveway. My fingers dug into the leather seat by my hips.

Be sure to click the banner at the top of this post and visit with the other offering fresh snipits this weekend. You never know what you may find — maybe your new favorite author.

 

I’ve Been Tagged Today – Say What? #fridayfun with @jabelfield

So it seems I have been added to a list of participants for a tagging extravaganza. Being I am a little joiner, I’ve decided it is best I participate rather than tempt the question answering gods and ignore such a call to action.

So without further ado, here are the questions I have been directed to answer:

1. You’re stranded on a snowy mountain after the aircraft transporting you to [wherever the heck you like] makes a crash landing. Out of the 6 passengers and 2 pilots, only 2 have survived. You … and some dude who looks shockingly like your number 1 book boyfriend. But … you’ve now been stranded for close to 89 hours, and the closest you’ve seen to a food source is staring right back at you. So … which part of him do you plan to eat first?

Do you really have to ask me something like that?  I mean, I write erotica afterall…  Let’s see… I would start at his tasty neck and work my way downward 😛

2. So … you have an evening of glitz and glamour ahead. But being the super secret spy you are, you already foresee the night ending in a run for your life (or to protect your anonymity). Which means the all important decision of footwear becomes a little complicated. Do you go for your favourite pair of freakishly awesome Jimmy Choos and hope you don’t end up on a cobblestone street? Or do you say to heck with it, and wear a skirt long enough to cover your battered Nikes?

I’m a nike girl all the way — but forget hiding the suckers. I’ll just wear a short denim skirt and the nike sneakers and be ready for anything.

3. If a global law was instated that each and every citizen of every country could only ever eat ONE type of cake for the duration of their lives and they each had to sign a contract binding them to their decision, what cake would you choose as your ‘can’t live without’?

Cheesecake — all the way. I’ll even let someone else pick the flavor.

4. If you could choose ANY book (no matter how impossible the graphics required might seem) to be made into a film (movie for the U.S.ers), what book would you choose?

5. Okay, seeing as I brought it up above in the stranded question I have to know: who’s your No 1 (ONLY1!) book boyfriend? The. Ultimate. Fictional Male. Of your dreams!?

This is a strange answer, I know, but the truth is the truth: I go with Rourke from The Glass Man by Jocelyn Adams. I just love them dark, twisted and dangerous.

6. And still with the book boyfriend, we’ll presume you didn’t eat all of him before the two of you were rescued, and he’s a forgiving kind of guy. So now he’s agreed to a date that doesn’t have him on the menu (at least not as the starter, anyway, if you get my gist). What’s the date? Where, what, why, how?

We would start with dinner at Hell’s Kitchen, so Gordon Ramsey could yell at me and get me all hot and bothered, and then he would take me out to a NYC fetish club… why?  Because that is exactly what Rourke would do 😛

7.The governments are clamping down on the atrocity otherwise known as social networking. Every social networker is permitted only one platform. So … which one can’t you live without? Choose your poison.

Facebook — but only because that is where I see my daughters postings and I like to keep an eye on what they are up to. 

8. The hot girl always used to pick on you at school. She had all the boys flocking round her. All the cool kids following behind like sniffer dogs after crack (no pun intended … honestly). And some years have passed since you walked out of those school gates for the last time and thanked the heavens you’d never have to deal with her again. But then you walk into your local burger bar … and get served … by Miss Popular. Except she most certainly ain’t looking quite so pretty any more. To add to that, the server next to her is asking how she got on with finding a baby sitter for her rambunctious triplets. Tell me: is she worth your scorn? Or can you not resist the impulse to wallow in your better life?

I would silently enjoy the rewards of Murphy’s Law finally smacking someone else in the face with a healthy dose of reality. Gotta take those bonuses when you can find them.

9. Okay, an easier one for you as I’ve been pretty hard: what is your EARLIEST childhood memory? Is it even from this lifetime?

Going to the Fox zoo with my family when I was a wee one. According to my mother, that trip occurred when I was three.  Not bad recollection for an old chick, eh?

10. If you could travel through time, which year would you travel back to and why?

Anytime during the 17th century and the reason is simple, and most anyone who knows me would probably tell you why — because there were PIRATES back then!

11. And finally: we’ve suddenly discovered an anonymous donor is willing to pay for us all to get together but we only have 24 hours to argue and fight discuss rationally the destination. Which city’s corner are you fighting for?

FIJI — haven’t we already been through his one? *eyes the gals* There better not be other answers…

There you have it. Now you know all the important things about me 🙂 Don’t you feel smarter for having read? I know I do. 😛

I am now supposed to come up with more bloggers and 11 of my own questions, but that may take me a little bit to put together…

Stay tuned for that. 😛

Bex Book Nook New Facebook Fan Giveaway: Enter to Win! #freebie

In an ongoing marketing effort, I am trying out some new promotional avenues. One of which, is my first blog giveaway. Enter to win a free eBook copy of my steamy erotic short, ACE in the Hole. It’s simple to qualify. Just answer a basic question and visit my facebook page and “Like” it.

That’s all you need to do. Simple, right?

You would think 😛
Because WordPress  does not allow for the posting of Javascripts, please visit the link below to enter.

I want to ENTER the Facebook Follower Giveaway!!

Good luck!
~Bex