Under and Over with Denise Rossetti

A lightning quick post to let you know I’m away traveling (Ireland and Paris) until 10th October and during that time my Internet access may be intermittent, but hey! - I’m nothing if not stubborn and I have my precious iPhone and a netbook. All I have to do is hand over money to make them talk to the Net from Over There. Piece of cake!

So…
You can find me ‘on the road’ with Twitter - @DeniseRossetti -
Facebook and of course, this blog. Hopefully, there’ll be pics, but that’s only if I remember to take them. I’m usually too busy talking. But I bought a raincoat (with a hood) from Army Disposals yesterday, so I’m all set for the Emerald Isle and the rain. Can’t believe it’s colder over there in summer than it is here on an only-just-spring day.

Bye!

Denise *bounce, bounce, bounce*

The creativity of some people simply amazes me, but I like it so much better leavened with a dash of sly humour. Get a load of these unbelievable shopping bags.  Aren’t they clever?

Which do you like the best? Or, more to the point, which would you be prepared to carry around in public? LOL

I so look forward to the Romance Writers of Australia Conference every year - and every year, it seems to get better. For you guys Over There, think about an organization about the size of a large RWAmerica chapter, and full to overflowing with fantastic, creative, obsessed, loud writers. Oh yeah, did I remember to say LOUD? LOL

The venue was the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Coogee Beach, a southern suburb of Sydney. This is the view from one of the upper rooms. Not, I hasten to add, mine. My room overlooked the tennis court, and though I kept a sharp eye out, there were no hunky tennis players, alas.

The Highlights:

The Book Signing was organized by the Australian Romance Readers Association and they did a fabulous job. It was noisy, frenetic, exhausting -  and a whole heap of fun.

The Cocktail Party theme was Fantasy Island which, um, leaves a certain amount of leeway costume-wise.  There were multiple Lara Crofts, Cleopatras and Princess Leias. Keri Arthur came as a dark angel and looked terrific, but Anne Gracie swept all away (as usual!) to win the prize as Dame Barbara Cartland (left). My personal fantasy was to be able to squeeeze into my purple medieval-type dress,which I did by giving up breathing for the night, so I wore that. Here I am with the Bennett sisters. Aren’t they demure? Get a load of the gowns and bonnets, let alone the spiffy reticule.

Of the workshops, two were standouts for me. Jessica Hart’s A-Z Survival Guide for Romance Writers was funny and touching and wise. This business might be sending me slowly but surely around the twist, but - hey! - I’m not alone. *snort* The other was How to Stage a Fight Scene with combat expert Ray Flores and two incredibly brave assistants. Ray was charming and funny - and absolutely lethal. What he did to a raw lamb roast with the merest flick of a knife gave me the shudders. On the other hand, I learned all sorts of useful techniques, and discovered I’ve been garroting people the wrong way for years. *evil cackle*

I did my workshop on Deep Point of View for an astonishing eighty people.  I survived, and fortunately, so did they. I’m thinking the chockies helped. When it’s my bum on the line, I’m a great believer in bribery and corruption. heh heh

The awards dinner is always such a joy. I love frocking up for a start. (I’ll have you know my evening wardrobe is now almost exclusively red. Wonder why?) Check out the shoe fest (left) with the lovely Lisa Barry - who is now, officially, a Master of Creative Writing (Romance). Go, Lisa!

Below, I’m with Eleni  Konstantine, tireless worker for RWA and total sweetheart. Eleni’s Taverna is the best blog. Also note beloved iPhone. LOL

All the contest winners receive their awards, but the big moment is the announcement of the R*BY Awards. These are a Big Hairy Deal, being our equivalent of the RITAs.It was delightful to see Sharon Archer, Amy Andrews, Tracey O’Hara and Sophia James win their respective sections.

But the best part of the evening - in fact, the most wonderful moment of the whole weekend for me, is when Anne Gracie gets everyone on their feet -

whether they submitted a contest entry or a query, published a book, contracted, finished a book or supported someone who’s writing. By the end, the whole room is standing and cheering. Always makes me want to cry.

On the Monday, I had the day to myself, so I tottered into Sydney city and did a tour of the Opera House. The tour was fascinating and the Harbour was stunning, as usual. Truly one of the great natural wonders of the world.  Next time I’m there, I swear I’m going to climb the Bridge, but I’ve hurt my knee and 400 steps up and back didn’t sound like such a bright idea.  One day…

If you’d like to read more and see more pics, you can try Kate Cuthbert at All About Romance, Paula Roe or Suzanne Brandyn. Plus, there’s the RWA blog. And I’m sure they’ll be more.

If you were there and I missed you somehow, I’m sorry. Don’t forget there’s always next year! Put a link in the comments if you have great pics. I’m not only a lousy photographer, I tend to talk too much and forget. Unbelievable, I know! *snicker*

I’m pretty well packed for the Romance Writers of Australia Conference in Sydney. I fly out tomorrow, all by my widdle self. What bliss!

For a change, I’m actually organised this time - washed, ironed, sorted - and polished. Every piece of jewellry I own positively sparkle! Now, I’m useless at practical things, like housework for instance. Always have been, always will be. My house is a tip. (A garbage dump for you Over There.)

However… I do take care of my pretties and I thought you might like to know how. So here’s my one and only housewifely tip.

To make a cheap solution for cleaning gold, silver and hard gems (diamonds, sapphires etc ONLY. No pearls, opals - if you’re doubtful leave it out! ) -

• measure equal quantities of -
  • washing up liquid
  •  cloudy ammonia (be VERY careful, it’s nasty stuff.)
  • water
• use a glass or china container
• rustle up an old toothbrush for brushing with (duh!)
• rubber gloves might be handy too *boom, boom*
• soak the jewellry and give it a scrub.
• rinse the items well with clean water
• dry off and admire.

I admit it, okay? Buying things makes me happy. Mind you, I don’t buy really, really expensive things like sports cars and diamonds, partly because I don’t have the spare cash, partly because I’m just plain mean. Oh yeah, I purely loves me a bargain!

Last Thursday was a pretty good day, by any standard. After 16 months managing a decidedly difficult project at the Dreaded Day Job (my secondment was extended repeatedly, much to my displeasure), I finally finished!  . To celebrate, I headed out for a spot of retail therapy and ran into a dear friend I haven’t seen for ages. We had a coffee and a delightful catch-up.

But on to the retail therapy!

First, I ordered some more charms for my bracelet. It’s quite nicely crowded now. I’m getting a skull and crossbones for Rackety Kate and the Pirates and a tree to represent Walker from The Lone Warrior. He’s an earth shaman, with power over anything green and growing. In his spare time, he’s a master swordsman and all dark ‘n’ deadly. *sigh*

Ever see something in a window that makes you stop dead in your tracks?  I was brought to a halt by a fabulous black shirt, with glittery buttons, fantastic detailing  and a great cut - and well, it was just ‘me’. I like classic tailored clothes. The same place had a red dress - on sale  - that will go with my red hooker heels. Not only that, it’s actually flattering.  Oh joy!

And the best part? I can wear it all at the Romance Writers of Australia Conference, coming up 13th to 15th August at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Coogee, Sydney. I’ll be signing books, along with the other 42 author, on Friday 13th August, 4.30 to 6pm. (Though I think the red shoes might be a trifle overdoing it for a book signing!) Everything you need to know about the event is here on the ARRA website. I would absolutely love to see you there!

Tell me I’m not the only one who’s a material girl (apart from Madonna, that is!)

Yeah, yeah, I know it’s been ages. See, I thought I’d take a little break after I handed in Book #3 in the Four-Sided Pentacles series. (It’s called The Lone Warrior, BTW and you’re the first to know that.) What can I say? I’m one neurotic kitty and finishing a book takes a helluva lot out of me.

Plus, I’ve been involved in a pretty stressful project at the Dreaded Day Job. Thank goddess, it’s almost over - only one more week. Yay! 

So I decided I’d use the time off in a couple of ways - one to write more of Liseriel’s story (Phoenix Rising #4), another to complete the proposal for Book #4 in the Four-Sided Pentacle series. And finally, to  upgrade this blog to the latest version of WordPress.  Apparently, I’m so far behind I qualify as medieval.

WELL!

That was a huge honking mistake, wasn’t it? I became terminally confused and messed up all my passwords. *cue rolling of eyes* Now I’ve finally managed to get them back, I’ve decided to stay in the Dark Ages writing with the software equivalent of a goose quill pen. It’s safer.

So if any of you are still out there, patient souls that you are, please say hello and reassure me I’m not  playing all by myself in the sandbox. That would be sad because I’ve got some great topics lined up - killer shoes, iphones, plus a new vignette with Griff and Fort.Oh, how I love those two! *sigh*

What’s that old saying? You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. Or - Friends are your family of the heart.

One of the most precious things this crazy business of writing has given me is friends.  Not just girlfriends, but women who share my obsession, who understand. There’s Joey Hill, whom I’ve never met, though we’ve spoken on the phone and by Skype. From Joey, I get unqualified support and an unsparing critical eye.

Then there’s Christine Wells, who actually lives not far from me. I’m so lucky! We meet for lunch and too much bubbly followed by rather giggly critique sessions. Occasionally, we run away to spend a weekend with the amazing Anna Campbell.

Quite often, Christine and I talk on the phone. Take last week - I was feeling very down. Yeah, yeah, I know, but I get like that sometimes, especially staring down the barrel of a deadline. Writers are neurotic creatures.  In desperation, I rang Christine.

And what did I get? Exactly what I needed, that’s what! Complete support and understanding - straightaway - followed by a good (metaphorical) slap around the chops and the reassurance that I really can do this. I’ve been able to move forward since then. Plus, it’s a two-way street.  I try to give back to the best of my ability. We’re there for each other, you know?

And yet, on the face of it, it’s not a likely friendship. Different professions, different backgrounds and quite an age difference. (I won’t tell you which way it goes. I’m sure you can guess! *snork*)

Christine has a new release, Sweetest Little Sin, a sexy, action packed spy thriller that stars reader favourites Lady Louisa Brooke and that ruthless bad boy of the Beau Monde, the Marquis of Jardine. You’ll love it! Click on the image to read an excerpt.

BTW, my family are terrific. Love them to bits, but they’re not writers!

Do you have a friend who’s always there for you? How do you show them what they mean to you? (Apart from writing blog posts about their new books, that is!)

Gutenberg would have a fit. Imagine if the written words on a screen were watching you reading them and making adjustments accordingly? Eye-tracking technology and new generation tablets promise to react, based on how you’re looking at text — where you pause, how you stare, where you stop reading altogether. The act of reading will change what you are reading.

The entire concept boggles my tiny mind. Watch the video for an excellent explanation of how it will work.

The technology monitors your eyes in order to define words if you stare at them puzzled, eliminating non-essential information when you’re skimming, helping you pick up exactly where you left off, swapping images based on what you’re reading, surfacing relevant reference materials and more.

Ebook readers and multi-purpose devices like the iPad will have reader-facing cameras, attached to large screens and coupled to processors capable of running eye-tracking software.

The pundits say that to compete for our attention with other methods of storytelling, books need to evolve — especially for readers born more recently — and this (it’s called Text 2.0) is one way forward, enhancing the written word with more than just multimedia fireworks.

Most of you will know I’ve always thought storytelling was a form of magic. Here’s Fledge speaking for me in Tailspin -

Stories have a power, a magic all their own. Consider the fact that the actions, thoughts and feelings of people who have no existence in reality can make you laugh, make you weep. That’s the art and that’s the magic.

Arthur C. Clarke said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” And here’s an excellent example.

I’m trying to work out how I feel about this. I guess you could just ignore reference material if you didn’t want it. For example, you might be interested in the biology of flight when you read Tailspin, you might not. And if you had any kind of reading difficulty, this technology could be enormously helpful.

It could be totally amazing. Certainly our grandchildren will probably take it for granted. What do you think? Will you?

Passwords are a king-size pain in the rear. I always worry about them, especially when it comes to online banking.  A big part of the problem is that I have a brain like a sieve. I’d love to use the one easy password I never forget, but of course, that would never do.

So I have strange and difficult words for my bank accounts, plus one of those token thingies that generate a random number for you to type in - and the bank always knows what it is at the other end. Amazing.

But a study of millions of internet accounts, done a couple of months ago, has revealed the top ten most common online passwords. The report was put together by security experts, Imperva, after a major vulnerability was discovered in Rockyou.com.A hacker posted 32 million passwords on the internet, and that large amount of data gave security specialists an insight into commonly used words and phrases.

The ten most commonly used passwords were: (are you ready?)

1. 123456

2. 12345

3. 123456789

4. Password

5. iloveyou

6. princess

7. rockyou *

8. 1234567

9. 12345678

10. abc123

Bruce Schneier from Imperva said users should improve security by using a sentence. “Take a sentence and turn it into a password,” he said. “Something like ‘This little piggy went to market’ might become “tlpWENT2m”.”

He also advised people to use a different password for all sites. [This one totally slays me. Good grief! I’m flat out remembering the few I do have.]

Imperva recommends that passwords contain at least eight letters, with a mix of upper case, lower case, special characters and numbers.

The experts added that a combination of poor passwords and automated attacks means that in just 110 attempts, a hacker could gain access to one new account on every second.

Scary, innit? I know I’m not any too brilliant with passwords, but I have done better than 123456.  What about you? Are you conscientious or do you use the name of your child/dog/cat/favourite comic book character? And for Pete’s sake, don’t tell us what it is, right?

Welcome to the Laced with Desire cross-blog. 

This is our second ‘corset’ anthology together and we had such a blast with the Unlaced cross-blog, we decided to do it again.

This time, Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill and I are talking about clothes - what they do (and don’t do!) for us. Yes, fashion disasters, unwise addictions, sex-kitten outfits - all is revealed. There are even a couple of pictures. Woot! (Possibly.)

Four authors, four blogs - four chances for free books. And it’s easy, just leave a comment. (Photographic evidence not required. heh heh) What’s not to love? Winners announced 9am EST (USA) Wednesday 3rd February.

Visit each of the blogs in turn to check out the giveaways from each author.I’m giving away a set - Unlaced AND Laced with Desire. If you happen to own them both already, I’m sure we can find something else.

I’ve put an easy link for you under each of our responses to the questions about clothes.

Here are the four questions  - 

1. What’s your most appalling shopping weakness, especially when it comes to clothes? Go to Jaci Burton’s blog. Giveaway - an advance review copy of her March release, Bound, Branded and Brazen.

2. What’s your most comfortable outfit and what do you enjoy doing most to relax? Go

to Jasmine Haynes’ blog. Giveaway - autographed copy of Yours for the Night.

 3. What’s your most sexy/naughty-feeling outfit? Go to Joey W. Hill’s blog. Giveaway - a signed copy of Laced with Desire.

4. What’s the outfit that gives you the most confidence? Read on! Giveaway - the set, Unlaced AND Laced with Desire.

Jaci Burton:

I have this sleeveless black dress that I adore. I can dress it up or down, wear a shirt under it if it’s cold outside or put a sweater over it. It’s multifunctional, looks great on me, I can wear heels or boots or flats with it, punk it up or class it up and it still looks great. Everyone should have a basic black dress they can do so many things with. It’ll make you feel great about yourself.

Visit Jaci’s blog for the shopping disasters and Jaci’s giveaway!

Excerpt from Jaci’s story, No Strings Attached.

Jasmine Haynes:

For confidence, I like a suit, feminine lines with a short tailored, form-fitting jacket and a skirt, either calf-length or well above the knee, never knee-length.  Under the suit, of course, very feminine lacy bra and barely there thong panties.  Thigh high stockings top it off.  Professional, feminine, and naughty all rolled into one.

Visit Jasmine’s blog for comfy clothes and Jasmine’s giveaway!

Excerpt from Jasmine’s story, La Petit Mort.

 Joey W. Hill:

That would be this dress. I wore it at the 2009 Romantic Times for the Jungle Party. Typical of an OCD personality type with body image issues, I don’t often feel gorgeous in anything, but I loved this dress. It had sexy lines, and flowed when I walked like I was a romance heroine come out of her chrysalis. It flattered hip line, maximized my minimal cleavage (grin), and had a whimsical flirtiness to it I adored. I found some great Wal-mart White Stag jewelry to go with it for almost nothing, and my mom, who went with me to RT, took this lovely near sunset picture. She was probably trying to commemorate the one time her daughter didn’t look like a bag lady!Of course, on the flip side, sometimes when I’m wearing my most comfortable outfit (see the question on Jasmine’s blog), that’s also when I feel most confident. That’s because it’s the outfit that says “this is the real me”, and there’s always a reassurance to that…as long as I don’t end up in the wrong environment for it. I remember one conference, I brought too many “comfortable clothes”, and when I went to one of the more formal events, I felt far from confident! So matching the setting to the outfit helps. However, when I’m at home and around town, I always feel quite confident in my comfy clothes. Though I think the sexy zebra dress would work anywhere (I plan to wear it to Wal-mart one day for fun – laughter).

Visit Joey’s blog for naughty/sexy outfits and Joey’s giveaway!

Excerpt from Joey’s story, Honor Bound.

Denise Rossetti:

I don’t mind admitting it - clothes are really important to my self-confidence. Feeling over or under dressed, badly groomed or untidy disconcerts me dreadfully. I suspect it’s shallow, but there you go.If I think my day at the Evil Day Job is going to be challenging, I’ll make a point of dressing from the skin out to bolster my confidence.

Matching undies first. Beyond that, I absolutely have to feel ‘put together’. I’m not a frilly or froufrou dresser, I like well-cut classics and a close fit. So it might be belted tailored trousers and shirt, with a jacket and discreet jewelry. I combine rich bright colours with neutrals because they give my skin a lift. Anything beige, dusty or muted and I could get work as an extra on Night of the Living Dead. LOL

I always wear my charm bracelet – I have a charm for every book I’ve written – because it reminds me of who I am and what I can do if I put my mind to it. (If you were wondering why the two silver inkpot/quill charms, they’re my Passionate Plume Awards.)

Excerpt from my story, Rhio’s Dancer.

Tell us about the outfit that makes you feel a million dollars. What’s so special about it?