Articles & Writing
JOURNEY OF A SERIES
I've been thinking about the long, strange trip my series took since I started writing the first book in 2004 and sold it to a small print press in 2006.
This was the original cover of the trade paperback version of The Vampire Shrink published in 2007. Bookstores shelved it all over the place: horror, romance, fantasy, general fiction. I was just glad it was IN the bookstores!
PARANORMAL AND ME
I’ve always loved things that go bump in the night, mysterious communications from beyond and dark, enticing strangers with pointy teeth.
I come by my weirdness honestly, as I’m the latest in a long line of “unusual” women in my family. When I tell people I spent a lot of time locked away in closets during my childhood, talking to invisible friends, they assume I’m a little twisted. That’s probably true (grin), but the early experiences also made me more comfortable with my inner world and my imagination than with the outer world. By the time I was a young teenager, my fascination with the Tarot became another intriguing thread in the tapestry of my life.
EVOLUTION OF THE ALPHA MALE
I got an email recently from a reader who said my main male character, Devereux (an 800-year-old vampire), is the perfect alpha male.
What? Really?
I always thought alpha males were brawny, emotionless (except for anger/rage), cold (with the exception of occasional sexual heat, which is instinctual) and rather boring. Not someone I’d want to hang out with for more than a few minutes (unless I needed furniture moved).
INTERVIEW WITH KISMET KNIGHT AND VICTORIA ESSEX
From the author: I asked Kismet Knight, the psychologist main character in my Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist series (book #1: The Vampire Shrink and book #2: Dark Harvest) and her friend, resident witch, Victoria Essex, to talk about some of their favorite things: Halloween, vampire males, magic and one particular immortal. Take it away ladies . . .
WHY DO WOMEN LOVE VAMPIRES?
TVampires are all the rage these days.
Wait, vampires?
Festering, cadaverous, hygiene-challenged bloodsuckers who crawl out of graves to steal your children? Hideous, terrifying, long-fingered, dark visions from your worst nightmare? Walking corpses?
VAMPIRE LOVE
Since my first book The Vampire Shrink came out October, 2007, I’ve done lots of media interviews. At some point in each talk, the interviewer would inevitably lower her voice (most were women) and ask, “Why would a woman fall for a disgusting dead guy?” which prompted a discussion of zombies vs. vampires, giving me an opportunity to defend the appeal of my bloodsucking – undead not dead – lust objects.
MY FAVORITE WITCHY MOVIES
I love autumn and winter. It might be strange for a Leo, born under the blistering sun of August, to prefer cooler temps, but that’s how it is. I’m a slug from June through September, whining and dragging myself into my counseling office every day. I count the minutes until the Autumn Equinox, celebrating the very first hint of cool air and the turning leaves. Samhain and the Winter Solstice are highlights of my year, and no matter what else might be happening in my life at the time, I always create a ritual to mark the turning of the Wheel.
PSYCHING UP FOR SUCCESS
It’s that time again: conferences abound! Everybody take a deep breath (and then let it out!).
Does the thought of talking to editors, agents, famous authors and talented peers make you want to run screaming into the night? Are you a “typical” writer: shy, introspective, comfortable sitting at your computer, but terrified at the idea of stringing coherent sentences together in a pitch session? Do you fear your vocal cords will suddenly become paralyzed, or your sweat glands will shift into overdrive, if that special agent says, “tell me about yourself”?
YOU’RE TOO SENSITIVE!
Have you ever been in a gathering of people and suddenly felt overwhelmed, overstimulated or even afraid? Did you think that was due to some kind of personal flaw or mental health issue? What if you are sensing the energy? What if you have hitched a ride on a powerful thoughtform?
COMPASSIONATE SELF-ACCOUNTABILITY
I have been thinking a lot lately about the subject of self responsibility, as I reorganize my private practice so that I can focus on working with clients who are willing to acknowledge their center-stage role in the creation of their lives.
PSYCHIC ABILITIES (AND TOOLS) YOU MIGHT USE IN YOUR FICTION
Clairvoyance: Clear-seeing. A person with this type of ability can see things not apparent to others, like receiving mental pictures, a vision of events or a visual impression of someone. Information/insight attained through visual means.
PAST LIFE REGRESSION HYPNOTHERAPY Q & A
Q: What is a past life regression?
A: The word "regression," as it is commonly used, refers to going back to an earlier time, experience, memory, mental state or developmental stage. Past life regression is the intention to go back to a time/place where the client existed in another body before physical birth into the current lifetime. This presupposes a belief in reincarnation or the cycle of birth and death.
WHAT IS HYPNOSIS?
You're driving down the road, lost in a daydream, and you suddenly notice that you've driven past your exit, or you are miles farther than you remember driving. Welcome to the wonderful, normal, every-day experience of hypnosis!