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 |  Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 28 MAY 2024: Just a little about me. I've been married for 32 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, travels, random thoughts, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there.  Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." |
| MY CONTEST: If you sign in to follow me, tweet, Friend me on facebook or goodreads, sign up for my FREE author newsletter on my website, subscribe to my You Tube account, you'll be entered into a draw for a GC of your choice for Amazon, B&N or Desert Breeze. My contest will run through Thursday. I'll pick two people out of a hat for the GCs. (You don't have to sign in for all. Just subscribe to one of the links. If you subscribe to more than one, than your name gets put in the hat the number of times you subscribe.) Here's my links. Have fun! Find me on: My BLOG: http://sgcardin.blogspot.com TWITTER: http://twitter.com/stephburkhart FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1357922219 MY WEBSITE Scroll to the bottom to sign up for the FREE newsletter: http://sgcardin.tripod.com GOOD READS ttp://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2405489 SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOU TUBE ACCOUNT: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina    |
| Boy, was it busy today. I posted my reviews and awared my Show off Your Best at the Sandbox Contest. That was time consuming because there was a lot of entries. I also submitted my Romance/Love newsletter. I have to proof some blog posts for my Berlin Blog Tour and come up with one last post. If you want to visit me I'm at: http://celiayeary.blogspot.com. I need to get to work on my Official SG Cardin/Stephanie Burkhart newsletter. I'll start work on it tomorrow and probably do the bulk of the work on Monday. I usually do a: Genre Article Excerpt of my writing Dates of my events and where I'll be on the Internet Poetry Talk about the month's historical stuff Receipes Latest news in the writing industry from Publisher's Weekly A look at a small press reviews of my books. It's a lot of stuff and requires a bit of research, writing, and editing. It's a 2-3 day affair. I didn't write a word this week on WIP, a steampunk called "Victorian Scoundrel." Grrr... catching up from vacation. Hubs is painting the bathroom. I'm about ready to call it quits, give the kids a bath and watch some Battlestar Galactica before I go to bed! Smiles Steph |
So I'm reviewing and rating the entries on the
But then I've been busy. I have! I have a sob story. Since The Hungarian, my paranormal romance, came out, I went on a blog tour for a month to support it. I had a great time on the blog tour.It's a lot of work coming up with blog posts though that are interesting. Generally, the reviews are very good, but I got a 1 star for it not being an "inspirational" romance. I never called it an inspirational. I got a 2 star, too. The book was a self published effort and grammar was bad and it needed to be fact checked. Grrrrrrr. I published it with a small press. It was edited. And it was fact checked. I just nodded my head and held up my hands. June kept me busy. I put together two Romance/Love newsletters for WDC and my own personal one. Which I have to work on this month. Currently, I'm doing a blog tour for my sweet romantic suspense novel, Destination: Berlin. If you want to visit me today you can find me at: http://tinapinson.blogspot.com. Tomorrow I'll be Nicole Zoltack's blog: http://nicolezoltack.blogspot.com My Children's book, The Giving Meadow was released with 4RV Publishing so I'm putting a blog tour for that in August. Anyone here on Writing.com want to host me? Give me a shout out. I'm working on a Steampunk Romance. 19K so far. Much more to do. My goal? Finish before September. Tonight I'll be working on Show off Your Best Contest entries and I hope to have those reviews up tomorrow. Then I have another R/L Newsletter and another Official Newsletter.... Grrr... Vacation is over 14 JUL. Hubby and Andrew go to the Dodger Game tonight. I'm going to gym with Joe to (hopefully!!) burn off some vacation pounds. Another Grrr... I got hooked on the NEW Battlestar Galactia. I'm on Disc 3, Season 2.5. Just saw Downloaded. Awesome episode. I'll pop in more often. I promise. Smile Steph |
| Hi all Pop over to my blog, Romance Under the Moonlight and help me celebrate the release of my paranormal romance, "The Hungarian." I'm giving out a GC to Desert Breeze and a PDF ebook copy of the book. Here's a link: http://sgcardin.blogspot.com BLURB: Count Matthias Duma harbors a dark secret, but when he meets a young British noblewoman, Katherine, he risks his secert for her love. Join me at Suspense by Anne, the next stop on my blog tour for The Hungarian. I have prizes there too! Here's a link: http://suspensebyanne.blogspot.com Follow me on Twitter and I'll follow you: http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart Find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1357922219&ref=profile Here's a link to the book trailer on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZwaF8hAdow Excerpt: The door squeaked open and Katherine peeked over the top of her book. A tall, muscular man walked in wearing a white button-down shirt and holding his blazer. He paused, as if surprised to find her, and then walked toward the window, his stride easy. He moved with wolf-like prowess, his long legs taking cool, calculated steps as his unusual eyes surveyed her. Katherine bit the inside of her lip, returning his measured perusal with one of her own. His silence was unnerving, yet intriguing. His eyes drew her to him -- malachite green with a gold ring around the iris. Dynamic. Expressive. Even now, as he looked at her, they softened and grew translucent. He stopped in front of the window and casually threw his blazer onto a nearby chair as if he owned the room. "Hello," he said. "Hello." "You're staring." "I am? I thought you were staring at me." He chuckled. "Perhaps I was admiring you." "Me?" "Who else is here?" Katherine pursed her lips as her insides warmed from the deep silkiness of his voice. He smiled and walked to her chair, slowly gliding around it, tracing his finger over the leather headrest, skirting her curly hair. "What's your name?" he asked. "And who is inquiring?" She tried to sound cool and composed, but she had to fight the nervous temptation to play with her hands. "Romeo, perhaps?" "Then my name is Juliet." A teasing smile graced his lips as he walked out from behind her chair and glanced at a bookshelf before turning to look at her again. "Would you fall for Tristan?" "Only if my name were Isolde." He walked over to a wooden table near the window and ran his long finger over a clay mock-up of Excalibur lodged in a stone. "What do you think of Arthur? Do you think it suits me?" "Only Guinevere would believe your name was Arthur." He crossed his arms, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "Would you believe my name was Matthias?" "I might, if--" "If what?" "If I knew more about you." Buy Links: Desert Breeze Publishing: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-87/%3Ci%3EBudapest-Moon-Book-One... Amazon for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Budapest-Moon-Book-One-ebook/dp/B003K15NG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=U... Smiles to all Steph |
| Hi everyone - I just want to apologize for not keeping up with my blog recently. It's been a hectic 3 months, trust me! I had a great, but stressful time with NaNoWriMo last year. The most rewarding part was that I got a great start on a novel that will be published with Desert Breeze Publishing in Feb 2011, "The Count's Lair." It's going to be a paranormal romance. I am almost finished with it and just have to write the ending. Check out the Cover to the CUPID DIARIES:  This is an anthology put together by Classic Romance Revivial Authors. I am a CRR author. I've been with CRR since October 2009 and I love it. Classic Romance Revival supports those authors and readers who enjoy romance. They focus on "Sweet" "Sensual," or "Sophisicated" Romance and discourage erotica so if you are looking for Erotica, CRR might not be for you. My story, "Royal Pretender" was accepted for the anthology so I was very excited about that. It should be available as a EBOOK on 14 FEB. In fact, Classic Romance Revivial is hosting a Valentine's Extravangaza and a Blog Carnival so if you're interested, check them out at: http://www.classicromancerevival.com Here's a blurb for my short: A Royal Pretender seeks the hand of the beautiful, melancholy Caroline of Ansbach but can he win her heart despite his disguise? Hope to see you at CRR for all the Valentine Fun! |
| Well, here we are 6 days into NaNoWriMo and I'm pumped. Still. Amazing to believe, huh? This is my first year doing NaNoWriMo. I've always been initimidated by it in the past, but this year I decided to bite the bullet. I had a novel I needed to write and I thought NaNoWriMo would be a great opportunity to write it. On 15 Oct I signed up and started preparing. I gathered my tools. I made a graphic of the cover to inspire me. Actually, kiyasama made the graphic. I wrote a blurb. I outlines my plot, cast my characters and threw paper all over my living room table. I've got character bios and ink strewn throughout the house. My goal is approx 2K words a day. I'm getting there. I usually handwrite my chapters at work and then when I get home I type them into the computer. It's not really time consuming. On my days off I go to the "It's A Grind" down by the Ralph's and meet up with a writing buddy and type away. It's working so far. No writer's block, if anything, I don't have enough time in the day to write. It sucks. haha! My novel is a paranormal romance and it takes place in Hungary in 1901. Here's the blurb: Can a man haunted by an ancient curse fall in love? That’s what Count Anton Varga dares to explore when he meets beautiful and talented Lady Amelia Andrássy. Anton rediscovers Amelia in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, giving a concert and he hungers to pursue her, only he has a secret which he fears she will not accept. With the help and support of his friend and servant, Georg, Anton decides to win Amelia’s heart. Will the journey bring him the love he’s hungered for, or will it tear his heart apart? If you want to check me out on the official site, here's my link: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/526402 If you want to sign me up as a writing buddy I'm StephB Have a great week NaNoWriMo'ing! Steph |
| I thought I'd post a few of my thoughts about descriptions today since today is my writing tip day. Descriptions are needed to paint our worlds on paper, but for the new writer, they may be hard to master. Some authors use too many descriptions and some don't use enough. Where can you find the balance? Here's some tips: Descriptions either tap into the five senses or they are metaphors. For new writers, mastering the five senses should come first. An example would be: Her hair smelled like strawberries, fresh and vibrant. The meat tasted wooden and hard. The air had a sharp, punguent odor, like sulfur. Her lips brushed against his, light as a feather. All of the above examples describe using a good economy of words. Metaphors take a little bit more to master. They involve using "as" and "like." For example: Her heart took flight like a hummingbird's wings. He ran through the aisle like a prized stallion. The examples above use a good economy of words. TIP: You never want to start your story with a paragraph of description. That will snooze the reader out of your world. Start with action and lace in sentences of descriptions that compliment the action. For example: She ran hard and fast, avoiding the potholes in the dirt road. She hated running. Only now she was running for her life. It didn't help that the sun was out, beating through the canopy of trees making her sweat. She had to keep going or they would catch her and kill her. Hope that helps. Remember: Describe whatever it is using the five senses. (This is the easy one) Describe whatever it is using metaphors (a little harder to master) Use a good economy of words Never open up a story with description. NaNoWriMo Write on! Steph |
| Well, I'm taking the plunge and participating the National Novel Writing Month this year. This is my first time, so I'm a little nervous and anxious, but I'm also excited as well. The project I'll be "noveling" about is called, "The Count's Lair." This is a paranormal romance and it's book 2 in my "Hungarian Moon" series. Here's the blub: Can a man haunted by an ancient curse fall in love? That’s what Count Anton Varga dares to explore when he meets beautiful and talented Lady Amelia Andrássy. Anton rediscovers Amelia in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, giving a concert and he hungers to pursue her, only he has a secret which he fears she will not accept. With the help and support of his friend and servant, Georg, Anton decides to win Amelia’s heart. Will the journey bring him the love he’s hungered for, or will it tear his heart apart? **** I first heard of NaNoWriMo when I signed up on Writing.com. At first I thought it was an ambitious goal, and I still do. Trying to get 50,000 words in month will be a challenge for me considering my other commitments - real life, my kids, my job... but writing is a passion for me and I'm really into Anton & Amelia's story so I'm looking forward to this. I haven't wanted to tackle a writing project for NaNoWriMo until now. I figure it will help motivate me to get a good chunk of the writing done. NaNoWriMo supports young writers and they ask if you're willing to be sponsored, which I am. My goal is ambitious for me - $200.00. I hope to make it, but I know that it might be challenging given today's economic climate. As per their current stat, only 3.71 of those sponsored have earned over $81,000 which I think is great. If anyone would like to sponsor me, let me know. Send me an email and I'll send you a link. NaNo's first year was 1999. They wrote in July and were out of the San Franscisco Bay area. The next year they got a website. In 2001 they saw a large increase in participants. Since then it's just taken off. In 2007 they had over 100,000 participants and over 15,000 reached the 50,000 word goal. Fantastic. For NaNoWriMo, it's not the quality of work - it's the quanity. Put it down on your writing program and don't worry about editing it until December. NaNoWriMo will give you the skelton of a novel, you fill in the rest later. Their website offers a lot of support. If you want to check out my home on NaNoWriMo, become a writing buddy, or just say "Hi." You can find me here at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/526402 It's all about the written word. Steph |
I'll be working on my novel, "The Count's Lair" during NaNoWriNo this year! I'm a 1st time participant and I'm nervous but giddy at the same time. If you want to head on over there and sign me up as a buddy my user name is "StephB" Hope to see you there! Here's the official press release: Contact: Lindsey Grant (510) 628-0327 press@NaNoWriMo.org NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH: THE LARGEST WRITING CONTEST IN THE WORLD! No Judges. No Prizes. Winning Manuscripts Deleted. Appeal Remains a Mystery. Oakland, Calif. --- www.NaNoWriMo.org --- August, 2009 --- There are some who say writing a novel takes awesome talent, strong language skills, academic training, and years of dedication. Not true. All it really takes is a deadline – a very, very tight deadline – and a whole lot of coffee. Welcome to National Novel Writing Month: a nonprofit literary crusade that encourages aspiring novelists all over the world to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. At midnight on Nov. 1, 150,000 writers from over 90 countries – poised over laptops and pads of paper, fingers itching and minds racing with plots and characters – will begin a furious adventure in fiction. By 11:59 PM on Nov. 30, tens of thousands of them will be novelists. NaNoWriMo is the largest writing contest in the world. In 2008, over 120,000 people took part in the free challenge. And while the event stresses fun and creative exploration over publication, more than 30 NaNoWriMo novelists have had their NaNo-novels published, including Sarah Gruen, whose New York Times #1 Best Seller, Water for Elephants began as a NaNoWriMo novel. Around 18% of NaNoWriMo participants "win" every year by writing 50,000 words and validating their novels on the organization's website before midnight on Nov 30. Winners receive no prizes, and no one at NaNoWriMo ever reads the manuscripts submitted. So if not for fame or fortune, why do people do it? "The 50,000-word challenge has a wonderful way of opening up your imagination and unleashing creative potential like nothing else," says NaNoWriMo Founder and Program Director (and ten-time NaNoWriMo winner) Chris Baty. "When you write for quantity instead of quality, you end up getting both. Also, it's a great excuse for not doing any dishes for a month." If you would like more information about National Novel Writing Month, or would like to talk to participants from NaNoWriMo chapters in your area, please visit our website at www.NaNoWriMo.org, or contact press@nanowrimo.org. |
| Thursday Adventure - Writers I've got great news! "Adventures in Moldavia" (my official blog at http://sgcardin.blogspot.com) is going to be hosting romance guest authors in October!! Each author is going to discuss their lastest books. The fun starts 1 OCT and goes through 17 OCT right now, but I have several more dates open if anyone is interested. I would love to have WDC authors as well. Send me an email at sgcardin1@yahoo.com. I'll be sharing their interviews here as well. Keep 1 OCT on your calendars. The fun begins then. ****** Now onto my California adventure. I mentioned in a previous post I wanted to talk about white wine that's made in California and I'm glad to touch upon it now. Here's a list of the white wine made in California: Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Reisling Gewustizwer Pinot Gringo *** When it comes to chardonnay, I'm very picky and California chardonnays have a habit of being very oaky and full of buttery, or vanilla flavors. I prefer my chardonnarys a lot lighter. I like the wines from the Santa Maria region just north of Santa Ynez. Sauvignon Blanc has a tendacy to be on the drier side. It's a dry white California wine made from a grape originally grown in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. Though the variety was established in California in the late 1870s - initially brought from France and planted in the Livermore Valley - the state's Sauvignon Blanc production began to sort itself out stylistically in the 1990s. Toward the end of the decade, two main styles had emerged, each essentially split into two sub-groups. In one school of winemaking, the wines are fermented entirely or mostly in stainless steel with winemakers intent on producing a crisp, expressive wine that emphasizes either the varietal's inherent grassy-herbal qualities or fruity flavors, ranging from citrus, pear and melon to tropical and passion fruit. The other school employs barrel fermentation, with some in this group intent on letting the varietal grassiness express itself to varying degrees, while others employ secondary malolactic fermentation, lees stirring and extended oak aging to create a creamy, luscious Sauvignon that can give Chardonnay a run for its money. These winemaking style divisions work to the advantage of the savvy consumer, providing greater selection in a broad price range. Arguably, Sauvignon Blanc has long been America's best buy in white wine, offering varietal character and versatility, coupled with availability. What is more, it virtually defines the term "food-friendly." You can reference the following site for information: http://thewinenews.com/junjul01/cover.html Reislings Reislings can be dry or sweet or somewhere inbetween. The following is information from "Wine Country Getaways" Riesling is most famous in the wine regions of Germany and France’s Alsace. Riesling is not a hugely popular wine in California, but it is an absolutely refreshing and delicious wine. One only wonders why more people are not taking advantage of this wonderful wine. Perhaps it is the mythical notion that Rieslings are always sweet wines. ME: I agree - it is a very refreshing wine. Riesling in California can have many names. We have seen White Riesling, Johannesburg Riesling, Dry Riesling, and once way back in time Wente Brothers Grey Riesling. There are also late harvest Rieslings and they of course are always sweet. Riesling can be various degrees of sweetness from very dry to sweet dessert wine. It depends on how the winemaker wishes to make Riesling wine. When ordering a Riesling in a restaurant, always ask about the sweetness of the wine. Riesling is a crisp and refreshing wine. It has various floral aromas and flavors. The most prominent being apricot, peach, pear, and lemon. ME: That's a perfect description of the wine! Riesling pairs well with lighter foods. Serve Riesling with light to medium cheese, shrimp, and with cracked crab. Sausage and spicy foods work well with Rieslings that have some sweetness to them. Riesling grows in cool climates. Monterey and Mendocino Counties have an ideal climate for Rieslings grapes. Favorite California Rieslings Chateau Montelena Winery – Potter Valley Riesling $18 only at the winery Chateau St. Jean Firestone Riesling - Bargain Wine at $8 Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling - Bargain Wine at $8 Greenwood Ridge Handley Cellars Trefethen Dry Riesling Navarro Vineyards I haven't tried any of these, but I have tried Fetzer and I like it. I'll be on the lookout for these. Here's a link to: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/riesling-wine.html Where the above information came from. Pinot Grigio Pinot Grigio is a white Italian varietal that is exciting an increasing number of California winemakers. There are currently at least eighteen California wineries offering a PG, and for many of them the current release is their first venture with the varietal. California Pinot Grigios are a little softer than many Sauvignon Blancs, but they aren't as oakey as typical California Chardonnays. I've had several out of the Santa Barbara area. I think the Santa Barbara has a nice offering. I find PG is rather on the drier side. Gewürztraminer Gewürztraminer is one of the most pungent wine varietals, easy for even the beginning taster to recognize by its heady, aromatic scent. While the French have achieved the greatest success with this grape and its name may be German, the history of Gewürztraminer began in Italy's Tyrollean Alps, near the village of Termeno (Tramin) in Alto Adige. The Following is information from Wine Country Getaways: The Gewürztraminer grape is very popular in France (Alsace) and Germany. ME: Yes! I first had the wine in Germany. Gewürztraminer seems to be growing in popularity in California but there are only a handful of California wineries that produce Gewürztraminer. Me: Yes - Fetzer does a Gewurztraminer. Gewürztraminer wines come in distinctive tall, thin wine bottles. Gewürztraminer is grown primarily in cooler climates. Gewürztraminer can be made very dry to semi-sweet. Gewürztraminer can also be a late harvest desert wine. ME: I prefer the semi-sweet. The aroma of Gewürztraminer is distinctive. It is a mix of lychee nut, rose petals, peach, and spice. The flavors are delicate with rich spice and fruit flavors of peach, apricot, and tropical fruit. A dry Gewürztraminer is a good match with spicy foods found in many ethnic dishes. You will find Gewürztraminer on our wine trails at these wineries: Harvest Moon Winery - Russian River Valley Martinelli Winery - Russian River Valley Tom Fogarty - Santa Cruz Mountains Chateau St. Jean - Sonoma Valley Navarro Vineyards - Mendocino Handley Cellars - Mendocino Mill Creek Winery - Russian River West Side Road Beringer Wines - Napa Valley Firestone Vineyards - Foxen Canyon, Santa Barbara I just had a Gewurztraminer from Chateau St. Jean and it was very well done. Very crisp, but a little on the drier side. Here's a link to the following information: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/gewurztraminer.html ******* Well, I hope you liked your adventure through California white wines. I hope to tackle red wines in a future post. What kind of wine do you like? Smiles Steph |
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