Nocturnal Journal–Mandy M. Roth

Any of you who have read my blog know I’ve been fighting with my new laptop and its up arrow key. Its in a funky place, taking half of what is normally the rt shift key on any other keyboard. This means that almost every time I’m typing, I accidentally hit the up arrow key when aiming for shift and it deletes all I’ve done or pastes in what I’d typed before. Any way you look at it, it screws me up. It was so bad that I was going to sell my brand new laptop on ebay and buy a different one.

After some searching I found a great little program called SharpKeys (I actually found this because I’ve been using one of my Mac keyboards on my desktop PC and it doesn’t have Printscreen buttons or some other buttons key to just windows computers). I happened upon a forum and an artist there was talking about loading sharpkeys and using it to tweak the keyboard while on his pc so he could use the same keyboard on all his computers without a problem. Any of you who do a lot of photoshop and bounce between a mac and a pc know know confusing the quick keys can get.

Anyways, to make a long story a little less long, I gave it a try on my laptop.

The program allowed me to toggle off the up arrow key. I’m still trying to figure out a way to possibly tweak that option so it doesn’t apply while Photoshop is the active program but if I can’t, that’s fine. I’m willing to live without the up arrow key for the sake of my sanity.

Big thanks to randyrants.com for the step by step instructions he lists as well as tips and tricks.

I’m attempting to use AutoKeys to narrow down the issue but I’m a little lost. Cross your fingers for me.

I know I’m not the only one who is having a love/hate relationship with certain keys on my keyboard. My Samhain editor, Angela James, is having trouble with a key on her asus. I’ll let you know if she’s able to get it working to her liking as well.

We were at it again. The boys and I collected river rocks and made sets of Rune Stones. They had a ton of fun painting them and making the bags to hold them in. We used leftover material from our voodoo dolls and yarn. I’m hoping they see good things in our future.

Bella Mia by Mandy M Roth (Daughter of Darkness III also known as Gwyneth Stevens Series)
The long awaited next book in the Daughter of Darkness series, Bella Mia, is now available!

The sins of our past are never far behind…

On the run from two men who want her, Gwyneth Stevens finds herself at the door of a third—Giovanni Baldassare, master vampire and former henchman of her father, the King of the Dark Realm. Giovanni’s reputation as a bloodthirsty monster isn’t ringing true and, by giving her the space and support she needs, he assists Gwen in rebuilding her life. But when Pallo and Caleb resurface, all hell breaks loose and old habits die hard. Out of time and places to hide, Gwen must face her destiny head on if she ever hopes to find happiness. Can the triangle of lovers make welcome a newcomer, or will the group succumb to old enemies resurfacing and centuries-old grudges, allowing history to repeat itself?

TO BUY

Rating: This story contains mega hot alpha heroes who aren’t about to take no for an answer, a gutsy heroine, a woman torn between multiple men, villains that make chills run up your spine, sizzling sex, down and dirty violence, gore and sardonic wit. It is not intended for the faint of heart. Author recommends reading the series in order of release.

Fun fast treat!

8 packs of already done individual serving sized pudding cups vanilla
8 packs of already done individual serving sized pudding cups choc
1 tub of cool whip
1 choc bar
4-6 Graham Crackers
6 cups

Smash up graham crackers and coat bottoms of 6 cups. In a bowl mix the vanilla pudding with a scoop of cool whip. Divide into cups. Next layer–cool whip. In the bowl, mix choc pudding with a scoop of cool whip. Divide into cups. Top with a layer of cool whip. Shave some of the choc bar over the cups. Break bar up and place in center of top. Put in fridge for about 2 hours. Serve and enjoy.

My kids love making these. Its something they can help with from start to finish.

Its really hard NOT to like the Fall Out Boys.

As I was sitting here surfing (aka procrastinating) I figured it was a great time to pay tribute to masters of procrastination.

Site dedicated to vids about procrastinating.

Hmm, think they’d want a video of me organizing my folders again just avoid writing? Probably not. I really need to come up with something better… extreme folder sorting maybe.

(careful everyone… end of the world is coming… Michelle “cooked”

Fast, Easy Summer Treat!
By Michelle Pillow

(and should I mention it’s healthy? Or should we leave that dirty word off?)

What you need:
Handful or two of strawberries
One Banana
About 4-6 cups of ice

Cut the fruit, dump it all in a blender and blend to a pulp. (if you want to cheat on the healthy part, add sugar to taste)

Tip: You can put leftover into popsicle molds or an ice cube tray with toothpicks sticking out for a healthy popsicle treat later.

And that’s it. Sadly, it’s about the extent of my cooking knowledge to pass on to you. LOL Have a wonderful summer!

Michelle M. Pillow
Maiden and the Monster, Now in Print!
Winner, RT Reviewer’s Choice Award Best Erotic Romance
www.michellepillow.com

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Please Remember, Raven Radio is now on it’s evening schedule

11PM - 12AM EST

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Paranormal authors Mandy M Roth and Michelle M Pillow talk books, industry, paranormal, and take reader calls. Today’s guest is Renata from The Gathering Space

Wed June 11, 2008
11pm –12am EST

Listener dial-in number during LIVE shows
(646) 595-3998 (New York number, long distance charges apply)

There is also a LIVE chat during the shows. Follow the link below and look for CHAT LIVE buttons! You can type your questions or comments in there during the chat and we’ll ask/answer them on air!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ravenradio

This is your opportunity to buy books coming out of contract/print. The exact schedule depends on the book. I’ll be posting my titles as they come up for Last Chance Sale, as well as some of my friends and recommended reads.

ALL BOOKS 20% OFF!

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/wickedlucidity.htm

WICKED LUCIDITY by Mandy M. Roth
Paranormal Romance

When Karri-Lynn O’Higgins is offered a small slice of normalcy, she goes for it. She wasn’t looking for a relationship and she sure as hell wasn’t looking to fall in love.

Something about Riston Wallace calls to her on a level Karri can’t deny. He’s everything she wants in a man expect for one thing–he’s a nice guy. What happened to her wish list? Tall, dark and deadly? He got the tall and dark part right.

She soon learns that there’s more to Riston than meets the eye. Much more. In a world where sanity is as relative as what defines evil, Karri finds herself being forced to come to terms with her past and her future.
(more…

A quick, easy dinner idea…

Ground beef (seasoned with taco seasonings)
drained black beans
drained corn
cheese
lettuce
tortilla chips
salsa
sour cream

Layer it up on a serving tray and you’re all set. To make it look fancier than it really is, serve a pitcher of iced tea with blueberries, blackberries and raspberries in it. Trust me, looks as if you spent way long on this than you did and it seems to be a meal that pleases everyone in my family. I normally mix up brownies and put them in the oven to bake while we’re eating. They end up finishing at the same time we do. I sprinkle powdered sugar on the brownies and serve warm.

No one leaves the table hungry. Have leftovers? Save them for fajitas later in the week.

WwW Quick Tip: Brown ground beef in bulk, divide and freeze. When you need it, you just pull it out, pop in microwave or put in saucepan to heat.