The loss of innocence.

At some point in a child's life they are no longer as innocent as they were the day before. It could be the death of a grandparent, a violent act against them or someone they love, or even just finding out the truth of Santa. As parents we do everything in our powers to keep this loss from happening, at least until they are much, much older . . . preferably after they're grown and out of our house. Unfortunately, that's not always possible.

Last Sunday, September 18, 2011 at approximately 10 P.M., my fourteen year old daughter lost a bit of her innocence. We were informed that her best friend, one of the sweetest girls I've ever met, had been murdered the day before. The following week was a hard one. Lots of tears and used Kleenex rained down upon our lives.

Last night, we attended the memorial service for this beautiful and talented girl. It was a lovely service and quite befitting such a child. The world is a better place having known her. Unfortunately, her life was cut so short that the world will never know what she could have done.

Rest in peace, sweet girl. You will always be remembered.

And to my own daughter: I'm so sorry that you had to lose your innocence at such a young age. If I could have prevented that I most definitely would have. Keep her in your heart, thoughts, actions and she'll always be with you.

A proper Balans translation.

A little while back I posted the cover description of Balans, the Turkish translation of A Midnight Infatuation. Since I don't read or speak Turkish, I relied on Google Translator to help. Of course, we all know that Google Translator can't translate things 100% correctly. Maybe not even 90% correct. LOL.

The other day I received an e-mail from a kind person from Turkey--one who actually speaks and reads Turkey--and they were kind enough to provide me with a more proper translation.

So I figured I'd share it with all of you. :)

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Laws, tules, traditions... You either marry one in your gang or accept the battle!

Fiona as a rebel wolf must be punished because of disobeying the rules of the gang. To run away? She can't do. To submit? Never! Revenge? Maybe...

She committed the ultimate sin, falling in love with a vampire. The price of the betrayal will be harsh. This price will not only hurt Fiona. Innocent ones will also taste their part.

A brand new journey to the world of werewolves and vampires, full of contrivance.
Sometimes passion, sometimes ambition.
Sometimes past will be lived in the future!
And sometimes your breath will be taken away.Ve an gelecek soluğunuz kesilecek!
There is no way without a way back; but souls weak for struggling.

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From what I've been told, some things may still be incorrect because some words are more difficult to translate than others. Still, I find it interesting to see the different way things are worded for different cultures and languages. :)

Where to post reviews.

I recently received an e-mail from one of my "#1 fans" asking where I'd like her to leave a review for Dark Promises, so I thought it would be a good time to blog about it. :)

I have three favorite places for book reviews/ratings. I always read the reviews left on these three sites, as I frequent them often for my personal reading list.

• Amazon.com


• B & N


• GoodReads


• Shelfari -- I like this site, but not there often.
  

Now, these aren't the only places for readers to share what they thought of a book, but they are my faves. :)

Back to school celebration!

It's the first day back to school! Time for the 2011-2012 school year to begin. I hear the cheers of gleeful parents pushing their kids out of the house and cars with smiles on their faces and excitement in their hearts. "Have a good day, dear. I love you." Then they throw their hands to the heavens and scream, "WOOHOO!"

Or maybe that's just me. . .

After three months of summer vacation, several weeks of school preparation, and four school visits to two different schools last week, it's finally time for me to get back to MY work year. That's one of the best things about being a writer and stay-at-home mom; I can take off when my kids are out of school. However, I get antsy when I'm not creating on a regular basis. I miss my writing schedules, the worlds I work within, and conversing with my characters. That makes a new school year a time to celebrate. :)

So what do I have planned for my new work year?

• The third Liz Baker novel


• A new erotic novella


• A short Liz Baker story that will be given away on the website for free


• Preparing for & attending Book 'Em NC Conference & Book Fair in February


• Staying on top of the Turkish book releases

All of that on top of my regular mommy & wife duties: housekeeping, animal care, errand running, family member helping, school volunteer, and the many other things that I do on a regular basis. I also have some home improvements planned, but not yet scheduled.

If you're a parent with kids heading back to school, I celebrate with you! We all have different reasons for being excited, but that doesn't mean the excitement is any less. And if your kids are anything like mine, they're just as excited to be heading back.

Here's an exciting new school year for us all!