Isabo's Rambles

Completely Random Dumb Dog Story

2011-12-13T23:13:00.000-05:00

My dog is nuts. But my husband and I are apparently silly crazy, too.

For several months now, the dog has been going completely spare every time my husband said goodnight to me. Our usual weeknight habits involve him going to bed a lot earlier than I do because I go to work once everyone else is in bed. So he kisses me and says goodnight. And the dog goes ballistic whining, barking and jumping around, circling his feet and generally make a nuisance of himself.

This has been really annoying my husband and I.

So last night, as a half-joke, I said we should start saying something besides "goodnight". I suggested banana and laughed. My husband went with it and started saying banana instead of goodnight. We had a good chuckle, called it our "safe word" and laughed more as he went off to bed and I started working.

Tonight, we really put the "safe word" to the test and he actually said "banana" instead of goodnight when we went through our nightly ritual. And the dog took no notice of us at all! He completely ignored us. Apparently, the word works, silly as it sounds.

So now, in this house, at roughly 10pm, banana equals goodnight. All because our dog is dumb.

Happy Holidays!

Just seeing how this would post

2011-03-31T14:46:00.000-04:00

I am experimenting and this seemed the best place to do that.

I want to see how the new blogger editor works for me--and to be fair it's probably "new" as in it's been around for months and months and I'm only now getting on board. I'm not a big one on change when I like well enough the way things work. I have to be dragged into some changes kicking and screaming. Fortunately, I'm not like that all the time. Mostly, I'm just this way with my software :)

We'll get back to our regularly scheduled posts of excerpts and cover art stuff...well, as soon as I have the offical excerpt and cover art for BRIGHTARROW BURNING!

In the meantime, feel free to go back into the posts for excerpts from other books.

Happy Reading!
Isabo

Exceprt from MATE RUN

2010-08-12T15:09:00.008-04:00

MATE RUN

Isabo Kelly

FANG BANGERS anthology

She felt him behind her, closing in, and her adrenaline spiked, sending another burst of speed through her muscles. Heart pounding, blood singing in her veins, the dark shapes of thick trunks blurred as she ran. She didn't dare risk a glance over her shoulder, but she knew where he was, could smell him in the air.

He wasn't the one she wanted to catch her.

She dodged over obstacles littering the forest floor until she reached the river. The water was deep and cold this early in the summer, but she was a good swimmer. Without pausing, she leapt into the dark swirling liquid and let the current carry her.

Only when the river turned, and the current slowed to a lazy roll, did she return to the shore. She paused, crouching on the bank, and sniffed the air. No scent. She'd lost the young one. For now.

But her ruse wouldn't fool him for long. Nor would it distract the others. They'd played this game before.

Irina spun to her feet and took off again, letting the warm night air dry her naked flesh. The night sang to her, pulsing in her blood. Her nerves tingled and her body swelled with the rising of her estrus. The scent of her excitement called to them, all of them. And the thrill of their hunger drove her faster through the trees.

Breathing hard, she laughed and paused to scent the air again.

She caught his scent a split second before a hand closed over her mouth.

"Shhh," he murmured against her ear. "If you struggled, you'll attract the others."

She flicked her tongue out, tasting the palm covering her mouth, smiling when she heard his sharp intake of breath. And because she knew it would excite them both, she did struggle against his grip. He had to use both arms, wrapped tightly around her upper body, to hold her against his chest.

"Enough," he snarled. "Or I will let that young one find you."

(To see what happens next, be sure to pick up a copy of FANG BANGERS from Ravenous Romance!)

The Promise of Kierna'Rhoan in print!

2009-10-01T10:04:00.004-04:00

As promised, a little excerpt from THE PROMISE OF KIERNA'RHOAN. There's a slight overlap with the previous excerpt I posted here so if you feel like reading more, go back and read the first excerpt...well first :) Enjoy!

***
The Promise of Kierna Rhoan
Copyright © 2009 by Isabo Kelly
Print ISBN: 978-1-60504-420-0
Digital ISBN: 978-1-60504-243-5

Kira glanced at the room, then leveled a hard look at him. "Why do you come here? To this club, I mean?"

"Paid anonymity. You can buy just about anything in the Docks. Anonymity is more expensive than a lot of things, but not so expensive as others."

"Why are there so few women here?" She picked up her bottle and cradled it in her hands without sipping.

"Too early. Crowds build with the night."

"Doesn’t it lessen your anonymity to be seen with one of the few women in the club?"

He grinned, a mixture of smug self assurance and amusement. "I’m too handsome for anyone to question why I’d be with one of the few women here. Especially since you’re quite a stunner yourself. Seems like an obvious conclusion to me."

For just an instant, she was awed by the sheer arrogance of Isabo Kelly 30
that statement. Then she laughed and took a drink of her beer. He really should have annoyed her, but the blatant cockiness he wore like a shirt made it impossible to take his flirtations seriously.

Unlike David’s more subtle seductive manner, she thought before she could stop herself. Her stomach did a giddy dance at the memory of his scent and dark eyes. She swallowed hard and reminded herself that David worked for Ennoren. That fact wasn’t going to change, no matter how he made her feel. And within the week, Kira would be leaving Narava forever. Another fact that wasn’t going to change. She dropped her gaze and drank deeply from her warming bottle. A slight shiver shook her shoulders despite the relative warmth of the club.

"You okay?"

Raf’s mild concern surprised her yet again. She smiled and nodded, forcing her melancholy away. There wasn’t really much here for her to miss. And there was so much to gain.

"Sir—" A hesitant voice coughed from the end of the booth, startling Kira. She hadn’t even heard the Binnean doorman approach the table. "A message was left for you at the door." The guard handed Raf a flat, palm-sized electronic notepad.

Raf frowned, then pressed the play button on the bottom of the screen. His frown deepened as the message scrolled. Nodding his thanks to the doorman, the pilot waited until they were alone again before speaking. When he looked up from the pad, all flirtation and cockiness had vanished.
"I’m afraid I’ll have to call the evening short. It seems my business here has come to me."

Kira raised a brow as he rose and gestured for her to proceed him from the curved seat of the booth. "Does this affect our deal?"

"No. Where can I get in touch with you?" The Promise of Kierna’ Rhoan 31

"Pat’ll know how to find me."

He nodded, distracted, and put a hand on her lower back as he ushered her toward the door. Kira didn’t resist, until she noticed a familiar face at the bar. She stopped, suspicion warring with irritation. "David."

"Kira." His gaze flicked to Raf, who was standing just behind her with his hand firmly around her waist. "Who’s your friend?" It wasn’t a casual question.

"A friend," she answered evenly. "Didn’t know you frequented this place." She was a little nonplussed to see how well his all-black attire fit in with the surrounding club. His manner had also changed. The formality she’d seen earlier had lapsed into a relaxed but powerful stance that dared others to mess with him. Before, he’d seemed so decent, so nice for a Guard. Now he looked dangerous.

"I don’t." He still hadn’t taken his gaze from the pilot standing behind her.

The bristling of male challenge was thick in the air between them, and an irritant to Kira’s skin. She didn’t have time for this show.

"Nice to see you again, David." She turned to face Raf, deftly removing his arm from her waist in the process. "I’ll wait for you to get in touch."

She turned her back on both men and walked to the door.

The doorman nodded a polite goodnight to her as she left the club. She returned it but barely, knowing that both men were following her. In the dark, stuffy alley, she turned in the direction of the Main Canal, a less circuitous route out of the Docks. The two men were at her side within three steps like a couple of watchdogs.

"Very inconspicuous," she mumbled under her breath.

When a shadow detached itself from a nearby wall and Isabo Kelly 32
hurried in the opposite direction, Kira decided maybe conspicuous wasn’t always a bad thing. In a low tone she hoped wouldn’t carry in the echoing quiet of the streets, she said to Raf, "I thought you had business."

He glanced over his shoulder, then faced straight ahead again. "Just keep going toward the Grand Bridge."

David didn’t look behind them, but she felt him tense. "Are you armed?" he asked the pilot.
"Yes. You?"

"Yes."

"Kira?" Raf whispered.

"Small blaster, but only strong enough to stun." She ignored the sideways, appraising glance David shot her. They were walking at a steady, unhurried pace, the Main Canal within sight through the narrow walkway. From the canal, they had only to walk to their left for another two hundred meters to reach the bridge out of the Docks.

Every nerve ending screamed at Kira to run and run fast, but she’d gotten used to this tension and uncertainty over the last five years. She knew how to control her anxiety. She also knew, without looking, that they were being followed none too discreetly. The streets ahead of them were cleared or clearing quickly—in anticipation.

"How’d you get here?" Raf asked her, glancing over his shoulder again. When he turned forward, he placed one hand on her elbow. The move put his hand that much closer to his weapon.

"Public transport rail."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Raf grin. "Didn’t trust bringing your own transport close to the Docks?"

"No." She couldn’t help her slight smile. The Promise of Kierna’ Rhoan 33

"I’ve got a car not too far from the bridge," David murmured.

Raf nodded and steered Kira out onto the walkway that bordered the Main Canal. Boats sat moored to thick wooden pilings along the edge of the canal. A few small gondolas drifted soundlessly by on the black water. The fresher air along the canal was thick with the scent of sea, kelp and fish. Lamplight colored the walk a hazy orange-pink that might have been romantic if not for the utter silence filling the light and shadows. The only sounds Kira heard were those of her boot heels clicking along the flagstones and the pounding of blood in her ears.

They were within sight of the Grand Bridge, only a short sprint to its edge, when a rough growl rose behind them. "You may as well stop now, Raf."

RT with a Baby

2009-04-29T00:23:00.003-04:00

I'm just back from one of the craziest months I've had since baby Jack was born. I'm now the treasurer of my local RWA chapter and we had our meeting the first Saturday of the month--an all day event which is always great fun. On Monday night, I went to Lady Jane's Salon to hear some excellent romance readings. By Wednesday evening I was on a plane to Ireland with baby and husband. We spent a week there and got Jack baptised on Easter Sunday (an interesting experience for this non-Catholic). The Friday after getting back from Ireland, Jack had his nine month well-baby appointment. And then four days after returning from Ireland, Jack and I were on a plane to Orlando, FL for the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. We spent an entire week in Orlando, got stuck in Washington Dulles on the way home for three hours (I'm only taking direct flights from now on when I travel with baby on my own!), and then my parents arrived for a visit that night.

Pretty busy April, huh?

But to be fair, Jack was brilliant, despite cutting teeth and getting a little cold in Ireland. He even managed to sleep through two of my big events at RT--the Starships and Sorcery panel and the Intergalactic Bar & Grille. Okay, there were a few moments of less than stellar behavior, mostly in the privacy of our hotel room so that no one else saw him being fussy. He's a bit of a show-off so was on his best behavior most of the time in front of all the friendly ladies who stopped by to coo over him. But still, given what he'd been through, I think he did an excellent job.

He even did well during both the ebook signing on Wednesday and the big bookfair on Saturday. And because I feed him well, he helped flog my books by first wearing his "Romance Hero in Training" t-shirt and then his "Please buy my Mommy's Books. I eat a lot!" t-shirt. Isn't he a good boy? :) Angela James (from Samhain Publishing) twittered his two little shirts, at least I think she got both. Here's the link to Romance Hero in Training. I'll have to keep looking for the other, or take a picture myself.

Although, trying to take pictures of the little guy is a bit like herding cats--if there's no one there to help, getting a picture that's more than a blur of motion is tricky.

At any rate, the conference overall went very well. It was nice to have sunny weather and a pool to dip my toes in--even if I did forget my swimsuit. Baby got his feet wet for the first time in a swimming pool and that was great fun. Having the ducks get within grabbing distance was fun for little 9 month hands too! I got to visit with dear friends and meet a bunch of new friends and I'm so glad we got to go this year.

On the last day, as I was getting my gear into the shuttle back to the airport, I was asked by a reader which was more difficult, being at RT pregnant last year or having the baby with me this year. Good question! And surprisingly, I found being pregnant at RT more difficult. I was forced by baby's schedule to slow down and get some sleep this year. Last year, despite the fact that I should have slowed down and slept more, I pushed myself to do all the things I wanted to do. Also, I'm pretty used to sleep deprivation at this point (9 months later). When pregnant, there was no way to get around the exhaustion. And also, I could have a glass of wine (or a chocolate martini) this year. That made a huge difference :)

Given the success, and the fact that I got back with some semblence of a brain, I'm thinking Columbus, OH is a go next year. How that will work...well, I have a year to plan, don't I? Although, I think I'll take a week or two before I start in on that.

Now, the big question, do I actually join Twitter and start to tweet? Hmmm.... Tough one. Any comments, suggestions, or advice on that subject will be greatly appreciated!

EXCERPT: The Promise of Kierna'Rhoan

2008-12-11T02:06:00.003-05:00

Oops, getting this up a little late. Sorry! But for those of you interested, here's a little additional excerpt which is different from the one you'll read at Samhain. Enjoy!

The Promise of Kierna’Rhoan
Copyright © 2008 by Isabo Kelly

Kira stood at the edge of the elaborately carved red stone bridge, trying to slow her thumping heartbeat. The public transport line stopped just at the edge of the Grand Bridge. She was the only one who’d gotten off. No government-funded transport dared cross that bridge. Visitors were left to walk into the Docks at their own risk.

She’d crossed that bridge before, walked the gray flagstone streets of a city built above the Dreic Sea and supported by wooden pillars sunk into the sediment below. She’d even dealt with some of the less than lawful citizens of the Docks. But always during the day.

Night settled over the area, dark and forbidding. The moons had yet to rise, leaving only the stars and the glow from the city to light the bridge. She hesitated for a moment more. But she couldn’t back out now. Squaring her shoulders and straightening her cropped jacket, Kira stepped onto the bridge.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

The unexpected voice made her gut clench and her hands shake for just an instant. She fisted her left hand, letting her short nails bite into the flesh of her palm. When she turned to face the stranger cautioning her, she was in control again. Recognizing the face made her grin and relax her hand; then her smile dropped to a suspicious frown. “What are you doing here?”

David stepped from the shadows across the road and strode toward her. He wasn’t in uniform, but there was still a formality to the way he wore his loose black pants and tight turtleneck shirt. His black leather jacket was a nod to the current fashion fad, but it looked too new and clean.

“I should ask you the same question,” he said in that smoky voice she found so toe-curling. “This place isn’t safe at night.” His dark gaze lingered on her red mini-dress and calf-high boots.

“I’ve been here before.” She raised her chin, flashing him a small smirk. “And this isn’t exactly a place where the Guards are welcome.”

“I’m not on duty tonight. And we’re not forbidden entrance.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“Maybe I’m looking for something…hard to obtain.”

Kira narrowed her eyes. The Docks were notorious for providing things “hard to obtain”. The city was run by a family of very powerful and very dangerous criminals. The government called them a mafia. They bought and sold illegals, smuggled goods and people, ran gaming and prostitution rings, auctioned slaves, both alien and human, pandered to the drugs and technology trades, and all in the open streets and canals of the Docks.

The Guard didn’t go into the city—officially.

Government propaganda had it that the encroachment of the law into the well-established city would only start a bloody, vicious war. As long as the criminal element remained localized in the Docks, they were no danger to the citizenry. Common gossip vouched that the mafia paid high-placed officials well to keep the law out of the city. Common gossip also held that the mafia possessed certain alliances and weapons that scared even the “all-powerful” planetary government.

“I wouldn’t have taken you for a Docks patron,” Kira said at last, still not convinced by David’s excuse.

“I wouldn’t have guessed it of you, either,” he countered. “I haven’t heard your explanation yet.”

She bristled at the underlying order. His tone came dangerously close to reminding her of her ex-husband. The man, she reminded herself, who gave this man his orders. “And I don’t suspect you’ll hear it anytime soon. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She turned and started across the bridge, her earlier fear replaced by indignation.

David fell in step beside her. The thick sea air moved across the bridge, through the buildings, carrying with it the scent of fish and an underlying hint of something Kira couldn’t name and wasn’t sure she wanted to. She paused at the edge of the bridge, letting her eyes adjust to the soft orange glow of the city streets. Then she headed down the first major walkway into the heart of the Docks, trying to ignore the man that had followed her over the bridge. To her irritation, he stayed beside her.

“I imagine you have other things to do here,” she snapped, stopping to stare up at him. She found it disconcerting that despite her high-heeled boots, he was still several inches taller than her. In heels, she was the same height as Ennoren, and she’d considered him a tall man. Even more disconcerting was the scent of David’s cologne, a combination of musk and spice blending with the leather smell of his jacket. It managed to tease her senses without overpowering them. She wanted to lean closer to that faint smell, to fill her lungs with it.

“I’ll walk you to where you’re going,” he said, ignoring her dismissal. They stood alone on the main street, washed in orange light. He glanced again at the miniskirt and her long length of exposed thigh. “I’m not comfortable letting you walk here alone.”

Kira stared at him, her emotions shifting rapidly from amazement to anger and finally settling on amusement. She smiled. When his eyes creased suspiciously, she laughed, a sound that boomed in the quiet streets. A man in a dark bodysuit and flight jacket who’d just stepped out of an alley glanced toward them, then gave them a wide berth.

Kira forgot to be afraid or angry. She patted David on the arm and grinned. “Very gallant of you. Not necessary. But a gallant offer nonetheless. Would that I could allow it.” He frowned and she hurried on. “The…hard to obtain item I’ve come to get is sold by a man that wouldn’t take kindly to me appearing with a…bodyguard.” She said the last with an upward lilt in her voice, half questioning, half teasing him with the title. “Besides, I’m sure you’re not here to follow a virtual stranger around. Go about your business, Officer. I’m well able to take care of myself.”

He didn’t quite smile, but his scar jumped under the twitching muscle of his jaw. “As the lady wishes.” He bowed from the waist, which only made her laugh more.

She walked away, enjoying the tingles he’d started in her body. When she felt his gaze still following her, she added a bit more swing to her hips. It had been a long time since a man made her feel this feminine and sexy.

She turned a corner, crossed a canal and headed down a second narrow street. Her momentary thrill at flirting with a handsome man vanished behind the need to stay alert and ready for anything. She watched the shadows as she walked through the alleys with as much attitude as she could muster. The surrounding buildings were all several stories tall, with a variety of cast-iron or stone balconies and window boxes decorating the stucco facades. In daylight, the colors varied from muted creams, corals and tans, to darker blues, purples, oranges and greens. The canals, kept cleaned by the natural currents of the Dreic, still held a faint fishy smell that permeated every alley and building in the city. The Docks had been fashioned after the Earth city of Venice in Italy. And if the pictures were anything to go on, Kira thought the Docks a pretty close replica.

She crossed a second bridge, the dark waters of the canal reflecting the orange glow of the streetlamps, and ducked down a final alley. The club’s entrance wasn’t easy to find. You had to know the exact door. The owners had designed it that way. She stepped up to the ordinary-looking green wood door and stared at the brass knocker. The cooling autumn breeze that managed to flow down some corridors and streets in the tightly packed city didn’t reach into this particular alley. A trickle of sweat inched down her spine. Raising a hand, she hoped the information they’d bought had been worth the price.

She knocked with bare knuckles against the thick wood, a pattern that was supposed to allow entrance without question. The door opened and she came face-to-face with a very large, very hairy Binnean doorman. The Binneans were one of the few sentient alien races humans had encountered since embarking on their exploration of the galaxy. The species was known for its strength and violent tendencies. Kira held her breath and waited for the giant bouncer to comment.

When the Binnean didn’t ask any questions but merely stepped aside for her to enter, she released her breath, feeling lightheaded with relief. She crossed to the long brass and glass bar which ran the length of the ground floor and took a moment to study the club, letting her eyes adjust to the smoky light.

Everything was black and gold. The marble floors, the arched ceilings, the second floor galleries, the glossy tabletops, the glow of imitation candles, even the majority of the patrons wore some variation of black and gold. No, she decided after a more thorough look. Most of the men wore some combination of black and gold. Most of the women wore bright, flamboyant colors. But there were too few women in the club to notice those flashes of color on first glance. Kira wondered at the small number of women but was glad their informant had told her to wear red.

A Binnean barman stepped over to her and asked if she wanted a drink. The creature was so wide, he would have made three human men. His thick head and body were covered with neatly combed black hair, and the only clothing he wore was a pair of loose-fitting gold woven trousers. Two large, emerald green eyes poked out of the brown, smooth skin of his face. His nose was thick and long over a straight, full-lipped mouth. Hearing a polite question from that mouth seemed at odds with the all the violent stories she’d heard of the Binneans. But then, in the Docks, business was business.

She ordered a beer and studied the booths at the rear of the club more closely. She’d been given a description, but already she’d seen a number of men who might fit. For a second, a tinge of panic churned in her stomach. What if she couldn’t recognize him? What if he didn’t show? What if she picked the wrong man?

She was considering taking a walk around the upper galleries when one of the men at the rear of the club caught her eye, a slight, roguish grin tipping the corners of his mouth. The shoulder-length sandy hair and light eyes, the overall build, even the pilot’s black jumpsuit all matched the description of her contact. She took one final glance around the ground floor, then picked up her bottle of icy beer and walked slowly toward the man, noting his casual, arrogant slouch in the booth and his undisguised observation of her legs.

“Raf?” she asked when she stood across the table from him.

His grin crooked to one side, and he nodded for her to take a seat. “So you need a pilot and a ship?”

His blunt question surprised her. She’d thought there’d be more subtlety. At the very least, she’d expected him to make a more lecherous comment to start the conversation.

The fact that he didn’t made her look at him more closely. One arm was slung across the top of the bench, the other hung loose on the seat beside him, conveniently within reach of a hip-holstered weapon. His cocky grin belied the vigilant darting of his blue eyes.

She slid into the booth. He may have looked at ease, but he was ready for anything. For some reason, that helped Kira relax. And after another careful moment’s consideration, she decided she liked Raf Tygran. She didn’t trust him. But she liked him.

“How much?” she asked, taking a sip of beer. She didn’t flinch when he named his price. She’d expected something higher. “When?”

“I can be ready to leave planet within the week. I’ve a few details to settle first.” His lip twitched. “But getting them onto the ship and off planet isn’t gonna be easy.”

Kira nodded.

When she didn’t answer his unspoken question, he spoke it. “You have a plan, I take it?”

“Of course.”

“What about the detector rings?”

“You worry about flying the ship.” She set her half-empty bottle on the table. “I’ll worry about the detectors.” And before he could ask, she said, “I’ll have a clearance code as well by the time we leave.”

He shrugged and reached for the nearly full glass of some orange-colored drink that sat on the table in front of him. “Your show, honey. I’m paid for my pilot skills, not my tactical skills.”

“I hope you have a few tactical skills as well. Getting where we’re going isn’t going to be easy. And if it’s suspected you’ve helped us, you won’t be able to show your face here again.”

He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “Do you think I’m able to do that comfortably now?” His gaze flicked around the room before settling on her again. “Why do you think I come here?”

Kira glanced at the room, then leveled a hard look at him. “Why do you come here? To this club, I mean?”

“Paid anonymity. You can buy just about anything in the Docks. Anonymity is more expensive than a lot of things, but not so expensive as others.”

“Why are there so few women here?” She picked up her bottle and cradled it in her hands without sipping.

“Too early. Crowds build with the night.”

“Doesn’t it lessen your anonymity to be seen with one of the few women in the club?”

He grinned, a mixture of smug self assurance and amusement. “I’m too handsome for anyone to question why I’d be with one of the few women here. Especially since you’re quite a stunner yourself. Seems like an obvious conclusion to me.”

For just an instant, she was awed by the sheer arrogance of that statement. Then she laughed and took a drink of her beer. He really should have annoyed her, but the blatant cockiness he wore like a shirt made it impossible to take his flirtations seriously.

Unlike David’s more subtle seductive manner, she thought before she could stop herself. Her stomach did a giddy dance at the memory of his scent and dark eyes. She swallowed hard and reminded herself that David worked for Ennoren. That fact wasn’t going to change, no matter how he made her feel. And within the week, Kira would be leaving Narava forever. Another fact that wasn’t going to change. She dropped her gaze and drank deeply from her warming bottle. A slight shiver shook her shoulders despite the relative warmth of the club.

****
For more, be sure to pick up your copy of THE PROMISE OF KIERNA'RHOAN

EXCERPT: Lady of the Herd

2008-07-08T19:23:00.005-04:00

Here's a short excerpt from LADY OF THE HERD, available now from Crescent Moon Press. Enjoy!

(Btw, no baby yet...still officially in waiting mode)

***

ISBN:978-0-9816011-8-2
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Lady of the Herd Copyright © 2008 Isabo Kelly.

He watched her in secret from the branch of an oak tree, confident she didn’t know the magpie above her was anything but a bird. He’d been studying her for two months. She was the one. Gráinne. She’d returned to Ireland. At long last, she’d come home.

There wasn’t much time left. He’d been afraid to approach her too soon. He wanted to observe her, to make sure. But he couldn’t delay any longer. In a week, the passageway between worlds would be thin. By sunrise of Samhain morning, he would fulfill his Queen’s order and bring Gráinne home.

He’d waited a long time for this. A part of him he’d tried to bury ached for Gráinne. He needed her back as much as his Queen did.

And he was tired after so much time in the mortal realm. He was ready to go home.
A tiny thread of doubt nagged at him. The wings of the magpie shifted, the feathers shivering. What if he were wrong? Again. His past mistakes still haunted him. What if he made the same mistake with this woman? Could he stand to watch the madness overtake yet another innocent?
No. No, he was right this time. She was Gráinne. He could feel it. He’d known her as soon as she’d entered the woods. He’d taken his time, learned what he could about her. He was sure.

But hadn’t he been sure the other times?

The magpie lifted its wings and resettled on the branch. Five hundred years. It seemed like forever. A long time to doubt. A long time to remember.

He stared at the woman beneath his tree. She was beautiful, hauntingly so. He could barely tolerate her absence from the park now. A longing he hadn’t felt since Gráinne hit him every time he was near this woman. He’d always wanted Gráinne in a way that scared him, even now. Wanted her like no other woman he’d ever known. And the desire had only increased with time. He felt it now, sharply, as he looked down on her. How could he doubt she was the one?

If she wasn’t, he risked the woman’s sanity.

But if she was, and he didn’t bring her home, he risked the Lady of the Herd’s immortal soul. There would be no returning after this lifetime. She’d die a mortal death and be lost to the world of Faery forever. He didn’t dare risk that. His own feelings aside, Gráinne was too important to the Fae, to the balance, to risk loosing her.

And he wanted to be allowed home again. If he didn’t fulfill his Queen’s geis, he’d be stuck in the mortal realm too. Only he wouldn’t die like Gráinne. He’d continue to exist, fading to a shadow, for eternity.

The magpie shuddered, its feathers ruffled and resettled.

The woman sat on a log and ran a hand through her short, spiky black hair. The magpie’s head tilted. She didn’t look the same. But then he hadn’t expected her to. She didn’t have to. He would want her no matter what she looked like. Love her no matter her form.

Though her current form was more than pleasing.

The magpie flapped its wings and dropped to a lower branch. He would be certain as soon as he looked into her eyes. She was Gráinne. He was sure of it. But if he was wrong?

Excerpt SIREN SINGING

2008-06-13T10:00:00.002-04:00

As promised, here's a little excerpt from SIREN SINGING, out today from Ellora's Cave! The excerpt is PG because this blog isn't age controlled, but trust me, the book is hot :) And remember, everyone needs to buy the book since writing is now my only income and I'll soon have a baby to feed. (cheeky grin)

ISBN 9781419916595
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Siren Singing Copyright © 2008 Isabo Kelly.
***

Sonia Karishja took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. She’d known for years this day would come. Even before her father announced his decision, Sonia began to prepare. From the moment the seer revealed the future to her, she’d studied and trained, learning everything she could to guarantee success.

Because this one day could ensure the future of her entire planet.

Her wedding day.

“Sonia, stop fidgeting,” her lady-in-waiting scolded. “The jewels will be crooked if you don’t stop moving.”

She glanced down at Nina where she knelt, affixing small rubies to the skin around Sonia’s navel. “Sorry.” Standing here, getting ready to meet her groom for the first time, nerves plagued Sonia. She’d been so positive this marriage was the right thing. Now her future seemed less certain.

Vander Ulneric was the oldest son of one of the most powerful families, both militarily and politically, on Callisea. This marriage would form a bond between his family and hers, a powerful Ishari family, creating a treaty between their planets that couldn’t fail like so many had in the past. Sonia would bring the superior technology of her planet to the superior armies of his. The tie would force their two governments to deal with each other, and together they could survive as independent worlds against the onslaught of their mutual enemy, the Selmorahn Empire.

So she’d learned everything there was to know about Vander to ensure the success of their marriage, even to the point of becoming fluent in his native language. And all that knowledge had produced an unexpected side effect.

She’d fallen in love with him.

“This seduction plan of yours will go a lot smoother if you aren’t worried about crooked body art,” Nina said.

She tried to grin but her stomach fluttered. Nina was her best friend and the only person she’d trusted with this particular secret. “I’m starting to worry about my plan.” She glanced over her friend’s head to her reflection in the floor-length mirror. Cool spring light streamed into the room through giant windows, making the white silk of her dress glow. “I’ve never tried to seduce a man before. Not like a normal woman.”

“Then use your song. I don’t understand why you won’t. If I had the talent, I’d use it.”

Sonia shook her head and watched the tiny bells in her hair sparkle as the jingling sound danced through the quiet room. “I want him to want me. I don’t want him tricked into lusting after me.”

Nina sighed but didn’t look up from her work. “Sonia, you want him to love you. But…”

When Nina didn’t finish, Sonia glanced down. “What?”

“But you know that might never happen,” she finished and finally met Sonia’s gaze. “You better than anyone know you’re facing an uphill battle.”

Sonia bit her bottom lip and glanced back at the mirror so she wouldn’t have to see the compassion in her friend’s eyes. Nina was right. She understood only too well her quest to make Vander fall in love with her might be hopeless. He was already in love with someone else. A ghost. A woman who’d been killed in a Selmorahn raid only four months before this marriage was arranged.

A woman who was opposite in every way to Sonia. Anya had been petite, fair-haired, light-eyed, quiet, shy, biddable, sweet, caring and giving. Sonia was dark—black hair, black eyes, olive-colored skin. She was tall, curvy, forward and brazen. She considered herself caring and would do anything for her family and her people. But she wasn’t quiet, sweet was questionable, and biddable wasn’t a term often used in the same sentence as her name.

Not that she hadn’t considered changing for Vander. But as Nina pointed out, she made a terrible blonde. Half smiling, she shrugged. “If I have any hope of winning his heart, I have to earn it for who and what I am. You said as much already.”

“I didn’t mean for you to avoid using the one sure-fire talent you have to seduce men. Besides, that’s part of who you are. Would you hide that from him?”

“No. But I’m not using it against him either.” She looked up at her reflection again. “I’m just going to have to seduce him the old-fashioned way.” She ran a hand over her gown.

The dress was cut to reveal more skin than it covered, despite the full-length skirt and long sleeves. She wasn’t even supposed to wear undergarments, but after some debate had opted for small, lacy panties. While her own people wouldn’t think twice about her provocative attire, Calliseans were much more conservative. Undergarments weren’t the only adjustment she’d had to make to accommodate a wedding on Vander’s home world, including having to forgo the typical four to five day weddings of her home city, Holiabad. But she’d kept a few of her own customs. She would remain barefoot on her wedding day and for the following four days. And her hands and feet were decorated with red body paint, her hands covered with flower and vine designs specific to her family clan.

In the bright sunlight filling the room, the contrast between red paint, white silk and her dark skin was striking. She grinned. “If he isn’t seduced by this fine work of yours, I have no hope. With or without my song.”

Nina grinned back. “If he doesn’t want you on first sight, he’s made of stone and doesn’t deserve you. You’re going to have every man in that room drooling.”

Sonia pressed a hand to her stomach, above the swirls of rubies. There was only one man she wanted to notice her. And he was the one man she was worried might not.

Nina patted her hip and stood. “I have an early wedding present for you.” She crossed to the stacks of trunks that made up their luggage.

Sonia had been given a lavish suite next to Vander’s in the family wing of the palace. But to prepare for the ceremony, she’d stayed in Nina’s cozier room in the guest wing. At least here, she could stand on thick rugs. Most of the palace had marble floors which were freezing against her bare feet. One of the maids told her the palace remained cool even in the height of summer. But it wasn’t summer yet, so she found it hard to appreciate the cold floors. Part of her missed the dry heat of her own home. Even in the approaching winter, she’d still have been able to spend time in her sun-drenched gardens. Though as she remembered the heat of summer, she couldn’t help but appreciate the cooler climate here.

After digging through her case for a few moments, Nina rose with a large box wrapped in gold paper. She grinned as she handed Sonia the present. “If this doesn’t get his engines revving, the man’s a eunuch.”

Sonia raised an eyebrow. When she removed the wrapping and saw the present, she laughed. “Thank you, Nina. I think you just tipped the scales in my favor.”

It's Hot! Damn Hot!

2008-06-11T15:13:00.004-04:00

It is roasting here in New York City. Okay, today is much much more pleasant than the last four days, but I'm still recovering from all that heat. You'd think a woman who grew up in Vegas would be fine with heat--and I am, when it's dry heat! This humid stuff is for the birds. I spent two of the four heat wave days in front of the airconditioner napping and reading (yay, Vivi Anna's Valorian Chronicles!). Fortunately, being a pregnant woman means I have an excellent excuse to do this. No one even thinks to question my impluse to nap through the heat. But the truth is, I'd have wanted to do that even if I wasn't pregnant!

Funny how many people were worried about me, too, on the days I was out and about. New Yorkers might not always give up their subway seats for me, but I did have a lot of strangers--women in particular--asking me if baby and I were okay in the heat. It's was pretty sweet actually. Fortunately, I haven't had that overly-hot-pregnant-lady thing. I haven't been any hotter than I normally would be. But I still prefer my airconditioned apartment to all that humidity.

Still a lot of stuff to do around the house to prep for baby. But managed to get a lot of random baby gear purchased this weekend and now am feeling a little less frantic. Last week, I was all about needing to get the house ready and worrying over the fact that it's still a "baby death trap"! This week, I've calmed a bit, knowing some of this stuff can get done after baby's born. There's still lots to do, but at least I've calmed down a bit. And with that calm, my desire to write has returned. Yay! I didn't even realize how much I was missing writing until I opened my laptop and started to type. Guess impending motherhood hasn't completely overcome my writing impusle yet. Which is nice.

Now, couple of friend things. Leanna Renee Hieber went to Lori Foster's event this last weekend and managed to score a promotional coup--she found herself interviewed on Barbara Vey's Publisher's Weekly video blog. Check it out--scroll down to get to it. How cute is she and her mom!

And Maya Rodale--one of my NYC RWA fellow chapter members and fabulous historical author--has a little interview of me up on her blog. It's pretty cool actually. She asks authors the same six questions, which means you can compare all your favorite people. Her first six questions went to Julia Quinn and JQ had some great answers. I got the honor of being second, so check it out. The questions are really fun, too, not the usual fair. (See what superpower I want! :))

I have two books out this month, one I know for sure will be out on Friday (SIREN SINGING) so come back to the blog on Friday and I'll have a short excerpt. I wasn't fast enough to get the info to my webmistress before she went on holiday so until we can get a page up on the website, you can enjoy a little reading here in the meantime.

Stay cool! And let me know what you think of Maya's questions and Leanna's video!

Baby Shower NY style

2008-06-05T17:55:00.006-04:00

So my fabulous writer friends threw me a little baby shower earlier in the week. And it was lovely. It was actually similar to the one some other lovely writer friends threw me at RT--we spent a lot of time not talking about babies. LOL.

The setting was very appropriately an Irish pub. I was proposed to in an Irish pub (in Ireland), I spent part of my wedding day in an Irish pub (there are pictures of me in my wedding dress with a pint of Guinness--I love those pictures), and now I've officially had a baby shower in an Irish pub (though this one was in New York City).

To add a little "local NY" flavor to the shower, turns out one friend--Marianne Mancusi--managed to get me a bouquet of flowers made by a celebrity florist! The same florist who did Jessica Alba's baby shower. When I can get the woman's name from Marianne, I'll be sure to post it. The florist was so nice. Marianne just asked her for advice on what would be good flowers to bring to the shower, and she went out of her way to actually put together a bouquet from some flowers she had on hand. It's gorgeous too. I don't have a picture of that either, unfortunately, but someone does, so I'll get that soon too. I mean, only in NY would I randomly end up with a bouquet made by a celebrity florist.

Then to top it off, another friend was late because an Adam Sandler promo thingy going on in the TV studio she and her husband run ran late. Adam Sandler made my friend late for my shower. That's just wild.

Only in NYC--at least for me. LOL. The closest I've ever come to celebrities was when I saw Liberachi in the grocery story in Vegas when I was a kid. For the most part, despite the fact that I tend to live in places where celebrities hang out, they seem to avoid me, or else when I pass them I don't notice who they are, so having this many brushes with celebrity all at once is pretty funny. Even if I didn't meet or even see any of them :)

As for the shower itself, the girls did a great job of getting me and baby really cute pressies, which was super sweet. I had a burger for dinner--a really yummy one. And no one got overly emotional or sentimental about the impending arrival which was even better. It was the perfect baby shower for me.

So thanks: Leanna, Liz, Marianne, Stacey, Elizabeth, and Morgan! You guys are the best.

Now, I have to actually get the apartment ready for baby--that's the tough part!

I'm "it"

2008-05-08T14:15:00.008-04:00

I almost forgot I got tagged! (There's that memory thing again.) I blame Leanna for this who blames Kwana so it's all Kwana's fault.

So now I'm supposed to say 6 quirky things about myself. Hmmm.... Okay, that's gonna be hard to do (snort! yay, right!)

1. When I was growing up, I played cowboys and indians on real horses. Actually, we were mostly just camping cowgirls with no indians in sight. But we still had a real horse there. When we weren't trying to ride him, he was great at being a prop. When we tried to ride him, on the other hand, he was an excellent bucking bronco--or maybe that was just with me. (As an aside to this, I got so good at being bucked off horses, I knew how to step off without getting thrown.)

2. Along with being the "Shark Lady" at the natural history museum in Las Vegas, I was also the unofficially "snake nurse" and appeared on local T.V. stations a couple of times as the "snake nurse". Since I was more of a marine person than a reptile person when I got the job, taking on the snake nurse job was a bit of a challenge. Got some great pictures out of it, though.

3. My secret (or maybe not so secret) dream is to be an extra in movies--and not just any extra, but the kind where you get your name in the credits. You know, those roles like "Third Woman in Line" or "Waitress #2" or "Lady Who Screams". Those are my kind of roles! What fun.

4. I consider Die Hard 1 a Christmas movie. But I'm not the only one who does this! My mom considers it a Christmas movie too :)

5. When I was a kid, I entertained the idea of being an Olympic diver. I even taught myself how to do a back dive in our pool. Then I got onto the high dive at a public pool and decided, "I don't want to do all that training after all."

6. I spend so much time talking to my dog, that sometimes I'll direct comments to him even when he's not around. I've always said, having a dog in the room will keep people from thinking you're crazy talking to yourself. The problem comes when you're still talking to the dog and he's not there. :)

Okay, those are a few of my quirky things (I could have gone on). My turn to tag someone and I'm going to tag J.C. Wilder, Carolan Ivey, and Stacey Klemstein. Sorry ladies! Blame Kwana :)

Do brain cells really grow back after childbirth?

2008-05-06T16:02:00.006-04:00

My mom promises me they do, but I'm starting to worry.

The last two weeks, I've been up to my eyeballs with getting writing work done and recovering from RT. Recovering from RT always takes a bit of time, but the full week of RT while pregnant left me really tired. So I was antisocial the first week back and actually got some writing done--yay me! RT itself was great fun with lots of good gossip and mayhem, but since most of that got reported on other blogs I won't bother. They all did the conference better justice than I could. (See JC Wilder's blog and the SmartBitchesTrashyBooks blog for some good RT gossip.)

So I'm back, I'm rested, I got a lot of writing done. And now it's hitting me--I'm having a baby in two months and I have NOTHING done. Panic sets in. So much to do, so much to do!!

When I calm down, I realize there's time. But the panic is still lurking, waiting to rear its ugly head while I'm supposed to be doing healthy things like sleeping. Fortunately, some very dear friends are helping me out. A friend at work who had a baby last year even made me a list of all the things I needed to put in my registry (and this is how far behind I am--I didn't even start a registry until last week). All I can say is thank the Universe for friends who are both wiser and calmer than I am.

Not that I'm a particularly panicky mom. That's sort of the problem. I allow my laid back nature to reign for long periods of time. Then suddenly urgency smacks me in the face. But it's okay, I can go back to ignoring the urgency pretty quickly.

Especially since I seem to be seeping brain cells. Not that I could afford to loose that many, but baby seems to be taking what few I had. I was supposed to attend a brunch on Saturday with my RWA chapter where the lovely Hope Tarr was our guest speaker. I paid in advance for this brunch and everything. So Friday rolls around, and I'm thinking about what I'll do Sunday while my husband is off running a marathon (He ran a marathon! He did really well. I'm so proud of him.). The plan for Sunday was to tackle one of the projects that was sending me into panics, and then take myself up to DSW where I intended to treat myself to at least 1 pair of shoes--I had a couple of cash back coupons. Wohoo! With my Sunday plan in mind, I figured I'd spend Saturday with my hubby and take the day easy.

10:30pm that night I take Eddie for a walk. And it suddenly hits me. "Oh *&@#! I forgot about the brunch!" That's right. I didn't even remember that I'd forgotten until hours later.

This is to date the worst case of forgetfulness I've had. Although, to be fair, I have forgotten quite a bit over the last few months. But this one takes the cake.

Speaking of which, it's my birthday month so I'm having cupcakes--after I go to the doctor and get weighed in :) At least my brain cells are leaving room for cupcakes. Good remaining brains cells!

Pregnant Woman with a Cold

2008-04-06T14:27:00.005-04:00

Not a pretty sight! Especially when she's got a conference to finish getting ready for in a week. I'm off to Pittsburgh on Sunday because I'm doing a workshop for the early bird beginner writer's course run by Judi McCoy. So I've got a week to get everything ready to go and I'm feeling groggy, lazy and I just want to sleep.

Somehow, RT creeps up on me every year, and I'm not sure how that happens. It's not like I don't KNOW when it's going to be. I know a year ahead of time. But of course, I always think, "I'll have plenty of time to get everything sorted."

Then I get pregnant. And then, less than two weeks before the conference, I get a cold.

I keep wondering, will this be easier when I'm a stay at home mom and don't have the added problems of a day job to juggle, or will I still end up frantic the last week before RT?

Probably the latter. Wish me luck!

A Day in the Life

2008-04-01T14:04:00.002-04:00

I'm about six months along in my pregnancy now. About a month ago, I actually started feeling pretty good.

In the first few months, I had brutal morning sickness that lasted all day and I lost all will to do anything but play sudoku--I am a MAD sudoku girl, love the stuff, can't get enough. Anyway, I'm now officially two months behind in all things writing. And being perpetually behind can be a little stressful, but since I'm not supposed to get stressed, I'm having to learn to overcome my natural instincts and let all that lovely stress and anxiety go.

Now that I'm feeling pretty decent most of the time, though, I am slowly but surely making my way through my writing to-do list. My preparation for baby list--not so much yet. Though I did manage to get to Motherhood on Saturday so I now have a few more bits of clothing that I can wear. Comfy clothes are really nice right now.

The feeling decent part means I'm able to work. And since a full day of working doesn't completely floor me anymore (it did in January--got all morning sick again after pushing myself too hard), I spent my day off yesterday madly editing. I was working on a novella of mine (that's way past due!) and wanted to get as much of it edited in one day as I could. You get the feel for a story if you can go through it in a short period of time--I notice logic errors, inconsistencies, and big gaping holes a lot better that way.

I didn't expect to get the full thing done, but low and behold I did! It was very exciting. Granted, I was finished at around midnight, but I took breaks, so it wasn't a constant 14 hours of work. AND in the midst of all that, I managed to make Italian-type lasagna for the first time ever (I usually make Mexican lasagna), do the grocery shopping and check my emails. I didn't respond to any emails, but I checked them. I walked the dog twice. And I did manage to have a bit of a conversation with my husband when he got home from work.

All-in-all a pretty successful day for me. And you know, I slept better last night (and sleeping comfortably at night is officially more difficult now) than I have in weeks. I was still tired when I woke up (way too early!) for my day job, but I managed a decent night sleep without too many worries.

So either I'm learning to put aside the long horded stress and anxiety I normally take to bed with me, or working madly all day long to get a project done is good for me.

And you're wondering...how does she have the patience to be a writer? Especially when novels can take months to write. Got me. But at least I'm never bored :)

This is a test of the mandatoring rambling system

2008-03-30T14:52:00.006-04:00

While I do have a technical blog on my website home page, I really use that more for updating my homepage (which, yes, I know, I don't do nearly often enough). I decided it might be fun to have a traditional blog on which I could ramble. Especially now that I'm pregnant and life is getting even more interesting than it already was (and to be fair, while I liked the interest level of my life previous to pregnancy, this new "interesting" level should be pretty interesting :))

Life is about to get more complicated and busy. So why do I want to start blogging now? I have no idea. It seemed like a good idea at the time. We'll see if baby will let me keep up with what it's like to be an Urban Writer Momma in NY city.

I also intend to ramble about non-new mother related topics like...well, writing since that's what I do. And probably, on occasion, strange forays into science, philosophy, ranting on civilization, or just random thoughts on life. I'll try to keep the really esoteric stuff to a minimum, but since this is for my rambles, I won't be able to prevent some of the random stuff slipping in.

Feel free to comment or not. This is for fun rather than advertising (though I won't be able to help talking books). And likely, you'll learn a little more about me than you ever wanted to know :)