Dynamic Writing Duo

Dynamic Writing Duo

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Halloween Party

I went to a Halloween party last night at Kayla Janz's house. This was the first Halloween party I had been to in years other than kid's parties and I was pretty excited about dressing up in a costume. So many costumes to choose from. But, I finally came up with the perfect choice. I went as a ghost-writer. (get it?) I thought it was funny. Anyway, I asked my dh if he wanted to go along. Yeah, right, he wanted to go. He went as the invisible man. Tee hee. I guess you know who I really went with, friend and critique buddy, Isabella Clayton. Who, by the way look stunning in a scarlet red 'flapper girl vampire' costume. Unfortunately, on a trip to the restroom Isabella set her feather boa on fire. Kayla had candles lit everywhere in the house and somehow the boa got too close to one and went up in flames. She stompped it out with her shoe but managed to get singed feathers floating around the bathroom for the rest of the night. Actually, it kinda added to the night's ambiance and gave us plenty to laugh about.

Kayla, our wonderful hostess, looked fantastic in a martini glass dress. I really want to get one for RT. Of course I won't look as cute as she did with her tiny little figure, but I still want the dress! Kathryne Kennedy came as a pirate girl escorted by her pirate hubby. She was just "too cute" for words. And her husband looked pretty good too in his leather pirate jacket. Look for some pictures on her website of us in costume. Kayce Lassiter came as a fairy, and looks great in red curly hair. Alexis Walker arrived as Xena warrior princess complete with sword, a real one. Cassie Ryan was there in her beautiful fairy dress and her husband's outfit was priceless. Check out her blog, maybe she'll tell you all about it. And of course there were witches, pretty ones and scary ones, and before the night was over every other sort of 'being' imagineable showed up too.

I won the prize for the scariest costume. A pair of fur-covered handcuffs! Isabella decided she needed a picture of me wearing them. Great idea, until they jammed and wouldn't come off. Panic for several minutes till Kayla discovered a safety latch and got them off of me. Could you see me calling home, "Honey, I'll be a bit late. I'm handcuffed with Isabella to the bar." Fun times. I can't wait till next year.

Happy Halloween Everybody!

Dani

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Tia Dani's latest Review

From Sensual Reads & Reviews


Layover
Tia Dani
Erotic
The Wild Rose Press
eBook
Reviewed by L.E. Kelly





Bree’s desire for a sexy stranger has been driving her to distraction. She dreams of a hot encounter in the bathroom of the plane they share every month. She has been fantasizing for months now, and now she’s got the chance to make that desire a reality. Steven has been curious about Bree for some time now, but has never allowed his feelings to get any further than that. Discipline is his middle name, and the young woman strikes him as being a bit on the wild and free side. When the two of them are informed of a two hour layover, Bree decides to take matters into her own hands as he warms to the thought of experiencing her body. A little bit of liquor and a willing friend help make this a layover to remember.

Layover was a tremendous story, aside from a few details that seemed forced, this is a masterfully told tale of the dance between mutually attracted strangers. The sexual tension is well-presented, dialogue is believable, and this brings the characters to life. Tia Dani does a wonderful job with this hot little encounter, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about hot, spontaneous, “lift your skirt and go for it” encounters.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Dani's Here

Isn’t this exciting? We have our own blog. Thanks Blondie..er..I mean Tia!

So let me introduce myself, I’m Dani, the other half of Tia Dani author. I’m an Arizona gal, born and raised in this sunny state. I live with my husband of almost 30 years and I have 4 kids and 2 grandkids. (Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, but I’m young at heart).

I’ve always had a passion for storytelling. I’m sure I got this from my father. My father was a great storyteller. He was a guy who knew enough about everything to tell a good story and he was extremely funny. He had a dry wit and he could make you laugh at the most unexpected times. Needless to say my childhood was very enjoyable. I wish he had lived long enough to see his grandchildren and give them memories like I had. Another thing I regret is that he didn’t put any of his stories down on paper. I think that is one reason I seemed driven to write mine. I want to leave my mark on the world as does Tia.

Anyway, back to how I began writing. I started reading romances when I was 19. My mother-in-law gave me one of hers and I was immediately hooked! There was always a half read paperback next to my bed, in the livingroom and in the car. (I read on trips not while I was doing the driving). But it wasn’t until I became a empty-nester and had a void in my life that needed to be filled that I began to think about writing seriously. At our local library I met Diana Gabaldon and listened to her talk about how her characters spoke to her and I realized, "Yes, they speak to me too. I can write a book!" I mean how hard could it be. Obviously I knew nothing about plot layers, POV and my writing style (style, huh?).

Luckily a friend of mine suggested that I take some writing classes and maybe join a local RWA chapter. That was where I met Tia and my life changed. We had an instant bond, she took me under her wing and convinced me that I can do anything I set my mind on. We spent almost everyday together writing, side by side, and then it hit us. "Let’s write a story together!"

Tia Dani was born. Why erotica? It was one of those, seems like a good idea at the time, moments. I mean if you’re doing something for fun let’s really have some fun. And we did. We wrote Layover and giggled all the way through it. Sometimes we laughed to hard tears streamed down our faces. Especially when we had to read aloud words we would never say. We’re getting better at it now. We don’t blush quite so easily.

Here’s something we’re excited about. We entered the Brava Novella Contest! It was a last minute decision. I mean we barely got under the wire, but we’re in with Color Of Dreams. I don’t know a lot about this contest except that the 20 finalists are read by Kate Duffy. I do know that some really wonderful authors are entered so you’ll have to check back to see how we’re doing. I’ll let you know just as soon as I hear anything.

We have about 4 projects going on right now. I’m not sure which one will be finished first, but we have made a commitment to see what we can do over the next year. I have a feeling it will be a wild ride and I had better hang on tight.
Dani

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

P.S.

Okay...to show you how new I am at this. I forgot to sign my name so anyone reading this post will know which one of us wrote it. I'm Tia. The blonde one who's turning forgetful.

Getting started

Talk about the blind leading the blind. I have absolutely no idea how I managed to start our Tia Dani's Musings blog...but... here it is...up and running.

Last month was an interesting month for me. Today I am on the downside of several projects and a few others yet to start. Which meant I had some time to breathe, try to start some new ventures...(this blog, for one thing) plus contemplate what has happened in the past month.

For me, I decided that it's amazing how time and life can get away from you when you're busy or dealing with have-to's. You don't stop to think about why you're here.

My father passed away unexpectedly last month. Though he'd been failing over the last six months, his passing still came as a surprise. Now both of my parents have passed on and all that's left in my family is my sister (with her family) and me and my family. There are extended family members we're close to, but in our immediate family, we're now down to just a few.

This new development brought some of my perspectives into a different light. My writing is becoming more and more precious to me. Hopefully when I too pass over, I will leave behind a part of me that will mean something. Well, maybe not only my writing, but the people I will touch because of it. It kinda makes me feel a little humble and eager to write faster.

Anyway...on this note...the first post to the Tia Dan blog. Watch out world...I'm starting to roll.