What I love and What I hate

I love the ocean and the beach, but I hate the mountain.
I can swim for hours but I am afraid of height.
I love traveling but I prefer staying home.

I love reading historical novels and love writing romantic suspense and contemporary romances, but I hate long series where the end is never the end, and all the books seem to have the same plot.
I love writing a book, but I prefer finishing a book.

I am shy around people but I love to socialize.
I have a lot of friends around me but I have even more friends on the Internet.

I love making resolutions but I wish I could keep them.
I hate revolts and revolutions but how do you get freedom without them?
I love cats, accept dogs, but I am afraid of horses.

I love nice dresses but I wear pants all the time.
I love nice dresses but I can't fit in them anymore.
I can eat chocolate but I prefer almond and pistachio.

So what about you? What do you love the most (other than family and friends)
And what do you hate?

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. I will take you around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with heat.

BABIES IN THE BARGAIN winner of 2009 Best Romance Novel at Preditors & Editors and winner of 2009 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite.
Rx FOR TRUST, winner of 2010 Best Contemporary Romance at Readers Favorite and 2011 EPICON.
http://www.monarisk.com/

2011 FRW Cruise with your Muse Conference: Day 3

The morning of Day 3 was a sreious day with more workshops.

Panel of editors taking questions from the audience:

Erica Tsang (Avon), Eric Raab (Tor), Wanda Ottwell (HQ), Adam Wilson (Mira)
Listening to Sally Schoenmeweiss talk aboutsuccessful promotion for our books
At lunch Mona with Donna Liebermann, Lisa, Eric Raab, Linda Conrad and her husband, and Karen Kendall.
At lunch: Mary Ricksen, Heather Graham, Tracy Hall and husband, Wanda Ottwell, Heidi Cote.


Traci Hall, Wanda Ottwell,Heidi Cote, Pearl Wolfe, Mary Ricksen

Ona Busto, Tina Stitzer, Debbie Andrews, Sandi, Heather McLachlan, Agent Lucienne Diver, Sharon Heartley.

Adam Wilson surrounded by several writers.

Kritin Wallace (FRW President), Sally Schoeneweiss, Kim Gonzales and her husband, Agent Lucy Childs.

Katy Pickering with Eric Raab (Tor) and Lisa.

Finally arriving in Cozumel at 2:00 pm. We needed a break after a morning of hard work.

The infamous Three Amigos restaurant

Cozumel shopping center
A street in Cozumel

A drink at Three Amigos with the FRW gang

Having fun Kristin and Traci?

Waiting for the sunset.

It's almost sunset. Make a wish.

Another FRW Cruise Conference next year?

2011 FRW Cruise with your Muse Conference: Day 2

Our first full day with FRW conference started with a long break at Key West. Don't you like conferences that gives you a day of fun before forcing you into hard labor?
My husband and I walked through the streets of Key West, a quaint town that reminds you of last century.

This is how we can stay slim!!!
After a good lunch aboard the ship it was time to work. Heather Graham separated us in 5 groups. Each group received a few words and had to come up with a blurb for an interesting story. My group included Senior Editor Eric Raab from Tor, and our words were: actress, roto-rooter, ugly, basement... We brainstormed our blurb and then read out loud with everyone. Quite hilarious. This workshop was followed by an open discussion with Agents Lucy Childs and Lucienne Diver: How can an agent help writers achieve their goals?

For the next two hours we enjoyed the Floridian Idol. Heather Graham, Traci Hall, Kathy Pickering and Aleka Nakis read the first two pages submitted anonymously by more than thirty writers. Each submission received a thorough critique by the agents and editors. And finally we gathered at dinner for our formal night.

Mona Risk and husband who was volunteered as FRW photographer!

Nancy Cohen and husband

Ashley Chase and husband

Kathy Pickering with Editors Eric Raab (Tor) and Adam Wilson (Mira)

FRW efficient treasurer Sandy, Ona Busto and Sharon Heartly.

HQ Editor Wanda Ottwell and Agent Lucienne Diver.

Agent Lucienne Diver, a writer who flew all the way from California and Heather McLachlan

Karen Kendall, Donna Lieberman, her friend Lisa and Aleka Nakis

Sharon Heartley, Debbie Andrews, Pearl Wolfe.

Traci Hall and husband.

Heather Graham having a good time!!

2011 FRW Cruise with your Muse Conference: Day 1

We boarded the Carnaval ship from the beautiful port of Miami. While waiting for our rooms to be ready, we enjoyed our first lunch at sea and then went to register for the conference in the library.







Soon we had to line up on the deck for the drill session. Mona with Nancy Cohen and Heidi Cote.

Mona with Ashley Chase, Judy, Tina, and Renee.

The FRW Founding Mothers: Joan Johnston, Sally Schoenweiss, and Heather Graham.

Our FRW conference officially started with a welcome word from Kristin Wallace, our lovely President, followed by a hilarious sketch played by Aleka Nakis, Kathy Pickering and Tracy Hall representing the three founding mothers. In the back: HQ Editor Wanda Ottwell, Editor Adam Wilson ( Mira Books), Literary Agent Lucienne Divers.

In the front: Robin Haseltime and Liese Sherwood-Fabre.

Pearl Wolfe, Kristin Wallace (our dear FRW Prez), Mary Ricksen, Mona and Nancy Cohen

Heather McLachlan, Kimberly Gonzales who coordinated the FRW Cruise Conference, and Micky Gibson.

At dinner, Mona and Literary agent Lucy Childs

Most Unusual Lovers

Today I am pleased to welcome mutlti-published author, Sandra Cox, who will tell us about her Most Unusual Lovers in her recent released romance novel, MOON WATCHERS

Do you and your significant other seem polar opposites? He likes sports, you loathe them? You love the ballet, he’d rather take a beating that watch dancers on their toes. Well believe it or not there’re lovers who have even less in common. Let’s take a look.

Isabella Swan, human, and her boyfriend/fiancé/husband vampire Edmund Cullen. And then there’s Bella’s wanna-be lover, Werewolf Jacob Black.

There’s Nora Robert’s Circle Triology:

Hoyt the sorcerer in love with Glenna the witch

And Cian the vampire in love with the queen Moira

Blair Murphy, demon hunter, in love with the shape-shifter Larkin

And in Moon Watchers, the second in the hunter series, Jolene Sayer, werewolf hunter is attracted to Braden Knight, vampire.

Excerpt:
(Jolene and Braden have just fought off a pack of vamps.)

I turned off the light, walked to the window and pulled back the forest-green drapes enough to see into the dark. With a soft whish, they fell into place.

Nothing stirred, just the continual fall of puffy, thick flakes of snow. “He left me when moments before a dozen Weres had been circling ready to rip me from limb to limb.” I spend a lot of time alone and tend to talk to myself.

I shook my head, disgusted. What the hell is wrong with me? I never get mopey or hormonal. Being a Were-hunter leaves no room for estrogen or emotion. “And let’s not forget he went out there single-handedly and took on the whole pack.”

A crack of electricity surged through me. Vamp or man, it had been a pretty damn impressive display. My only regret, he hadn’t permanently taken out a few more instead of just slinging them around. But then I guess even a vamp has limitations when a dozen or so Weres are nipping at his heels.

He’d been bitten! The thought brought me up short. I frowned. How could I have forgotten that for even a moment? What exactly happened to a vampire bitten by a werewolf? I shuddered. They didn’t teach you that in Werewolf Hunters 101.

How would it affect him? For one moment out there, I’d considered trying, and I emphasize trying, to take him down. A Were-Vamp would be formidable, its ability to create evil limitless. But I hesitated. What’s wrong with me? I’ve never been tentative about that sort of thing before.

Unfortunately, I know the answer: lust pure and simple. I put my head in my hands and groaned. “I can’t possibly be falling for a Vamp. Dad will kill me.”

CONTEST:

To celebrate the release of Moon Watchers, I’ll be running a contest from Jan 15 and Feb 2. The winner will be announced Feb 5. To enter: just leave a comment at

http://www.downtownya.blogspot.com/ and mention Moon Watchers and Mona Risk.

What do you win?
--An autographed copy of Moon Watchers
--A Starbucks gift certificate
--And a fun necklace that has a protective cross to safeguard against creatures of the night, a blood drop stone to remind shape-shifters you are protected and a star since our winner will be the star of the contest

Moon Watchers can be purchased at: http://www.classactbooks.com/ in paper or ebook.

Vampire Island, first in the series, can be purchased at: http://www.classactbooks.com/Vampire-Island-by-Sandra-Cox_p_156.html or amazon.com or other e sites.

Thanks, Mona for hosting me!


About Sandra
Multi-published author Sandra Cox writes YA fantasy, historic and paranormal romance and metaphysical nonfiction.

Sandra lives with her husband, a menagerie of pets, and an occasional foster cat in sunny North Carolina. To see the brood click on the cat tab.

Her fifteenth book, MOON WATCHERS, a crossover romance will be released through www.classactbooks.com. Jan 15, 2011.

To visit her YA blog: downtownya.blogspot.com