NOT AT LIBERTY ANY MORE
It's near Malcolm in the Middle time here in Seattle, but I wanted to drop a quick note that, after a properly suitably selective search, I am now employed. I am the marketing manager for Northwest Territorial Mint, which sells bullion, manufactures custom promtional coins (many for the military, which has a tradition called "challenge coins"), and is building its online sales.
More when I catch my breath.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
I SUSPECT I'M NOW ON SOME ENEMIES LIST SOMEWHERE...
I SUSPECT I'M NOW ON SOME ENEMIES LIST SOMEWHERE...
In the Big Surprise Department, I have not been a fan of the current Administration (although, in fairness, of the ones in my lifetime, I believe I've only favored one-quarter of Clinton's and maybe two-thirds of Carter's). I find the vice-president's shooting incident to be troubling, primarily because of the effort to cover up details for more than a day.
But over at Pop Culture Gadabout, Bill Sherman posted a link to a page that apparently was posted on CNN.com recently, with the Orwellian (or perhaps it's Carrollesque?) headline, "Shooting Victim Apologize to Vice-President."
Provocative, eh? It's from a liberal blog, so you want to check the source. By bizarre coincidence, my AOL connection flamed out the second I started to type the headline into the AOL search box. When I got back online, I could find no trace on the web for this headline, so either the author is being clever and showing a fake headline from CNN, or Homeland Security has been cleaning up traces of the original.
So maybe it's me. Maybe I'm stupid. I don't know. Go, search, let me know what you find.
In the Big Surprise Department, I have not been a fan of the current Administration (although, in fairness, of the ones in my lifetime, I believe I've only favored one-quarter of Clinton's and maybe two-thirds of Carter's). I find the vice-president's shooting incident to be troubling, primarily because of the effort to cover up details for more than a day.
But over at Pop Culture Gadabout, Bill Sherman posted a link to a page that apparently was posted on CNN.com recently, with the Orwellian (or perhaps it's Carrollesque?) headline, "Shooting Victim Apologize to Vice-President."
Provocative, eh? It's from a liberal blog, so you want to check the source. By bizarre coincidence, my AOL connection flamed out the second I started to type the headline into the AOL search box. When I got back online, I could find no trace on the web for this headline, so either the author is being clever and showing a fake headline from CNN, or Homeland Security has been cleaning up traces of the original.
So maybe it's me. Maybe I'm stupid. I don't know. Go, search, let me know what you find.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
I KNOW I SHOULDN'T COMPLAIN
I KNOW I SHOULDN'T COMPLAIN
Being a little bit pudgy, having all my hair, and having it not really turning gray yet, people always think I look young. Heck, maybe it helps me in job hunting. (We'll find out; I'm off for another interview in three hours.)
But, here's something about aging nobody ever prepares you for: Gray nose hair.
I'm just saying.
Being a little bit pudgy, having all my hair, and having it not really turning gray yet, people always think I look young. Heck, maybe it helps me in job hunting. (We'll find out; I'm off for another interview in three hours.)
But, here's something about aging nobody ever prepares you for: Gray nose hair.
I'm just saying.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
MAYBE CHENEY CAN LEND HIM A DEFIBRILLATOR...
MAYBE CHENEY CAN LEND HIM A DEFIBRILLATOR...
Isn't it manslaughter if what you do accidentally causes death?
I guess our big veep will find out, now that Harry Whittington has suffered a heart attack due to Cheney's birdshot migrating close to Whittington's heart.
Of course, you know the NRA's position on this: "When guns are outlawed, only Dick Cheney will have guns."
Isn't it manslaughter if what you do accidentally causes death?
I guess our big veep will find out, now that Harry Whittington has suffered a heart attack due to Cheney's birdshot migrating close to Whittington's heart.
Of course, you know the NRA's position on this: "When guns are outlawed, only Dick Cheney will have guns."
NOW I KNOW HOW THE FOLKS AT THE REALLY BIG AD AGENCIES FEEL...
NOW I KNOW HOW THE FOLKS AT THE REALLY BIG AD AGENCIES FEEL...
When I was the promotion manager at DC Comics in the 1980s, I was responsible for creating a tagline each year for the company. The goal was to let comics fans know that DC was no longer going to be the doormat for Marvel. DC was ramping up new formats, introducing new characters, and persuading established fan favorites to create comics at DC instead of at Marvel.
The first line I created was, "The new DC... we're on the move."
For 1983, the goal was to show that we had gathered momentum, and were actually winning the battle in some ways. So the new line I wrote -- which appeared on everything we did -- was, "The new DC... there's no stopping us now." We even used McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" as theme music at our big trade show for our distributors that year.
All of which leads me to Dick Cheney. Some long-memoried comic fan remembered the line, dug out some old Jonah Hex covers from the era, and used it to tie together the Dick Cheney shooting as told through comic book covers (a cleverness one would normally attribute to Tom Peyer's Superfrankenstein, but Tom seems cool with it).
Another 1.5 seconds of fame for me. Gosh, and I deserve it!
When I was the promotion manager at DC Comics in the 1980s, I was responsible for creating a tagline each year for the company. The goal was to let comics fans know that DC was no longer going to be the doormat for Marvel. DC was ramping up new formats, introducing new characters, and persuading established fan favorites to create comics at DC instead of at Marvel.
The first line I created was, "The new DC... we're on the move."
For 1983, the goal was to show that we had gathered momentum, and were actually winning the battle in some ways. So the new line I wrote -- which appeared on everything we did -- was, "The new DC... there's no stopping us now." We even used McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" as theme music at our big trade show for our distributors that year.
All of which leads me to Dick Cheney. Some long-memoried comic fan remembered the line, dug out some old Jonah Hex covers from the era, and used it to tie together the Dick Cheney shooting as told through comic book covers (a cleverness one would normally attribute to Tom Peyer's Superfrankenstein, but Tom seems cool with it).
Another 1.5 seconds of fame for me. Gosh, and I deserve it!
Monday, February 13, 2006
TOP TEN SAYINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE ON YOUR VALENTINE'S CANDY HEARTS
TOP TEN SAYINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE ON YOUR VALENTINE'S CANDY HEARTS
Every week I submit what I think are powerfully funny entries to the Late Night With David Letterman Top Ten contest page.
Every week I get aced out by jokes judged funnier. Half the time they're right, of course, but sometimes they're not.
So, what the heck, until Letterman sues my ass, here's my entries for this week -- with the added pressure of posting before Valentine's Day.
Top Ten Sayings You Don't Want To See On Your Valentine's Candy Hearts
10. Viagra.
9. 24.7% Recycled Content.
8. Lick my back hair.
7. R U Brokeback 2?
6. You taste like chicken.
5. Be My Ho
4. You're fired!
3. You may search for my weapon of mass destruction.
2. Biohazard.
and, the number one saying you don't want to see on your Valentine's candy heart...
1. Ex Lax.
Thank you, good night everybody, drive home safe!
Every week I submit what I think are powerfully funny entries to the Late Night With David Letterman Top Ten contest page.
Every week I get aced out by jokes judged funnier. Half the time they're right, of course, but sometimes they're not.
So, what the heck, until Letterman sues my ass, here's my entries for this week -- with the added pressure of posting before Valentine's Day.
Top Ten Sayings You Don't Want To See On Your Valentine's Candy Hearts
10. Viagra.
9. 24.7% Recycled Content.
8. Lick my back hair.
7. R U Brokeback 2?
6. You taste like chicken.
5. Be My Ho
4. You're fired!
3. You may search for my weapon of mass destruction.
2. Biohazard.
and, the number one saying you don't want to see on your Valentine's candy heart...
1. Ex Lax.
Thank you, good night everybody, drive home safe!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
STORY THAT WRITES ITS OWN JOKE: VICE-PRESIDENT CHENEY SHOOTS FRIEND ACCIDENTALLY
STORY THAT WRITES ITS OWN JOKE: VICE-PRESIDENT CHENEY SHOOTS FRIEND ACCIDENTALLY
Really. I'm not making this up.
I guess the good news is that he's not on the Olympic biathlon squad.
Really. I'm not making this up.
I guess the good news is that he's not on the Olympic biathlon squad.
Friday, February 10, 2006
I'M HAVING A POP CULTURE MOMENT -- AND SO SHOULD YOU!
I'M HAVING A POP CULTURE MOMENT -- AND SO SHOULD YOU!
I sometimes now work on a Wintel machine. Our friend Bruce Faber felt I should have one to go with the half-dozen Macintoshes of varying vintage we have in our house, and since I do dialup still, and it has a 56K modem, it's what I use most for getting online.
So I'm getting used to what Windows offers folks with these basic boxes. One thing I enjoy is the ability to rip my CDs into my computer (no, I don't have an iPod yet, either... but my birthday's in August). I play everything on shuffle, so I never know what I'll get.
For some reason today the stretch of music was particularly great, even if it's stuff you may not have spent a lot of time with. In sequence I found five songs I had to play louder than I normally would... "The Guitar," from the Apollo 18 collection by They Might Be Giants... "Cry Love" from John Hiatt's greatest hits collection... "Common People," from William Shatner's brilliant Has Been... "Second Guessing" from Jonny Lang's equally brilliant Wander This World... "See Emily Play" from Pink Floyd's Relics... and "Untamed Girls" from Chain Gang of Love by the Raveonettes. And the sun's even out today! Man, if I only had a job (although I did apply to Holland America Line for a copywriter slot today, and boy, am I perfect)!
And then, tonight... tonight on TV is even cooler. Okay, there's the string of shows on the SciFi Channel that we now watch religiously, most cool of which is Battlestar Galactica. But tonight add Fox's two-hour, four-episode sendoff of Arrested Development, the best comedy show since Seinfeld. And now I see that Turner Classic Movies is showing three great Kubrick films in a row... 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lolita, and, one of my Top 10 of all time films, Dr. Strangelove (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb). If we didn't have four televisions, three working VCRs, and two TiVos... I don't know what I'd do. All I know is that this is a good night to sit down with a pizza and just be glad for people who are smarter and more clever than me.
One more thing, if you want to truly live the Mike Flynn experience this weekend: Tomorrow at 2 pm EST, 11 am PST: George Washington University's men's basketball on ESPN2. GW is ranked eighth right now, which is higher than it's been since the 1950s. The team is led by Pops Mensah-Bonsu, and it's a fast, well-coached, fun team to watch, even if you're not a huge basketball fan (which, for instance, I'm not). If they go far into the NCAA tournament, maybe people will finally be able to understand I didn't go to Georgetown!
Anyway, it's a fun weekend... and you don't even have to watch the winter Olympics!
I sometimes now work on a Wintel machine. Our friend Bruce Faber felt I should have one to go with the half-dozen Macintoshes of varying vintage we have in our house, and since I do dialup still, and it has a 56K modem, it's what I use most for getting online.
So I'm getting used to what Windows offers folks with these basic boxes. One thing I enjoy is the ability to rip my CDs into my computer (no, I don't have an iPod yet, either... but my birthday's in August). I play everything on shuffle, so I never know what I'll get.
For some reason today the stretch of music was particularly great, even if it's stuff you may not have spent a lot of time with. In sequence I found five songs I had to play louder than I normally would... "The Guitar," from the Apollo 18 collection by They Might Be Giants... "Cry Love" from John Hiatt's greatest hits collection... "Common People," from William Shatner's brilliant Has Been... "Second Guessing" from Jonny Lang's equally brilliant Wander This World... "See Emily Play" from Pink Floyd's Relics... and "Untamed Girls" from Chain Gang of Love by the Raveonettes. And the sun's even out today! Man, if I only had a job (although I did apply to Holland America Line for a copywriter slot today, and boy, am I perfect)!
And then, tonight... tonight on TV is even cooler. Okay, there's the string of shows on the SciFi Channel that we now watch religiously, most cool of which is Battlestar Galactica. But tonight add Fox's two-hour, four-episode sendoff of Arrested Development, the best comedy show since Seinfeld. And now I see that Turner Classic Movies is showing three great Kubrick films in a row... 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lolita, and, one of my Top 10 of all time films, Dr. Strangelove (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb). If we didn't have four televisions, three working VCRs, and two TiVos... I don't know what I'd do. All I know is that this is a good night to sit down with a pizza and just be glad for people who are smarter and more clever than me.
One more thing, if you want to truly live the Mike Flynn experience this weekend: Tomorrow at 2 pm EST, 11 am PST: George Washington University's men's basketball on ESPN2. GW is ranked eighth right now, which is higher than it's been since the 1950s. The team is led by Pops Mensah-Bonsu, and it's a fast, well-coached, fun team to watch, even if you're not a huge basketball fan (which, for instance, I'm not). If they go far into the NCAA tournament, maybe people will finally be able to understand I didn't go to Georgetown!
Anyway, it's a fun weekend... and you don't even have to watch the winter Olympics!
Monday, February 06, 2006
OLD FRIENDS
OLD FRIENDS
For some reason I wound up Googling my late friend Rich Morrissey today, so I posted three obits about him (one by Mark Evanier, one by Bob Rozakis, one by Tony Isabella) to the left. I also found, with further Googling, reference to an article about the language of Krypton. The piece was written by Al Turniansky (also a former Interlacker), but based on the work of Morrissey and the late E. Nelson Bridwell (the only comics fan with more stuff in his head than Rich).
I'll have to see if I can find the Miami Herald obit written by Harry Broertjes, and maybe I'll post my own. I'm also trying to figure out the best way to reference Ken Gale's links to Rich's work, but you can always just go to Ken's 'Nuff Said.
For some reason I wound up Googling my late friend Rich Morrissey today, so I posted three obits about him (one by Mark Evanier, one by Bob Rozakis, one by Tony Isabella) to the left. I also found, with further Googling, reference to an article about the language of Krypton. The piece was written by Al Turniansky (also a former Interlacker), but based on the work of Morrissey and the late E. Nelson Bridwell (the only comics fan with more stuff in his head than Rich).
I'll have to see if I can find the Miami Herald obit written by Harry Broertjes, and maybe I'll post my own. I'm also trying to figure out the best way to reference Ken Gale's links to Rich's work, but you can always just go to Ken's 'Nuff Said.
THE UNSTOPPABLE WARRIOR TRAINER!
THE UNSTOPPABLE WARRIOR TRAINER!
Just heard from our friend Gerri Russell that The Warrior Trainer has won the latest elimination round in the Romantic Times/Dorchester Press American Title writing contest she'd entered. I wanted to thank you on her behalf for taking the time to vote. I've told her to get the thing published, sell as well as Nora Roberts, and then hire me, so let's keep voting for her!
The next round will ask for votes on the Best Dialogue Scene and runs February 20 through March 5.
Just heard from our friend Gerri Russell that The Warrior Trainer has won the latest elimination round in the Romantic Times/Dorchester Press American Title writing contest she'd entered. I wanted to thank you on her behalf for taking the time to vote. I've told her to get the thing published, sell as well as Nora Roberts, and then hire me, so let's keep voting for her!
The next round will ask for votes on the Best Dialogue Scene and runs February 20 through March 5.
TENNIS, ANYONE?
TENNIS, ANYONE?
Down there on the left, thanks to my cousin Ken Kiernan, is the newest silly website. Or just click here.
Down there on the left, thanks to my cousin Ken Kiernan, is the newest silly website. Or just click here.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
IT'S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!
IT'S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!
This wonderful spot for the American Civil Liberties Union was recently forwarded to me by an old college acquaintance, Rob Weinberg (you can see his business link to the left).
I hadn't seen the spot yet, but it chilled me to the marrow. I honestly believe I stopped producing red blood cells for five minutes.
As with all advances of civilization, technology can be used for good or for evil. Then there's the law of unintended consequences. It's convenient to order online at Amazon.com (heck, I even own stock in the company), and Amazon's way of linking stuff you like to other stuff you like is, while sometimes a bit much, often helpful or instructive. But the ability to merge massive databases can lead to horror stories, and the potential of not just government, but multinational corporations, to leverage your personal data for great gain and your detriment, is huge. Not to mention the carelessness with which our banks, health maintenance organizations, governments, and others are handling these bits of information that we consider private.
Remember this as you watch the new Roberts Supreme Court. Remember that, constitutionally, your right to privacy exists only because of constitutional case law, and we now have a majority on the Court that, as strict constructionists, believe that you have no right to privacy because it's not spelled out in the Constitution.
Even though I've made my living as a marketer -- and mailed and emailed sales messages to millions of recipients -- it's clear that legislation, and probably a Constitutional amendment, is required to tip the scales back to the side of average schmucks like you and me. For instance, when I wanted to reach people to get them to try the magazine for which I formerly worked, I would rent another magazine's list of subscribers and mail them our information. Now, those folks could actively opt out, but I propose there needs to be some sort of version of copyright on your personal information. Every time your personal information is transferred, you need to receive a payment of some sort. The legislation would have to forbid governments and corporations from asking individuals to sign waivers, or else they'd quickly get us to sign one in order to continue to bank or earn a living.
When you think about what multinational corporations can do because of their size and their greed -- banks, insurance companies, credit reporting agencies, appliance manufacturers, brokerages, etc. -- it's clear that we need to press our elected representatives now to seriously alter the landscape. As it is, most of them are already on the payroll (via campaign contributions) of these firms, so it won't be easy. We've got to be ready to vote out anybody who won't take action on this. And maybe, just maybe, we need to step up ourselves.
This wonderful spot for the American Civil Liberties Union was recently forwarded to me by an old college acquaintance, Rob Weinberg (you can see his business link to the left).
I hadn't seen the spot yet, but it chilled me to the marrow. I honestly believe I stopped producing red blood cells for five minutes.
As with all advances of civilization, technology can be used for good or for evil. Then there's the law of unintended consequences. It's convenient to order online at Amazon.com (heck, I even own stock in the company), and Amazon's way of linking stuff you like to other stuff you like is, while sometimes a bit much, often helpful or instructive. But the ability to merge massive databases can lead to horror stories, and the potential of not just government, but multinational corporations, to leverage your personal data for great gain and your detriment, is huge. Not to mention the carelessness with which our banks, health maintenance organizations, governments, and others are handling these bits of information that we consider private.
Remember this as you watch the new Roberts Supreme Court. Remember that, constitutionally, your right to privacy exists only because of constitutional case law, and we now have a majority on the Court that, as strict constructionists, believe that you have no right to privacy because it's not spelled out in the Constitution.
Even though I've made my living as a marketer -- and mailed and emailed sales messages to millions of recipients -- it's clear that legislation, and probably a Constitutional amendment, is required to tip the scales back to the side of average schmucks like you and me. For instance, when I wanted to reach people to get them to try the magazine for which I formerly worked, I would rent another magazine's list of subscribers and mail them our information. Now, those folks could actively opt out, but I propose there needs to be some sort of version of copyright on your personal information. Every time your personal information is transferred, you need to receive a payment of some sort. The legislation would have to forbid governments and corporations from asking individuals to sign waivers, or else they'd quickly get us to sign one in order to continue to bank or earn a living.
When you think about what multinational corporations can do because of their size and their greed -- banks, insurance companies, credit reporting agencies, appliance manufacturers, brokerages, etc. -- it's clear that we need to press our elected representatives now to seriously alter the landscape. As it is, most of them are already on the payroll (via campaign contributions) of these firms, so it won't be easy. We've got to be ready to vote out anybody who won't take action on this. And maybe, just maybe, we need to step up ourselves.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
ATTENTION, CHOCOLATE LOVERS!
ATTENTION, CHOCOLATE LOVERS!
Since I'm doing solids for friends of ours, I realize I have been remiss and have not added Phantasia Chocolates to my list to the left. I am correcting that oversight now.
If you're the type of person whose body chemistry alters and whose mind melts and whose tastebuds twitter at the merest whiff... the slightest suggestion... of chocolate, you need to check out Phantasia Chocolates. These are the handmade creations of our friend Jayanthi Gopalakrishnan, who not only performs yeoman duty by hammering together each monthly issue of Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities, the Traders' Magazine (managing editor, Elizabeth M.S. Flynn, by the way), but then retreats to her rented kitchen and crafts stunningly superb and exotic chocolate truffles. They're available right now only at four retail locations, but the chocolate lover in you will want to find them if you live in the Seattle metro area, or merely intend to be here one day.
Look for them at:
Matthews Thriftway, 4989 Lakemont Boulevard SE, Bellevue, WA 98012
Caffe Coccinella, 10226 NE 10th Street, Bellevue, WA 98004
Great Harvest Bread Co. (West Seattle), 4709 California Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98116
Seattle Wine Co., 1960 130th Avenue, Suite 1, Bellevue, WA 98005
Since I'm doing solids for friends of ours, I realize I have been remiss and have not added Phantasia Chocolates to my list to the left. I am correcting that oversight now.
If you're the type of person whose body chemistry alters and whose mind melts and whose tastebuds twitter at the merest whiff... the slightest suggestion... of chocolate, you need to check out Phantasia Chocolates. These are the handmade creations of our friend Jayanthi Gopalakrishnan, who not only performs yeoman duty by hammering together each monthly issue of Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities, the Traders' Magazine (managing editor, Elizabeth M.S. Flynn, by the way), but then retreats to her rented kitchen and crafts stunningly superb and exotic chocolate truffles. They're available right now only at four retail locations, but the chocolate lover in you will want to find them if you live in the Seattle metro area, or merely intend to be here one day.
Look for them at:
Matthews Thriftway, 4989 Lakemont Boulevard SE, Bellevue, WA 98012
Caffe Coccinella, 10226 NE 10th Street, Bellevue, WA 98004
Great Harvest Bread Co. (West Seattle), 4709 California Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98116
Seattle Wine Co., 1960 130th Avenue, Suite 1, Bellevue, WA 98005
IAN AND SCOTIA KICK ASS!
IAN AND SCOTIA KICK ASS!
My loyal reader(s) may recall a while back I asked you to vote for our friend, Gerri Russell, who has been entered into a contest held by Romantic Times and Dorchester Publishing. If she wins the contest, she will get her book published after many years, with a publicity boost from RT Book Club.
The contest works like a television reality show... after each round, one or more contestants are voted off. The voters are the readers of the Romantic Times and its website, but I've been helping out by urging all our friends to vote, too. This round's criterion is the best story summary. If you want to vote, it's not tough; all you need to do is to send an email to webmaster@romantictimes.com with "THE WARRIOR TRAINER" in the subject line. (One vote per person please). Voting ends February 5, 2006. Results will be posted online on February 20, 2006. The winner will be announced during the Awards Luncheon on May 19, 2006, at the RT Booklovers Convention in Daytona Beach, FL. Your email address will be kept confidential.
Now, if you'd like to do that armed with knowledge, here's the facts (which you can also find here):
If you want to look at all the contestants, you can go here.
In addition to voting, if you're feeling really beneficent, let other folks know about Gerri and the contest. (Send them this whole page.) The more votes, the merrier!
Gerri has won several awards from the Romance Writers of America, but has yet to take that final step. If you can help her... great! And there's even a bonus. If you let Gerri know you voted for her, she'll toss your name in a hat and draw a winner. If yours is the name drawn, she promises Scottish treats (which I hope to heaven won't be haggis).
Thanks for your help! Next, maybe my spouse, or even me!
My loyal reader(s) may recall a while back I asked you to vote for our friend, Gerri Russell, who has been entered into a contest held by Romantic Times and Dorchester Publishing. If she wins the contest, she will get her book published after many years, with a publicity boost from RT Book Club.
The contest works like a television reality show... after each round, one or more contestants are voted off. The voters are the readers of the Romantic Times and its website, but I've been helping out by urging all our friends to vote, too. This round's criterion is the best story summary. If you want to vote, it's not tough; all you need to do is to send an email to webmaster@romantictimes.com with "THE WARRIOR TRAINER" in the subject line. (One vote per person please). Voting ends February 5, 2006. Results will be posted online on February 20, 2006. The winner will be announced during the Awards Luncheon on May 19, 2006, at the RT Booklovers Convention in Daytona Beach, FL. Your email address will be kept confidential.
Now, if you'd like to do that armed with knowledge, here's the facts (which you can also find here):
THE WARRIOR TRAINER
Story Summary:
Ian MacKinnon has always tried to prove his worth to his clan and yearns for the chance to become their champion. He seizes the opportunity to show his merit when a renegade group of Englishmen marches through Scotland demolishing clans in its wake as they search for the Stone of Destiny. Ian vows to defend his clan from this new terror, but in order to succeed he must learn to fight in the ways of the ancients from the legendary Warrior Trainer. That he needs help in order to win, he accepts. That he must accept that help from a female who is physically more adept than he, he finds bruising to his ego.
Scotia of Glencarron, the Warrior Trainer, a devoted swordswoman descended from a line of women warriors, must guard herself both day and night against those who would challenge her title and discover the Stone of Destiny, the secret artifact her family has kept safe for generations. Trained only to be a warrior, Scotia is unprepared for the attack Ian makes upon her mentally and emotionally. How's a woman supposed to defend against something as nebulous as desire?
As Scotia and Ian train, both sparks and passions flare, but to act upon their feelings could cost Ian his place in his clan and jeopardize Scotia's role as the Warrior Trainer. Yet when the people and the land they love are threatened, they join together, risking everything for survival, desire... and love.
Judges' Comments:
Flavia Knightsbridge -- Now we're into more creative territory. If we must keep with the movie theme, I'd say this has a little Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon vibe going on.
Leslie Kazanjian -- This novel promises a major role reversal: a woman warrior teaching a fiery Scotsman the fighting techniques of the ancients, pitting her physical prowess against his seductive skills amid a battle for the homeland they both love. I'm curious to see the outcome of this unusual love story -- this pair promises more sparks than the swords that will surely clash.
If you want to look at all the contestants, you can go here.
In addition to voting, if you're feeling really beneficent, let other folks know about Gerri and the contest. (Send them this whole page.) The more votes, the merrier!
Gerri has won several awards from the Romance Writers of America, but has yet to take that final step. If you can help her... great! And there's even a bonus. If you let Gerri know you voted for her, she'll toss your name in a hat and draw a winner. If yours is the name drawn, she promises Scottish treats (which I hope to heaven won't be haggis).
Thanks for your help! Next, maybe my spouse, or even me!
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