Night Buddies is the result of a bedtime collaboration my son John and I had many years ago.  I was his single parent and had read to him every night since he could walk, maybe for longer than that.  It was an essential for us and went on for fourteen years.  One night when John was six and I was done reading and John wanted more, I may have suggest he invent a lights-out companion to go off to sleep with.  Or maybe I didn’t and he undertook the matter on his own hook.  In any case, the next thing I knew, there was Crosley the crocodile, complete with goofy name and bright-red color.  I was duly charmed, and John and I started throwing Crosley ideas around and making up episodes.  This went on for a year or more and Crosley developed into an important family member.  Even after John tired of the game, Crosley would pop up in conversations.  He refused to fade away.

Maybe it was a couple of years after John invented him that I got the idea of giving Crosley some proper print.  The thing was right there: not ready-made but at least a neat premise.  John would be in it, of course, and the two of them would have themselves an adventure.  The trick was to figure out why on earth Crosley was red.  You couldn’t just plop a red crocodile down as one of the main actors without some explanation.  Then it occurred to me: Crosley was red because he was allergic to water!  Well, sort of.  If he got water on him he broke out doing the Black Bottom dance and couldn’t stop for hours.  Unless he took his antidote pills. These stopped the Black Bottom well enough but turned him red at the same time!  It was one of those side-effects you can get from Black Bottom pills.

The rest fell into place fairly easily.  Crosley started as a lights-out buddy for a kid named John who wasn’t ready to go to sleep yet, so why not make him a member of Night Buddies Amalgamated whose charter is to rescue kids from lying  in bed awake and take them out on adventures.  He shows up in John’s room on the night of our stories.

There are many different video file formats, and each format is useful for something. MP4 videos work with the iPhone, WMV videos work best on Windows computers and DivX is often used when ripping a DVD. Since there are so many different file formats, it’s very common for users to have a movie that isn’t the right format for their needs. There are many different ways to convert a movie file from one format to another. You will need a video converting program for this to work. There are many free versions online, and most computers have software with some basic conversion tools.

Find Software 
Most computers come with a basic video editor that can convert videos. While the conversion process is usually limited, the editor might have the exact features that you need. If you have an Apple computer, then try using iMovie. If you have a Windows computer, then try using Windows MovieMaker.

If neither of these programs have the format that you need, then you will need to look online for video converting software. It’s best to search for the format you need. For example, if you want to turn an AVI file into an MP4, then go to your favorite search engine and search, “convert AVI to MP4.” You should find a listing for a good program near the top of the search engine.

Hi Billy! Thanks for having me as a guest on Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. I do have a question though, can you be a writer and not be coffee addicted? Just kidding. I ask because I think writing and coffee go hand in hand. Writers need that caffeine to stay up late and hit those deadlines, to get up early and write before work, or to keep up with a life that includes kids, dogs, and spouses. (Those spouses need attention too!) I know that those days I wake up at five (well before my alarm) I go straight for the deep, dark, rich, jolt of java juice. MMMM.

If you want to lure writers of all types, but particularly romance writers, all you need to do is toss out that invite to a coffee shop. Or show up with chocolate. Hold up a bag of dark chocolate at romance writer’s meeting and see if you get out alive. Authors love lurking at their local coffee shop and there are very specific needs for an author who is trying to write. While writing Little Red Riding Wolf I got my best writing done after work (away from the kids, house, and husband) at my local coffee hang out.

Here’s why when twisting fairy tales and writing about shape shifting lovers I go to my small town coffee shop:

I invited my heroine and hero from my paranormal romance, Kindred of the Fallen, to join me in playing “finish the sentence”. After a bit of negotiating, Serenity and Cyrus both agreed.

I’m thrilled to go first. Finish the sentence- 

1. One book I wish I had written…The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice.

2. One food I never eat…okra. Yuck! My husband loves it, but I can’t stand it.

3. One movie from last year that I loved…Magic Mike. Lol! Honestly, I haven’t seen it…yet. My hubby is still deployed so I don’t think he’d mind if I ordered a little eye candy on Netflix. Seriously, I loved The Dark Knight Rises.

4. If I could spend a day with a writer, it would be…Nalini Singh.

5. My favorite scene in my book (tough since I have a few, but will go with my favorite in the first 100 pages): While Serenity and Cyrus are in a deadly struggle with a Kindred suffering from blood rage, their latent powers emerge.

Cyrus, finish the sentence- 

I’m a British author of dark, paranormal romances. The first three books in my Blackthorn series were recently bought by London publisher, Bookouture. The first two are about vampires – the ‘romantic’ type, in an ever-so-slightly disturbing type of way. And I love my genre. Because of that, I can’t help but feel defensive when others say this vampire obsession is just a trend – that fans will eventually get bored. That this current epidemic will fade to nothing.

The evidence screams everything to the contrary.

Vampires are embedded in our society’s psyche. In fact, they’re embedded in the psyche of many societies outside our own. Nearly every country on our planet has its own version of the vampire myth. Even before Dracula was penned over a century ago, real tales of vampirism had been rife in Eastern Europe for decades. And when those stories (along with the Serbian term ‘Vampire’) infiltrated our society in the 1800’s, apparently any newspaper containing such tales sold by the bucket load. But why? Admit it or not, on some level we all have an instinct to be fascinated with the mysterious and the macabre. We’re all a little bit intrigued by the supernatural, not least our lack of ability to explain it.

So what is it about vampires in particular? What is it that has made them such an iconic romantic figure? Whether it’s the social fascination with bad boys or the psychoanalytic view that vampire fantasies are no more than subliminal repressed sexual fantasies, vampires have got an incessant appeal. But let’s be honest, our current vampiric heroes are a long way from archaic tales of hairless beasts with protruding ratty teeth and rank breath. So when did it change?

We see all these blog posts about what to do with our time during those two weeks when the kids are out of school and you’re trying to spend that vacation time before the end of the year. We all have grand ideas about cruises and skiing and visiting family and such.

In my book, O Christmas Three, my characters did exactly that. They packed up and spent Christmas in a lovely cabin in the woods. But unfortunately, that’s not possible for people the majority of the time. We have obligations at home, kids that have things going on, or pets that need tending to, or maybe we’re just not in the financial position to go anywhere that year.

Here’s three things I do during Christmas vacation:

I love Christmas stories. I’m one of those readers who will stockpile Christmas books and read them one after the other during the holidays. So it only stands to reason that I would enjoy writing them. The problem with writing a Christmas story vs. reading one is time. I can read a book in 4-6 hours. It takes me 4-6 months to write the book!

Since it takes so long to write a Christmas book, that means I’m writing the story out of season. For All I Want for Christmas is You, I actually began plotting the story one hot August day when I was caring for a small kitten who was injured in my yard. I started singing the Mariah Carey Christmas song (I often break into song at odd times!) and little Max the kitten turned into Max the stray St. Bernard. A whole host of other stray characters started crowding my head and the story unfolded.

Stories just come to me as they are and time of the year can become a character in and of itself, adding the drama of the story. Who doesn’t love a Christmas reunion more than any other. Hope, lost loves reunited, family. It’s all good and can add to the drama of the story.

What or whom inspired you to become a writer?

I’m not sure exactly when I decided to become a writer. Even though I began reading and enjoying reading at a very young age, I didn’t think at the time about writing. I even flunked out of college the first time. Too much beer, too many parties. But a few years after that I went back and finished and became a newspaper journalist – a professional writer getting paid to do it. It wasn’t until a few years before I went to graduate school that I started writing short stories. Now I have written eight novels and three have been published, but the first one was written just five years ago. Eight in five years—not bad. That’s the power of motivation and commitment. That’s how novels get written. You write on one every day and you never give up. You adopt Tom Petty’s lyrics as a mantra — “You can stand me up at the gates of hell but I won’t back down.”

1. Chloe, when people read about you in I Kissed a Dog, they seem to either adore you or hate you. How do you feel about that?

(soft laugh) I can’t say I’m surprised. I can be a bit of a brat, and my sarcasm hasn’t won me any awards. I think it was the way I was brought up. I was rushed off to a child psychologist simply for having strong feelings. I love my mom, my stepdad, too. They’re just so anti-emotion. I’m not sure how else to describe them. They weren’t sure how to handle me and my moodiness. Even as an adult, I’m sure my mood swings and strong opinions can be annoying, but let’s face it; I’ve been through a lot. I came out of my coma with more than the ability to chat with animals, as if that wasn’t enough; I was impacted in too many ways to possibly share. And to put it bluntly, I’m not here to win a popularity contest, most days I’m just trying to survive and stay out of trouble. I’m sorry if you find me offensive, bitchy, or annoying; I’m really not trying to be any of those things on purpose. Bottom line, though, knowing that Zane sees me as a “good woman” is what really matters. I’ll never forget the first time he called me that. (deep sigh) His love makes me a better person everyday we’re together. So there’s still hope the haters will grow to like me too. (more soft laughter)

2. Your feelings about Zane were pretty mixed up throughout your story, tell us about that, if you don’t mind … 

I really was confused, wasn’t I? My first major relationship ended so badly that I was terrified to get involved with another man, especially one who seemed so perfect. Zane is beyond gorgeous, he’s thoughtful, kind, charismatic, and he makes me feel like a princess. I guess I simply couldn’t believe he was for real. And if he was the real deal, why in the world would he want a mixed up, emotional woman like me? I guess my self esteem was suffering more than I care to admit. Then came the secrets. Big wolfy secrets. As a multi-cultural woman, I’m all for interracial relationships … but inter-species? I’ve definitely overcome that little concern. I love my werewolf. Now, anyway. I think at first I was confused because everything happened so fast. I’ve never been a big believer in love at first site, but when I saw Zane behind the wheel of that vintage Corvette, something clicked. And no matter how hard I tried to turn it off, the light (love) just kept shining brighter. Corny? Yes. But true. And the danger we faced together only served to strengthen our bond. 

3. What about Valamir, the master vampire? 

Maven and I have been together for nearly 20 years, and much of her story has not been told. I have many folders of outtakes, random scenes, and character notes. But the time has come, now that I am looking at retirement in 4 or 5 years, to get this stuff organized and written.

I’m learning to outline. Outlining “ain’t no crystal stair” as Langston Hughes wrote, but I’ve got my rope, and my pitons, my hammer and just in case, a vial of fairy dust and a magic wand in my climbing boots. I'm facing a sheer cliff of unknown story, with only a promise of what lies beyond.

My pitons are those 3x5 cards I have hated since that disaster of my first research paper in eleventh grade—I think it was about Odgen Nash. But I have a secret weapon: Larry Brook’s story architecture (http://www.storyfix.com). I can write down my random notes and thoughts on my cards and then organize them as I figure out the plot points and pinch points. I’ve tried spreadsheets (Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method and Ywriter) and various other tools, but the paper cards lend themselves to being carried in my purse and then typed into Scrivener, and from there, turning into scenes.

What started out as the beginning of my debut novel will now likely be the beginning of book four, which has no working title as yet. Stuff happens after the end of Through the Veil, and I’m still working out when it happens and to whom. But forcing myself to make an outline for book two, working title That Darn Maven, has allowed me to get some parameters established and make some rules to corral if not herd these cat-like story bits. Another working title is After Midnight, where I’ll be exploring some of Fiona’s point of view instead of always following Maven.

Paranormal Romance is an interesting mix. Love and the power of the unusual, can create fantastic situations. Love being one of the most intense and primal emotions we have, confronted with the unspeakable forces of evil will bring the best out in us.

The fight to survive, to protect those we love in the face of insurmountable odds, against the armies of darkness is always gut wrenching and fascinating story telling.

If an author manages to capture your imagination with images of battles, from the mind to the physical, from the surreal to the metaphysical, while sewing a tale that keeps you up at night wanting for more, it can rival any other genre.

There is nothing more satisfying then when love has the power to conquer forces greater then ourselves, to fight the good fight regardless of the consequences and save our soul from damnation, we admire it.

When my kids were younger, we used to play the "Gas, Liquid, or Solid?" game. We also used to play "Man-made or God-made?" (which works no matter what your beliefs are because there are lots of things in our world that aren't made by man; those things have to come from somewhere). What I love about "Fire" is that it isn't easily categorized in these games. I suppose fire is mostly a gas, but it's a burning gas (or gasses). It's as much a state of being as it is a thing. And yet you can see it and feel it. Likewise, it's made by man all the time. And yet we speak of its discovery. Man did not initially create fire. It existed prior to us.

 Fire has fascinated us for millennia. Alchemists and astrologists consider it one of the four elements, along with earth, water, and air. Even if you're not into alchemy or astrology, you have to admit that there's something fairly, ahem, well... elemental about those four concepts. It's not difficult to see why people have been categorizing the nature of things based on those elements from time immemorial. And out of those four basic elements, none has a more contradictory, fascinating nature than fire.

Fire helps to feed us, by cooking our food, and it protects us by keeping us warm and keeping predators away. In modern times, some of fire's more basic benefits have become obscured. But we still have bull roasts and bonfires. We still roast marshmallows and put candles inside jack-o-lanterns on All Hallows Eve to scare evil spirits away. So fire helps us survive – but it is also incredibly deadly. Not to put too fine a point on it, but fire can kill. That's why arson is a serious crime, often a felony, in all 50 states.

Welcome to the world of independent publishing.

The great news is that virtually everyone has an inexpensive avenue to share their work with the world.

The awful news is that virtually everyone has an inexpensive avenue to share their work with the world.

While it’s now so much easier to present your novel, novella, short stories, or poems to a potentially huge audience, you’re now competing with every Henry, Wadsworth, and Longfellow who thinks they’ve penned the next best seller.

Collectively all of those books, online or otherwise, are noise. They’re the background from which you’re hoping your effort will stand apart. It’s not easy. Half of all self-published authors earn less than $500 per year. The top ten percent of earners account for seventy five percent of the income.

So how do you break through the noise? Here are five ideas:

The Crescent Chronicles is a college age paranormal romance series. Flight takes place the summer before Allie starts her Freshman year, and Focus picks up with her first semester. I love writing about college age characters and I also love to watch movies and TV shows about them.

Here are a few of my favorites.

1) Felicity- I absolutely loved this show when I was in high school. I was so excited about college, and it just hit the spot.

2) Greek- I was out of college already when this one came on, but it was a guilty pleasure. I especially loved the brother-sister dynamic.