Bookies and Wookies

Whew! It’s been a crazy few weeks! I guess you’ve noticed I haven’t blogged in a minute... well, I’ll tell ya why. It’s cuz... I was... well, actually, I...

Yeah, I don’t have a good excuse. Sure, I’ve been busy, but who isn’t? I did a book signing this past weekend, and hubby and I saw the new Solo Star Wars movie. I’m a Star Wars fan from waaaayyy back, and Han Solo has always been my favorite character, so I was a little worried about anyone else taking over from Harrison Ford, but I’ve gotta say, I loved it! And the book signing was a success too! I met new people, signed some books, and some wonderful friends stopped by to support me too. I couldn’t ask for a better day. Then Sunday, I took the hubby to PF Chang’s for Father’s Day. (I say, “I took him” when really I merely went with him, since he drove, he paid, and he picked the location... but hey, that’s what he wanted.) And I totally made a sacrifice by eating all the delicious food he wanted to order even though it destroyed my calories for the day. Hell, I think I gained half a pound just reading the menu. But we’re back to another week, and I’m cooking up some new ideas and stuff to share with you, that I’ll jump on right after I do an hour of cardio. I’m still feeling bloated from those lettuce wraps, and Szechuan beef, and tuna sushi things, and, oh yeah... the cheesecake. Hey, it was Father’s Day for crapsake! Cut me some slack. 

Oh! I’ll be doing some exciting stuff with my newsletter this month, including an amazon gift card giveaway, so if you’re not already on my mailing list, get cracking! I can’t give you the prize if you don’t get the newsletter! 

Until next time... here’s some pics from last weekend’s book signing!

 

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How do you NOT eat one? Right?

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Just one! Ok, maybe two???

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Tell me those little keychains aren’t to die for? I love those! 

Posted on June 23, 2018 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

Happy Memorial Day

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The view out my window is dreary, but all in all, I’ve had a pretty spectacular weekend. Friday night kicked off the annual Red Adept Publishing author event with a pizza party and a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity, Saturday’s book reading/signing was a success, and we all had a blast posing for zany pictures at the Saturday night party. I may or may not have eaten more than my share of goodies while I was there, so I need a day to recuperate. I guess it’s a good thing it’s too wet to do anything outside. I just got up and I need a nap already. 

Check out the pictures from this weekend! 

 

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Cards Against Humanity with the “gang” from Red Adept

Bookies by Karissa

Bookies by Karissa

 (I may have eaten more than one.)

 (I may have eaten more than one.)

Karissa and me clowning around at the photo booth.

Karissa and me clowning around at the photo booth.

More photo booth fun.

More photo booth fun.

The drive home through the misty mountains of North Carolina

The drive home through the misty mountains of North Carolina

Well... that’s it for now. I need a hot shower and a cold beverage.  

Until the next time... I’ll be eating salad. 

Posted on May 28, 2018 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

Royal Weddings and Religion

Crowds converging on Windsor to celebrate the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photo by King's Church International on Unsplash

Crowds converging on Windsor to celebrate the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photo by King's Church International on Unsplash

So, I’ll admit it. I watched the royal wedding this weekend. I’m not one of the lunatics who woke up at 4am to start watching the live stream... no, I watched like a normal person who rolls outta bed around nine and scans YouTube for the repeat. But anyway... hubby and I got into a bit of a debate about the tradition and protocol and... yes, he watched with me, mostly making fun of the whole romance aspect. He knows I’m a sucker for the whole romance thing. We ended up having minor religious debate over the differences between the Church of England and the Episcopal church in America. I wasn’t raised an Episcopalian, but my kids were christened in the Episcopal church, and my great grandmother was an Episcopalian (according to the research I did) so I consider myself to be a non-practicing Episcopalian, which kinda sounds like I don’t eat fish, which I do. In fact, I love fish... but that’s not what I’m getting at here. For the record, I should probably eat before blogging, in the future. Anyway... our whole religious debate reminded me of the other time we had a religious debate, (coincidentally, I was hungry that day too!) and I just had to dig it out for your reading pleasure. So here ya go. You’re welcome!

This discussion happened almost seven years ago (wow, I’ve been doing this blog thing for a long time!) while we were in the car on our way to my favorite wing place. (Because I love wings and you should never ignore a craving, right?)

My husband was driving, my son was in the back seat (back when he still went places with us, ah, memories!) and we were talking about everything and nothing, trying to take my mind off the sorts of things that makes a girl on a diet beg for fried, saucy chicken wings and greasy fries. (And apparently, I diet a LOT. This time, I skip the wings and fries, FYI)

I have no idea how we got on the subject, but there we were…talking about the Ten Commandments.

Now let me say this first, I don’t talk about religion…that and politics are two subjects I steer clear of on most every occasion, but here we go.

Like I said, I have no idea how we ended up on the subject of the Ten Commandments, but our discussion involved the actual stone tablets.  My husband was arguing his belief that Moses was given the laws of God in a more spiritual way, as in Moses was meditating behind a bush, saw a flash of heat lightning and suddenly, the word of God was in his head, so he ran back down the mountain to share these laws with the chosen people. 

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Basically, my husband didn’t believe Moses carried these two heavy Flintstone-style notepads down the mountain just to put them on display for all to see.  Besides, he said, the idea that those people could read after a lifetime of living as slaves was highly improbable.  His opinion, not mine.

My son maintains the entire story was merely told to scare small children and old people.  He scoffs at the mere idea of a white-haired old man wearing nothing but Birkenstocks and a robe climbing a mountain, then actually lifting two massive headstones with laws carved into them, let alone carting them down the mountain again without dropping his big stick. (CrossFit wasn’t even invented back then, but it sounds like one of the workouts my husband talks about.)

My son is a non-believer, and I’m sorry to anyone who finds that offensive.  We think he may have been switched at the hospital. (But seriously, his sarcasm is a little too close to mine to deny him as my own.)

I, on the other hand, was citing Charlton Heston and the burning bush from the 1956 Cecil B DeMille movie.  I know for a fact Moses went up that mountain, saw a bush burst into flames, and the voice of God told him to take those heavy ass tablets back down the mountain and post them outside of every courthouse in Egypt!  I know this because I saw it on TV every Easter weekend from the time I was a little girl.

FYI, Yul Brenner was the very best Rameses to ever grace the silver screen, in my humble opinion.

“Besides,” I threw in. “The Ten Commandments were inside the Ark of the Covenant that Indiana Jones was desperately trying to keep out of Hitler’s hands in Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

I know, because George Lucas told me so.  And George went so far as to reiterate it in the third installment, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  I’ve seen both of these movies at least a hundred times.

My son asked me if I was going to quote Mel Brooks next, and I laughed.  I know better than to think there were fifteen commandments, five of which were broken by a clumsy Moses.  No, I’m not that gullible. Hilarious as it was, History of the World Part 1 was just a movie.

I know the difference.

I think I won our religious debate.  They, at least, let the subject drop. I’ll take that as a win by forfeit if nothing else.  And a win is a win, right?

That ends our little history lesson for today. Unless anyone wants to dig out The Mummy for more exciting historical tidbits? 

Until the next time… I’ll be searching for pictures from the royal wedding!

Posted on May 21, 2018 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

To all the moms I’ve known and loved

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​Once upon a time, I decided that for Mother’s Day, I would dredge up some amusing story about my mom to share with everyone (including her.) Something that would bring laughter and maybe a few tears. But as I combed my brain for all the funny moments that would be appropriate (as in wouldn’t get me in big trouble with Mom) I came to the realization that there are just far too many stories to tell. I decided it might be fun to just mash them together and pull out a few special moments from my childhood. And then I decided I’d repost it every year and add just one more to the list.

So here goes…

Mom circa 1960something. 

Mom circa 1960something. 

Dear Mom,

Thank you for teaching me why it is bad to put a cat into the washing machine. (Especially when it is full of hot soapy water and cloth diapers.)

Thank you for putting the marshmallow peeps and black jelly beans in my Easter basket every year to keep me from eating too much candy. And thank you for eating all of the candy I didn’t like so it didn’t go to waste.

Thank you for learning how to sew so you could make my clothes for me when I was little. And thank you for using the rick rack trim because it still makes me laugh to say "rick rack."

Thank you for cutting my hair when I was little. And thank you for taking pictures of me with the terrible haircuts so I can prove how bad they really were. (And oh my God! They were bad!)

Thank you for always making my birthday a special day all on its own, even though it falls just a few days after Christmas.

Thank you for never making me eat liver and onions even though it was your favorite.

Thank you for watching the Wizard of Oz with me every year even though you were afraid of the wicked witch.

Thank you for letting me believe in Santa Claus long past the age most kids did. And then letting me help you keep the secret from my younger sister so I could pretend for just a little while longer.

Thank you for eating the pickles in my McDonald’s hamburgers because you knew I didn't like them even though you didn't like them either.

Thank you for teaching me how to bandage a wound using toilet paper and scotch tape. (I still use this invaluable knowledge to this day.)

Thank you for knowing how to bake everything from scratch even though you don’t like to cook.

Thank you for making sure I had the best Halloween costume every year. And thank you for teaching me that sometimes the best costume is the one you made from scratch.

Thank you for teaching me that it’s okay to like younger men. (I finally understand what you mean when you said two twenty-year-olds are better than one forty-year-old.)

Thank you for teaching me that you don’t have to be a good dancer to have a whole lot of fun doing it. (Same goes for karaoke…but thank you for not giving me your singing genes.)

Thank you for going to karaoke with me, and thank you for getting up there to sing just so we could laugh at your singing.

Thank you for making sure I knew at a very young age that it was ok to draw pictures of my parents, but only if they were wearing clothes.

Thank you for introducing me to the music of Elvis Presley and the Jackson 5.

Thank you for letting me make my own mistakes sometimes, even though you could have stopped me.

Thank you for teaching me how to back up the car. (Oh wait, never mind, that was Dad.)

Thank you for showing me that it’s perfectly ok to send your eggs back (in a restaurant) until they get them right. Even if they never really get them right.

Thank you for telling the very best dirty jokes.

Thank you for cheating at board games to remind us that life isn’t always fair and cheaters sometimes do win. 

Thank you for being a nurse so I have someone to call at two in the morning when I think something is terribly wrong with me, and thank you for telling me it’s probably just gas.

Thank you for knowing how to draw blood so you could tell the nurses how to do it when it was my turn to have blood taken.

Thank you for being strong enough to survive the things that would have killed weaker people. And thank you for flipping the bird at us while you were on a ventilator so we could find some humor in a scary situation.

Thank you for teaching me that being a good mother doesn't always mean being a perfect mother and some mistakes can be happy accidents.

Thank you for the good genes. Looking my age would have totally sucked!

Thank you for “loosely” inspiring some of my best characters. (Don’t ask, I’ll never tell which ones! But it might be Kennedy’s mom in Deflowering Kennedy.​ Shhh... that’s a secret!)

To all you mothers out there…have a Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 13, 2018 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

Spring cleaning

I woke up to a beautiful Monday morning and realized I needed to tackle my spring cleaning. But who wants to clean on a nice day? Not me. Hell, I don’t wanna clean on a rainy day, but I can’t really get away with not cleaning unless I want my house to smell like stinky dogs and dirty dishes. And that’s just gross. So today I clean! Right after I write this blog post... and have breakfast... and maybe squeeze in a quick workout since it’s such a nice day. I should really work on Shattered Souls before my fans storm the gates with torches and pitchforks. You know, maybe I’ll just clean tomorrow...

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Who devised this whole idea of spring cleaning anyway? I mean, why don’t we just clean a bit every day? Would it really kill me to drag the vacuum out more often? And it’s not like I don’t clean at all... I had to mop my bathroom yesterday when the dog had a little accident on the slate floor. And I do dishes and laundry almost every day. So why do I leave the cobwebs and dust bunnies for special occasions? Like the changing seasons or company coming? Why do I still have a pile of ash in my fireplace when I haven’t had a fire since February? Because someone somewhere made up this grand idea of “spring cleaning” so I left it until then. But no one said when this magical day would actually come. Spring actually started over a month ago, but thanks to that ungrateful groundhog, we haven’t exactly had that much actual spring weather until now. And now I don’t wanna be inside when I could be out on the deck, smelling the flowers that didn’t die in that last minute April frost we had, while I sip on sugar free lemonade while I work on my next book! But is that likely to happen? Noooo. Not while I have slobber slingers clinging to the windows and yesterday’s dinner dishes in the sink. 

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At least the weather report promises several nice days in the forecast. I guess I can sit on the deck tomorrow. Or maybe I’ll just sit out there for a few minutes while I eat...errrr...drink my morning protein smoothie. ​Cleaning can wait just a little bit longer, right? I mean, it’s not like spring is going anywhere for a minute.

Until the next time... I’ll be enjoying just a tiny bit of sunshine.​

Posted on May 7, 2018 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

Hair raising escapades

So... I spent the past two weeks detailing my experiences with getting older, and discovering new and exciting things about myself. I’m kinda getting the hang of fixing my newly curly hair (as long as I leave the blow dryer in the drawer where it belongs) and the sorority girls are finally sleeping off their weeks’ long bender, so life is back to normal...  

Yeah, think again. Whose life are we talking about here? Mine! It’s never really back to normal. On Wednesday, I drove to Chattanooga to have cortisone shots in my crumbling knees (thanks to years of tripping and landing on them)  and Friday, I ended up in the Emergency Room with all kinda of fun side effects. Don’t worry, I didn’t die. But I don’t have anything super exciting to talk about this week. Let’s face it, EKGs and IVs don’t make for fun blog fodder... but I know what does. This week, I’ll be replaying a few of my favorite posts from the past nine years. I’m guessing some of them will be new to most of you, so enjoy! I’ll cook up something extra exciting for next week. Something that doesn’t involve me almost dying or having to expose myself to half a hospital wing. Then again...

 

Bare Today... Hair Tomorrow

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Fashion is a fickle friend.  Whether we’re talking miniskirts, skinny jeans, or platform shoes…long hair on men, short hair on women, or the question of whether or not to shave.

And I’m not just talking about beards here.  Well…maybe I am.

I’ve done a lot of crazy things. I would be the first to admit it.  Not only did I attempt to wax my own bikini area, and with disastrous results I might add, but I went ahead and wrote it down for all the world to see. Or rather read.  So why not take it a step further.  Why not discuss the other popular options?

I spent the better part of last night chatting with a bunch of women about that very thing. 

It would seem I’m not the only one with a disastrous waxing tale.  Apparently horrible things can go wrong even when a professional is in control of the hot wax.  Especially when talking about a Brazilian wax.  I don’t know about you, but sending a strange Brazilian into my nether regions with boiling hot wax is NOT something I will be adding to my bucket list. I burned my mouth on a barbeque chicken sandwich the other day and walked around sucking on ice chips all day…my tongue still hurts.  That is not something I want to experience anywhere in the vicinity of my crotch.

So yeah, hot wax is out.  But laser hair removal treatments might just be in.

It was brought up in the conversation last night, and I remembered it was an option at my doctor’s office.  I mean, I’ve been known to remove my pants at the doctor’s office for medical reasons, right?  It’s a yearly thing, in fact.  So how much of a stretch would it be to put my legs into stirrups for fashion?  Well…fashion, hygene…hey, in some circumstances it could actually mean going down a size in undergarments, and let’s face it, ladies…any opportunity to go down a size should be seized!

But the more I thought about this whole, permanent hair removal thing, the more I started thinking about fashion and her fickle moods.  How many times have styles changed in the course of my life?  Eyebrows have gone from pencil thin to thick and bushy and back to groomed again.  Skirts have gone from long to short to even shorter in the blink of an eye.  How can I be sure bare down there will always be in style?  I mean, I remember the seventies and the popular back to nature bush-fro of the era.  Sure, it was a little National Geographic, but you just never know when I might feel the urge to go all retro and sport a vintage look…it could happen.

Besides, who knows what all the grannies in the nursing home will be wearing.  Sure, that’s a very long way off, but one has to be prepared for anything that may come up.  I certainly don’t want to be the only one who isn’t up with the current trends.  I’m nothing if not trendy.

So I guess for now I’ll be sticking with the expensive five blade shavers they keep behind lock and key at the grocery store…even they know the value of fashion…that is until someone comes up with something a little less dangerous, or the tide turns again and the retro bush-fro comes back in style.

I won’t be holding my breath.

Until the next time…I’ll be lathering up!

 

 

Posted on April 23, 2018 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

This is still fifty

I’ve gotten so many comments, many privately, about how my last post resonated with people. Who knew we all had marauding sorority girls messing with our internal workings? But let’s face it, the “girls” aren’t the only issue with getting older. And no, I’m not talking about the actual aches and pains associated with aging. Those, while most definitely compelling, are actually kinda boring. No, I’m talking about hair. As in what in the everliving f#@$ has happened to mine! 

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 How am I supposed to blow dry this shit?

 How am I supposed to blow dry this shit?

For fifty years I had poker straight hair—think Marcia Brady or Morticia Addams—and no amount of “curling” could fix that. Hot rollers, curling irons, and those old fashioned foam curlers that left you with a headache and sleep deprivation the next morning need not apply. And forget hairspray, styling gels, or mousse. No, if I wanted waves, I had to resort to the chemical variety. Remember perms? I can still smell the rotten egg odor of fresh perm solution... shudder. After years of soul searching and heartbreak, I gave up trying to change my fate back in 1992. But after finally making peace with my lot in life, hurricane fifty slams into port and now my head is channeling Janis Joplin. And come on! How am I supposed to deal with Medusa’s snakes after years of being the little girl from the Ring? I’ve been too busy fighting off drunken sorority girls to learn new styling tricks. I don’t even know how to blow dry this shit. And trust me, I tried. When I was done, I looked like a cartoon character who shoved her finger into a light socket. I suppose I could always dye it red and pick up extra cash scaring kids at birthday parties. And imagine all the fun blog posts I’ll get to write... one has to look on the bright side of things, am I right? 

Until the next time... I’ll be shopping for hats!

Posted on April 16, 2018 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

This is Fifty

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So... I recently turned fifty. And by recently I mean two years, three months, eight days, seven hours, and like thirty-five minutes, give or take a few minutes. But it’s literally taken me that long for reality to sink in. How is it even possible I’ve been alive for more than half a century? And if turning fifty wasn’t bad enough, now AARP is stalking me like Hogwarts stalked Harry Potter leading up to his eleventh birthday.

Listen up, AARP... Stop writing me! Stop offering me your services! STOP CHANGING THE ENVELOPES TO FOOL ME INTO OPENING THEM! If I have to burn every piece of unidentifiable mail, I will, because for the last damn time, I am NOT old enough to join freaking AARP! Take a hint, already!

The thing is, I don’t feel fifty. Well, maybe first thing in the morning when I roll out of bed to let the dogs out. It takes me a few minutes to work out the kinks, so I kinda feel fifty then. My knees do, anyway. Thankfully, I don’t look fifty—honest, I don’t—and let’s face it, I sure as hell don’t act fifty. Just ask my husband if you don’t believe me. If you were to average my actual age with the age I look at a glance, make that a quick glance, with the age I act—which, most of the time, is roughly that of a 12-year-old boy—I’m barely twenty-eight.

And yet, my seventy-four-year-old father puts me to shame. My stepmother tells me they went orienteering this weekend, and not only did Dad make it to the top of every mountain, but he beat everyone in their group, most of which are like twenty or more years younger than he is! When he’s not climbing mountains like a billy goat, he drives race cars, races bicycles in the senior games, and at the age of seventy-something, he took up marathon running. Of course he got a medal in his first race. And then he ran a two-hundred mile Ragnar relay... thirty-six hours of non-stop running! Rain or shine, he runs several miles every single day. The only place I run is at the mouth. Oh, and to the bathroom. For some reason I have to pee every time I dial my phone. I’d like to know who put that little curse on me.

Speaking of curses...

The only benefit I can see to turning fifty is an end to the bloody reign of the mighty uterus. Well, I’m uh, over fifty now, and that bitch won’t leave!

I went four glorious months without the slightest peep out of her. I was certain the harpy was finally gone for good... just a shriveled memory of my child bearing years. But no. In a cruel twist of fate, she decided to come back from whatever hole she was hiding in and unpacked all her bags for a long ass stay. And this time, the bitch brought friends! And let me tell you, she hasn’t accepted being fifty either. My not-so-friendly uterus has caught her second wind, living life like a drunken sorority girl. I don’t mind so much on her beer days, when she’s slumped over in a corner mumbling incomprehensible nonsense and drooling on herself, but God help me, if it’s Margarita Monday, I’m in some seriously deep shit. That hussy and her drunken buddies shriek “Woohoo!” at the top of their lungs, non-stop, while shooting confetti into the air with rocket launchers. 

After five weeks—FIVE LONG, GRUELING, MISERABLE WEEKS of spring break in Uterusville, I’m just about ready to take my doctor up on her offer to smoke that bitch out. I’m pretty sure I could’ve died... all because of her thoughtless party-all-the-time attitude. It’s a wonder the damn thing hasn’t fallen out by now! 

So if you’re listening, uterus, I only have one thing to say to you... fuck you and the ovaries you rode in on! 

As for the rest of being fifty, the jury is still out. I guess I’ll keep getting older. Like my dad always says… the alternative really isn’t a viable option.

Until the next time… I’ll be watching old episodes of Matlock and Murder She Wrote with a cup of warm  milk and a healthy dose of Metamucil. 

Posted on April 8, 2018 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

Happy Easter Fool’s Day!

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Before anyone slaps back with “How irreverent of you!” let me just say, I’m not bashing Easter. I love Easter! Especially the part where I get to eat chocolate (which this year, I don’t. Bah!) I’m simply making note that Easter has fallen on April Fool’s Day, and how exciting that is for so many! Sadly, instead of finding a basket of chocolate eggs this morning, I had proverbial rotten eggs pelted at me from the internet in the form of PRANKS! And, ooooh... I do love a good prank. Especially when I’m in on it. I just keep hoping my new agent deal isn’t a prank... Oh, you haven’t heard about my news??? Where have you been, hiding under a rock??? Well, lemme back up a bit and fill you in! 

On Thursday of last week, I signed a contract with Kelly Peterson of the Corvisiero Literary Agency to represent my contemporary YA novel, DEFLOWERING KENNEDY! Needless to say, I. Am. Thrilled. And overwhelmed. And thrilled! Did I mention thrilled??? Yes, I’ve been published before, and I adore my small press publisher—I’m heading to Raleigh in May for our yearly book signing and publishing party, but more on that later—but signing with an agent is to authors what the golden ticket was to Charlie Bucket! Aaand... I’ve circled back around to chocolate again... this new healthy eating thing may kill me yet!

Which reminds me, it’s time to eat!

Until the next time... I’ll be scouring the pantry for stray chocolate chips or loose M&Ms!

Posted on April 1, 2018 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

I’m baaack!

Wow, it’s been a long... okay, an epically long... time since the last time I’ve been here. In my defense, I’ve been busy. As in super busy. As in I’ve moved... twice. That’s right, no more haunted farmhouse. First, the hubby—formerly known as the imaginary dead president—talked me into living off the grid in an unfinished house in the wilds of Tennessee. Yeah... that was interesting. For the record, I’ve officially sworn off bucket toilets and bottled water for the forseeable future. The only reason I agreed to that crazy little experiment was because I still had electricity and internet. After nine months of that bullsh... crap, hubby decided to slap some money down on a cabin in the national forest. So now, I have free access to flushing toilets, running water, and central heat and air. Whew! What an adventure! We don’t have any chickens as of the moment, and no, we didn’t eat them, but the mastiffs may have nibbled on a few, but as soon as the weather warms up, we’ll start brooding a few chicks. You heard me... just a few. And maybe some ducks. A stray goose or two. But I draw the line at pigs. Oh, sure, they were fun but a girl can only outrun a charging pig for so long, and I’m not as young as I used to be! Don’t fret. The prospect of running into a bear has probably doubled where I am now, so I’m sure something will try to eat me before too long. As for me, I’m dieting. That’s right! No “doing lines” of Girl Scout cookies this year. I’m restricting myself to four cookies a day. Harsh, I know, but like I said, I’m not as young as I used to be, but not as old as I’d like to get, so I’m trying to take better care of myself. That means lots of diet and exercise, because you never know when you’re gonna have to outrun a bear!

In the meantime, I have a lot of writing to do. And some pretty amazing news to share later this week. And yes, even a witty blog post or two up my sleeve. Like I said, I’m back, and unless something horrible happens, I’ll stick around a little longer this time.

Until the next time... I’ll be looking for something to eat!

Posted on March 26, 2018 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

Win a Kindle Fire

Kindle the flames of summer magic! 

Red Adept Publishing's hottest Urban Fantasy authors have joined together to give away a Kindle Fire, loaded with copies of their hottest books.

Enter to win! 

Posted on August 18, 2016 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

looking for fireworks?

If you love urban fantasy and paranormal romance, look no further... have we got something for you! Five authors, 9 books, 10 winners. Enter today! 

Posted on June 20, 2016 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

Upcoming Events

May 21, 2016 - Five author panel and book signing at the Cameron Village Library in Raleigh, NC. hosted by Red Adept Publishing. For more info click HERE. I'll be answering questions and signing copies of Suddenly Spellbound, Suddenly Sorceress, To Katie With Love, Ashes of Life, Splintered Souls, and Craving Caine. Supplies are limited, so get there early! 

Posted on May 12, 2016 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

Suddenly Spellbound reviewed by Publisher's Weekly!

Just a month after it's release, Suddenly Spellbound got a great new review from the wildly popular Publisher's Weekly. It's an honor just to be chosen for a review, but to get a nice write up is even better. Now that the review has been posted, paperbacks should be available soon! 

Posted on March 7, 2016 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

finding the rainbow

I don't write reviews. I just don't. I gush over books I liked. And ignore the ones I didn't. But write a thoughtful review about a book? Never. So I totally won't be doing that now. But what I will do is gush. Because Finding the Rainbow is one of those gush worthy books. 

First of all, the author, Traci Borum (a fellow Red Adept author) is a Jane Austen fan. How do I know this? Because you'll find more than one reference to Emma in Finding The Rainbow. And okay, Emma may not be my favorite Jane Austen novel (Hello, Mr. Darcy?) but it's definitely a close second. The other reason I loved this book has to do with the warm fuzzies it brings. It's a book about family, and love, and well, you'll just have to read it for yourself to find out. But do yourself a favor first, and pick up the first book in the series, Painting the Moon. You won't be disappointed. If you have Kindle Select, you can even get it for free.

Gush over. Let the teasers begin. :)

Holly Newbury’s life is on hold in the cozy English village of Chilton Crosse. While her friends are marrying, having children, and embarking on successful careers, Holly is raising her three younger sisters and working part time at the village art gallery. Her life feels incomplete, but family is more important to her than anything. Then a film crew’s arrival galvanizes the community, and Holly becomes fast friends with Fletcher Hays, the movie’s love-shy American writer.

The production of an Emma film isn’t the only drama in town, though. Their father makes a choice that threatens everything she gave up her dreams for. Holly’s sisters endure growing pains. And Fletcher plans to return to America as soon as filming is over, ruining any chance of their relationship blossoming further. After years of sacrificing for others, Holly must find the courage to take a risk on a future she never dared to expect. 

Here are the links where Finding the Rainbow is available:

 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UA2C272/tag=redadeppubl-20

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-the-rainbow-traci-borum/1121491846?ean=2940151259705

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/finding-the-rainbow

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id974029010

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Traci_Borum_Finding_the_Rainbow?id=P2UTBwAAQBAJ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23339574-finding-the-rainbow

Traci Borum is a writing teacher and native Texan. She’s also an avid reader of women’s fiction, most especially Elin Hilderbrand and Rosamunde Pilcher novels. Since the age of 12, she’s written poetry, short stories, magazine articles, and novels.

Traci also adores all things British. She even owns a British dog (Corgi) and is completely addicted to Masterpiece Theater–must be all those dreamy accents! Aside from having big dreams of getting a book published, it’s the little things that make her the happiest: deep talks with friends, a strong cup of hot chocolate, a hearty game of fetch with her Corgi, and puffy white Texas clouds always reminding her to “look up, slow down, enjoy your life.”

Hey, wanna win some cool prizes? Then enter the giveaway here!

Posted on May 25, 2015 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

just another crazy author

What does it really mean to be crazy?

When Kelly Stone Gamble challenged me to write a post about the craziest thing I’d ever done, I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. I mean I've done lots of stupid things, but crazy? I just wasn’t sure if I’d ever done anything that was actually crazy. And then I had to ask myself, what is crazy? What does that really mean? And who gets to define it? I mean, sure, whacking someone over the head with a shovel sounds pretty crazy, but hey, maybe he deserved it, right? So how could I possibly decide what moments fell under crazy versus what was just plain stupid? 


Posted on May 14, 2015 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

Last chance to vote!

CLICK IMAGE TO VOTE

CLICK IMAGE TO VOTE

If you haven't voted for Craving Caine yet, I need your help, and time is running out! At midnight (mountain time) on March 28th, Big Al's Book's and Pals Reader's Choice Awards voting will be closed.

All you have to do is go to Big Al's Books and Pals 2015 Reader's Choice Awards HERE, and login to the Giveaway window using Facebook or your email address (this step is crucial to open the drop down boxes for voting.) Craving Caine is at the top of the Romance category. 

Easy, right?

And there just might be something in it for you, too. Don't miss out on the great prizes just for voting!

 

 

Posted on March 27, 2015 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.

2015 Reader's Choice Awards

Well, it's that time of year again. Time for the Big Al's Book's and Pals Reader's Choice Awards. And I'm honored to say Craving Caine has been Nominated in the Romance category. Now all I need is your vote. And you can win great prizes just for voting! All you have to do is go to Big Al's Books and Pals 2015 Reader's Choice Awards, and login to the giveaway window using Facebook or your email address then open the Romance category drop-down to vote for Craving Caine. See? Easy! 

And if you haven't read it yet, you're in luck! On March 23rd you can get Craving Caine for $.99 on Amazon. Click the cover to buy. 

And good luck with the giveaway!

Posted on March 20, 2015 .
Copyright © 2000-2018, Erica Lucke Dean. All rights reserved. Any retranscription or reproduction is prohibited and illegal.