SKHYE'S RAMBLINGS...
Reference books, fantasy romance, writing, and contests!
Skhye's Ramblings...

Susan Shay: psychics, channeling, and cowboys!

***Welcome Susan Shay who's taking today to share research on psychics and cowboys! Hey, I write paranormals, and I'm Texan. This is an excellent combination, Ms. Shay. Rodeo's are just about the only live sport I can sit through.  Otherwise, I'm known for reading research books and scrawling notes for wips while my husband spectates.  And I used to ride my friend's barrel horse. Note, those of us who haven't rode a horse well-versed in running the barrels, just clutch the pommel. The horse knows what to do!!! I'm certain you'll enjoy Ms. Shay's approach to research as much as I did. ~Skhye 

The research I did for my book, BLIND SIGHT, was just plain enjoyable. I couldn't get enough of it. (Researchaholics Anonymous, please call me.)
The book is set in the Hill Country of Texas, down around Austin. I've been through Austin and visited San Antonio once, but I found the best research source to be my friend and fellow author, Margaret E. Reid.  Meg hails from Austin, so she was able to give me invaluable input for the feel of the countryside.

In BLIND SIGHT, a touch psychic sees through the eyes of a murderer who visits the bookstore where she works. The first thing I did was to go online to find what I could about touch psychics. The Internet is a great place to do research on just about any subject, as long as you're very careful about the websites you visit. Touch psychics was an easy one.

Another way I did research was to watch several movies. I know movies aren't necessarily factual, but I find them to be a great place to observe emotions and reactions. And catch onto the specific dialogue used by any group of people. The best movie I watched was Vibes. Made in 1988, it starred Jeff Goldblum, Cyndi Lauper and Peter Falk. The movie is about several different kinds of psychics, hired to find a lost treasure. Jeff Goldblum is a touch psychic, and really caught my attention in the movie when he helped his girl friend fold her laundry, touched her clean panties and "saw" her having an affair with another man. (It was hilarious, too.) He later touched a key and "saw" the man who used it. In BLIND SIGHT, my heroine, Cassie, picks up a cup and "sees" a dead girl's body, being pushed off a cliff. Later, she touches a chess piece and sees another murder.

Of course, there was other research that was just as difficult. Most of the book is set in an independent bookstore with a coffee shop that serves a chocolate/caramel/coffee concoction, so naturally I had to do my time, hanging around bookstores and drinking something similar. Did I mention BLIND SIGHT was a joy to research? Much of what I wrote about my psychic was part of the world I set up, which came from my mind rather than research. I had Cassie channeling the killer's dreams, which once she thought about it, meant the killer had to live in very close proximity to her.

Cassie tells Keegan how she became a psychic when she was 13 years old. This story came from my childhood. A cousin of mine, running across some flat boulders , slipped on the dusty surface and fell down between them, was knocked out. I started crying hysterically and told my parents, "Roger's gone! He's under a rock." Even at the time, I had no memory of the event after I heard Roger's Tarzan yell. I didn't see him fall, didn't even know where he'd been, but I was able to tell them where he was. Thus my only brush with being psychic. (In the book, Cassie falls, has something wondrous happen to her, and is psychic when she finds her way out.) Throughout the book, Cassie tells Keegan that everyone is a psychic if they'll open up and let themselves be.  (After all, I was!)

All my books aren't quite as easy to research as BLIND SIGHT. I recently finished a novella with a rodeo setting. My heroine is a barrel racer and my hero a bull rider. To get the real lingo, I joined an online loop of barrel racers. They were more than happy to share their expertise with me. Then I found a member of my writers' group who'd barrel raced when she was younger. Again, I went online to learn about saddles used by the women.

I'm a rodeo lover, and saw a barrel racer's horse go down during a race one time, which inspired this story. But memory isn't as good as being able to watch it over and over, so I Youtubed it. It was a great place to see bull riders in slow motion, too. 

I'm currently working on a book set in the Four Corners area of Colorado. While I've visited there many times, it's been several years. So some of my writer friends suggested books to purchase that help with the flora, fauna and feel of the area. But even better than that, when I mentioned this upcoming book in a workshop I gave, I received an email from another writer who'd not only been to that area in the past year, he and his wife had worked on a archeological dig. Just what I needed! So to be very honest, my best avenue when doing research is people. Especially writers. Most I know are very happy to share their knowledge, and if they don't know, they're glad to tell you where to go for whatever you need.

And the cost? Just pay it forward.

http://www.susanshay.net

http://the-twisted-sisters.com



Blind Sight


And don't forget to check out...

To School a Cowboy

***Thanks, Susan! I'm ready to read these tales!!! ~Skhye

Berry Berry Cool Pie~

BERRY BERRY COOL PIE
(from a Diabetics magazine--NOT SUGAR FREE)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (I use fat free)
1 tub cool whip (I use fat free)
1/2 c fresh-squeezed lemon juice (approx. 2 large lemons, buy 3 just in case)
1 graham cracker pie crust (I use fat free)
1-2 cups fresh fruit (raspberries, blackberries, blue berries)

1. Mix sweetend condensed milk with lemon juice. (Don't add water to lemon juice to make a 1/2 cup. You want the lemon flavor...)
2. Fold in cool whip. I stopped adding the berries to the mix. I don't like the frozen or thawed fruit.
3. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and freeze 5 hours.
4. I prefer my pie frozen. But it says to thaw 45 minutes before serving. If you add the fruit to the pie, you have to thaw the pie or you'll never saw through the fruit ice cubes. I just top the slice with cut fruit when I'm ready to eat.

Very very summery... This recipe was a Graham Cracker and Borden sweetened-condensed milk ad. ~Skhye

One's darkness proves the other's light
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www.skhyemoncrief.com
www.timeguardians.com

CHRISTMAS IN JULY WITH SKHYE!

Yes, CHRISTMAS IN JULY WITH SKHYE has a jingle to it... something with elusive lyrics like "in the sky tonight" that escapes me here in the darkness while my two 3-month-old kittens thunder through my house. *snicker* I swear we adopted a herd of elephants. Anyway, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! So, hang those stockings and say your prayers (or burn incense and chant) because I'm giving away:

Paperbacks:
RETURN TO WAYBACK donated by
Mallary Mitchell
JAKE'S RETURN by Liana Laverentz
FIONA by P. L. Parker

E-books:
CHRISTMAS ON WHEREVER ISLAND by
Amber Polo
ANCIENT MUSINGS by Skhye Moncrief
BLACK SWAN by Linda Nightingale
SAPPHIRE NIGHT by
Kaia Logan
SALVATION BRIDE by
Anna K. Lanier
SPARK OF MAGIC by Lily Stone
SAJE by Deborah Panger
 INFORMALLY YOURS by Beth Caudill

A Large Time Guardians T-shirt
A size 11 sterling-silver woven Celtic band (looks like braidwork)
A red-and-white cut out felt heart ornament sporting a moose
A Mary Englebreit LET IT SNOW magnet (snowman)
A Tree Trimmin' Tunes CD/album
THE TAROT DISCOVERY KIT by Zerner & Farber

Okay, that's 17 prizes, i.e. 17 winners. Here's the catch. You must contact me if I announce you've won a prize. The prize list will be posted on August 1st. I had someone e-mail me on another contest because she hadn't received her pdf prize yet... Well, I stated you must contact me to claim your prize and she hadn't. 17 prizes/winners are crazy to manage. Throw in my almost 4 year old, two 3 month-old kittens, and writing, shake, and voila--chaos. So, please subscribe to this blog until I announce the winners on August 1st. Anyone I post as a winner who doesn't contact me will forfeit his/her prize. How to enter, you ask...

Just comment on my blog posts this month through midnight, CST, July 31st, 2009. I'm terribly busy and may not reply. Forgive me. But I will approve as many comments as you post. 17 days will randomly be chosen to provide a winner. To increase your odds of winning one or more prizes, just post multiple days. All winners will be randomly chosen, 1 from each day I randomly choose to award a prize. But everyone's a winner today. Just click on my free read link below. If you already read it, skim through the list of the other free reads posted. Romance readers will definitely find something to heat up their summer. Good luck, my friends! ~Skhye


Vow Of Superstition: Dragon's Blood

Read VOW OF SUPERSTITION: DRAGON'S BLOOD for free!

Skhye's books at the Sony e-Book store


For a better selection of pdfs...
Skhye's books at Wild Rose Press

Thistle Border

"Arthur is a masterpiece..." He of the Fiery Sword's King Arthur
~Diane Mason; The Romance Studio

www.timeguardians.com
www.skhyemoncrief.com 

CONFLICT WITHOUT COMBAT~

Alicia Rasley's CONFLICT WITHOUT COMBAT is one of those booklets that can help the romance writer define conflict. Notice in her title CONFLICT WITHOUT COMBAT that she implies conflict is mental. I once heard an author say sex was all in the mind. This is truly the same theory. Remember, psychologists tell you that nobody can control your behavior--that you create your own stress inside your head! And, our parents say "Sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you." Okay, maybe I just dated myself. So, what can CONFLICT WITHOUT COMBAT do for a writer? I'll quote a few of Ms. Rasley's points. Mind you, these quotes are only supposed to increase her sales of this booklet--not give up the ghost.

Conflict is when a strength becomes a weakness, a virtue becomes a vice. p. 18

Conflict is a danger to your staus quo/peace of mind. p.18

Romantic conflict comes when the prospect of loving brings more than pleasure. p. 21

Conflict is the way to resolution. (That's story resolution, one of the romantic plot points before a happily ever after can be attained.) p. 22

So if you're curious (especially because these points are disjointed), get your copy today. Trust me,
Wilson Noble's CONFLICT, ACTION, & SUSPENSE will not explain romantic conflict. You need this booklet if you write romantic conflict. An e-mail you can hopefully contact Ms. Rasley at to order her booklets (I think mine cost $1/each) is rasley@juno.com. It can't hurt to try! She's extremely friendly and supportive. ~Skhye

Sacrilegious Seductions

SACRILEGIOUS SEDUCTIONS contains:
FORBIDDEN ETERNITY
THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON

"... a unique blend of mystic Medieval Gothic and romance…and a true blood-curdling thriller."  THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON ~Snapdragon,
LASR

"Seductive and alluring, THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON draws you deep into sensual intrigue with just enough explosive action to keep you breathless, making this a dynamite read from the first page to the last. In the future, this reader, for one, is eager to pick up anything written by Skhye Moncrief." ~Margaret Marr; Nites and Weekends 

~Skhye

http://skhyemoncrief.com
http://timeguardians.com

Skhye's Summer Reading Pack Winner!

Congratulations, Val Pearson! It's July, month 7 in the year, and Val was the 7th entry to my Summer Prize Pack: Summer Reading contest. Please e-mail me at skhye@skhyemoncrief.com to claim your dozen tales. Thanks to everyone for sharing their summer plans with me. It's been both fascinating and grounding reading about your destinations. [I'd like to add that I just finished reading PRAIRIE TALE, Melissa Gilbert's memoirs. If you want to read an emotional roller coaster that leaves you wanting to locate Ms. Gilbert to give her a huge hug for her woes and triumphs, check it out this summer!] Check back later today for my July contest. ~Skhye

Vow Of Superstition: Dragon's Blood

Read VOW OF SUPERSTITION: DRAGON'S BLOOD for free!

Skhye's books at the Sony e-Book store


For a better selection of pdfs...
Skhye's books at Wild Rose Press

Thistle Border

"Arthur is a masterpiece..." He of the Fiery Sword's King Arthur
~Diane Mason; The Romance Studio

www.timeguardians.com
www.skhyemoncrief.com 

 

THE HEROIC ALPHABET~

I've found many more informative publications since getting my personal library moved from my garage and stuffed back onto my new 9.5'X12' shelf. You'll want to own this helpful booklet... Alicia Rasley's THE HEROIC ALPHABET differentiates between the Alpha and Beta hero as well as breaks down the Alpha hero into the leader, the dark and dangerous, and the wounded. She says this makes the Beta hero look like no hero at all. So, she created a new alphabet for heroes: the Alpha, Delta, Theta, and Beta.

Alpha: the Leader
Delta: the dark and dangerous
Theta: the wounded
Beta: less ruthless, more easygoing fellow who has learned to wash his own dishes

Okay, that's not all! I only posted the barest minimum of information because Ms. Rasley deserves many sales of this helpful 26-page booklet. I couldn't find a direct link to the booklet though. (Running out of time as always and attempting to promote Ms. Rasley's sales instead of plagarizing her publication!!!) So for more writing info, and Ms. Rasley is INCREDIBLY HELPFUL as well as published by big NY houses,
check her out. Buy her booklet to support her helpful nature. And don't forget to check out the Top 5 Websites for Romance Writers. ~Skhye



Dare to walk in their footsteps...

"FORBIDDEN ETERNITY ... spine-tingling suspense. The story is dynamite; it explodes off the pages and leaves you breathless for more." ~Tulip, LASR

"... a unique blend of mystic Medieval Gothic and romance…and a true blood-curdling thriller."  THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON ~Snapdragon, LASR

"Arthur is a masterpiece..." HE OF THE FIERY SWORD's King Arthur ~Diane Mason; The Romance Studio

Time Guardian books in print
Time Guardian books in e-format

www.timeguardians.com
www.skhyemoncrief.com

Congrats, Tricia Schneider! & Contest

Tricia, you won a pdf of THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON last week at http://amberpolo.blogspot.com/. Please e-mail me at skhye@skhyemoncrief.com to claim your tale!  And there's still time for everyone to get in the running to win 12 e-books for your summer reading!!!  The deadline is Jun 31st, midnight, CST. ~Skhye

THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON...

"... a unique blend of mystic Medieval Gothic and romance…and a true blood-curdling thriller."  THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON ~Snapdragon,
LASR

"Seductive and alluring, THE SPELLOF THE KILLING MOON draws you deep into sensual intrigue with just enough explosive action to keep you breathless, making this a dynamite read from the first page to the last. In the future, this reader, for one, is eager to pick up anything written by Skhye Moncrief." ~Margaret Marr; Nites and Weekends 

~Skhye

http://skhyemoncrief.com
http://timeguardians.com

THE WEIRD 100~

Stephen Spignesi's THE WEIRD 100: A COLLECTION OF THE STRANGE AND THE UNEXPLAINED is something I found at the thrift store this weekend. From aliens to the Bible, dowsing, Sasquatch to vampires, the paranormal author will find this book a wonderful place to thumb through the top 100 paranormal topics in search of a new idea to pen. Yep. Bleeding and weeping religious icons, animal Psi, spells, time travel, vulcan, the antichrist, invisibility, stonehenge, transubstantiation, and more... It's an interesting read, nonetheless. There are days when I turn on the History Channel or Discovery Channel and watch one episode after another of documentaries on these subjects, thinking of one or more stories in the process... But I'd rather have a book on the old bookshelf to get comfortable with! ~Skhye

Vow Of Superstition: Dragon's Blood

Read VOW OF SUPERSTITION: DRAGON'S BLOOD for free!

Skhye's books at the Sony e-Book store


For a better selection of pdfs...
Skhye's books at Wild Rose Press

Thistle Border

"Arthur is a masterpiece..." He of the Fiery Sword's King Arthur
~Diane Mason; The Romance Studio

www.timeguardians.com
www.skhyemoncrief.com

Hywela Lyn: Norse mythology

***Well, Hywela Lyn came through with her research on Norse myth and Scandinavia for us! ~Skhye

The amazingly talented Skhye was kind enough to ask me back on her wonderful Blog to talk about some of the research I did for my recently released book ‘Children Of The Mist, the sequel to my debut novel ‘Starquest’.  Thanks Skhye.  Well, you see, it’s like this:

When I began writing ‘Starquest’ the only research I thought I would need to do would be in the area of space physics. star drives, and the like.  Niflheim was merely the home planet of two fairly minor characters.  However, they were telepaths and I needed a justification for this ‘mind reading’ ability. 

I’m a great believer in having a ‘rationale’.  I’m not one of those people who think because it’s ‘fantasy’ and there are dragons, the dragons should be there just ‘because it’s fantasy’ (for the record there aren’t any dragons in either book, although I’ve nothing against dragons, in fact I love ‘em).  But - if dragons are in a story, I want to know how they evolved and what their function is, their reason for being.  The same thing applies to telepaths.

So I decided that the planet had originally been colonised by settlers from Earth.  When the early pioneers settled on this new world, at first finding it very inhospitable, cold and  misty, many parts covered in ice and snow for much of the year, they had to have something special to enable them to survive when scattered across the planet.  They renounced the technology of Earth, with all its problems, but how would they deal with life in such a hostile environment with no means to communicate across miles of unsettled territory?  The answer was simple.  The colonists would include individuals who each had some extra sensory ability.  Over time they would develop and increase these skills until telepathy became their usual form of communication and telekinesis was commonplace.  I’m not sure when I first knew that the settlers had called their new planet Nifheim, but as the Norse ‘land of cold and mist, it seemed fitting..  As a teenager I devoured the books of H Rider Haggard, including his Viking saga ‘Eric Brighteyes’ and the romance and  adventure of the Norselands stayed in my imagination.  I decided the settlers would name their settlements and the main features of their planet after the Norse gods, or names derived from places in Scandinavian mythology.   They would also draw on this mythology when naming their descendents.  Thus many of the characters in ‘Children Of The Mist’ have names borrowed from the gods of  Norse legends.  I tried to make the characters fit their names as far as possible, without making it seem too contrived. . (Vidarh, for instance, is named after Vidarh ‘the valiant’.)   None of the myths and legends of Niflheim actually appear in either of my books, but I needed to read as much as I could about them, to ensure the names fitted and to absorb the atmosphere to help me build my imaginary world. These are just a few of the websites I used.

http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/norse-mythology.php

http://www.niflheim.com/home.htm

http://www.cybersamurai.net/mythology/nordic_gods/N/Niflheim.htm

http://www.northernshamanism.org/nine/niflheim.html  

I wish I could direct you to more sources,  but my research for these two books was somewhat scattered and covered many different books and websites.  I even checked out the Macdonald encyclopedia of horses, just one of my dozens and dozens of horse reference books in my collection) to ensure that my generically engineered ponies fit the general breed specifications for the Fjord (Westlands) pony which to me would be the logical foundation stock for the ponies of Niflheim, who play their own part in the story. 

Thanks so much for having me here Skhye, I’m feel very honoured to have been invited again, and to be among so many great authors featured on your Blog.

If anyone would like to find out more about my books please visit my Blog or my ‘Starquest’ ‘My Space’.

***Thanks, Lyn! I'm the same way about how/why something came to be like dragons! These are excellent resources, espically Godchecker.com. It's one of my favorite places. The voice cracks me up! Thanks so much for sharing. ~Skhye

Review: ANCIENT MUSINGS~

"Ancient Musings... a highly imaginative story that incorporates so many aspects of Greek mythology. I know so very little about it. This made Ancient Musings even more exciting to me as I read about different facets of those myths and legends. It is quite apparent Skhye Moncrief knows her stuff when it comes to penning an engrossing read. I look forward to more adventures in the Song of the Muses series." ~Kelley; Kwips and Kritiques

One's darkness proves the other's light...
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www.skhyemoncrief.com
www.timeguardians.com

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