Samhain Publishing

As a kid, I loved our visits to Chinatown in San Francisco and had hoped to stop by our beloved dim-sum restaurant on our latest trip. Instead we found something new – new to me at least – at Vital Tea Leaf. Walking by the shop we saw it had a “tea tasting” sign up and we thought why no.

Actually, I hadn’t planned on partaking in the tea tasting, but ended up doing just that and more.

It started with the peaceful ambiance and skill of the woman who was our hostess. The elegant way she poured, the details she offered in regards to each tea we tasted and how they related to something we discussed also helped. I was hooked when we were shown how to brew and how much to drink. We left with two different types and I bought online the easy to use brewer when we got home.

Yes, me, the non-tea drinker – I joyfully love and worship at the hot chocolate altar – is now an occasional happy healthy tea sipper.

Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
www.tillygreene.com

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Tilly Greene at Samhain Publishing

Zandia is available in ebook and paperback

New Beginnings: Carpe Diem is available in ebook

The place I grew up is what I describe as a beautiful, relaxing and small Southern California beach town, and I’m lucky to keep going back to it a couple times a year to visit family and friends while immersing myself back into the laid back mindset it encourages.

An interesting aside to my hometown is that while the beaches are a big draw for visitors, the art community also brings people all year round to visit the many galleries and museum. During the summer there are a few festivals that take place, but all year round one can watch a variety of people inspired to explore their creative side by what Mother Nature put before them.

For a week this October there will be artists of every age participating in a variety of events which make up an annual plein-air [an example of this style is to the right] painting contest. They will be located from the canyon to street corners to bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and anyone can view their work. It’s the ultimate in free admission to an art opening.

And that is just a very small hint of why I love my home town.

By the way, I’m hosting a contest on my blog until September 18th and the prize is a little jewel of a plein-air painting. Stop by if you fancy owning a bit of paradise.

Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
www.tillygreene.com

Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe

Tilly Greene at Samhain Publishing

Zandia is available in ebook and paperback

New Beginnings: Carpe Diem is available in ebook

I love art.

I love fashion.

I love paper engineering.

Put the three together and you’ll find the Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave exhibition running from February 5-June 5 2011 at the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Read More

Close your eyes and imagine an erotic romance author shut in their office diligently working to supply readers with scorching hot romances.

What does the space around them look like? Is it like a bordello with red velvet walls, plush pillows dotted around to relax against, and a variety of sexual toys for later? Or maybe it’s more functional in a crowded but useful kind of way with research books stacked to the side, boxes filled with promo and their books on the other, a board holding all the details of their wip [work in progress] propped up, and a shelf filled with their inspirational muses.

No?

How about a nook in the spare bedroom?

That’s what I have. There’s a desk with a tv and xbox [and remotes] for visitors, as well as a computer monitor and docking station for my laptop. While you can’t see it, there’s a floor lamp from friends L and J at the side and an adorable plush Olivia [by Ian Falconer and is a book every girl, young or old, should possess because she reminds of them that they can do what they want] overseeing it all.

Lined up in front is all the stuff I need to not be dashing all over the place: camera [in case I have pics from research trips], pile of paper for notes as I’m writing or of things I need to do [because if not written down, then I do often forget to do them], a pen to write the notes, mobile, iTouch, glass filled with beverage, and a variety of cords for charging everything [although, for some reason, something I need to take isn’t charged].

When I find the right piece or pieces by an artist I like, then I’ll have it/them behind and up high so I can see them when I need to mentally disappear and think.

The strips of red are Red Vines and are my go to sweets when I so desire straight, unaltered, sugar treats. They aren’t the same as Twizzlers which I’m sure are good, but they aren’t the same so I get a couple of boxes when I see them. There was a few times, in depth writing days, when I went through the tubs of Red Vines – as is and as straws [like above]. After one such incident, I promised the cutie I wouldn’t do that anymore, so don’t.

So there you go, a peek at where the red hot romances by Tilly Greene are written – exciting, isn’t it? No, not really, because deep down it’s a work space, but it is my work space What does your “It’s all for me” space look like? Leave a comment and I’m going to randomly choose someone to receive a sweet bag of goodies!

Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
www.tillygreene.com

Zandia is available in ebook and paperback

New Beginnings: Carpe Diem is available in ebook

Right now, as you’re reading this, I’m spending life in the fast lane – my version of it – and that mean I’m on vacation. What that actually means is that we’re visiting family and not really working, just kind of working.

This year was a little different in that there was a birthday and high school graduation which meant family descended from Washington, Michigan and San Francisco for a couple of days, otherwise we have a routine while taking a break here with family in Southern California. There’s the beach and fireworks on the 4th, ribs and lapu lapus at the Royal Hawaiian, cheeseburgers from Husky Boys and potato soft tacos from Adolfo’s, and visits with friends along the way.

Sitting at Jean Pauls’ as we do every morning, I was chatting with a friend about how my writing was going and a light suddenly went on. Four years ago we were here, watching the world cup and mulling over a shift in the Wimbledon cash prize, and the plot for Zandia was fully fleshed out! I’d best get working on the sequel.

A group I’m a part of, Romance Unlimited, will be doing a signing on July 10 at Borders in Middleton, NY – stop by if you’d like to talk books or to just say HI!

By the way, the cutie to the right is Lily. She’s a fan of dressing up and posing for the camera, and she says: put your luau gear on and enjoy your summer!

Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
Website?Blog?Facebook?Twitter

Zandia is available in ebook and paperback

New Beginnings: Carpe Diem is available in ebook

Every January I set out to do a few projects, you know, the clean up and clear out kind of things. Other than preparing for taxes, everything else is linked together by one word: giving. It didn’t start out that way, just wanted to get a fresh start for the new year, but maybe that’s why I don’t mind taking on my “sure thing” projects.

One thing I look forward to doing is to go through my closet and anything I didn’t wear the previous year is pulled out. It’s embarassing to admit, but often this pile is full of things with the tags still on them. Yes, sometimes I buy things for a one off event, and end up deciding on something else or they simply were forgotten about. A bag is pulled together and, with the cuties, I take them to the local thrift shop/food pantry.

The next bag I fill is one with those cases Airlines give you with the basics. Toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, socks, lip balm, etc. That bag is taken to another local charity, one for battered women. Our thought on this has always been these women and possibly their kids most likely didn’t have time to pack, much less take the necessities. Good way to give someone a fresh start.

Another area I deal with in the house is our books. After I donated over 3k books, I promised not hold onto them unless they fit on a shelf – thank goodness for ebooks! So, I gather up both our piles, put them in bags – yeah, often a half dozen or more bags – and take them to the local library. They have an annual sale that boosts their budget and we’re all about reading.

Then there’s writing something to giveaway – giveaway as in write a short story and give it to someone to put out there to make money for a particular charity. The first one I did was in response to the 2007 Wildfires in Southern California. I have family in the area, one of them is a fireman in San Diego, and found giving a short story to the effort helped ease my heart. Funny enough, the second one, The Write Ingredients, was through Samhain Publishing and helps support the troops. My neighbors have two of their three sons in the Marines [one in Afghanistan and the other just graduated] and, while the parents and a bunch of us send thigns to them in specific, we know there are others who don’t receive anything and this was my way of saying ‘thank you’ for their service. The third one is coming out this February and will support the American Heart Association. There are a few members of my family who had or have heart problems and I want do what I can to stop the disease from taking another loved one from us.

Those are my annual “sure things”. What started out as an annual clear out, turned into something personally rewarding and when they’re done, I feel really good. How about you? What do you do that makes you feel good and ends up helping someone else?

Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
www.tillygreene.com

Zandia is available in ebook and paperback

New Beginnings: Carpe Diem is available in ebook

and I’m looking forward to, amongst other things, the joys of colder weather coming down the pike. For when I go outside, I’ll bring out the thick sweaters, long coats, and hats. Knowing me, I’ll be spending more time inside, and that means limitless cups of hot chocolate or apple cider while I’m curled up on the couch reading. That’s not all I’m looking forward to, a few of the other things are:

FALL FOILAGE! This is a beautiful time of year. Yellow, bright oranges, deep reds, everything around us offers such beautiful colors, it’s a great time for long walks with the cutie. What I could do without is raking up the copious amount of leaves that fall from our trees. In the front yard we have the first tree in our town to undergo the change and in the back we have the last, this makes for a long colorful season for us with non-stop leaf pile pushing.

PARTIES! Our neighbors are all getting together for one of those traveling parties – we are signed up for dessert, and I think I’m going to do lemon bars [a seriously tart way to end the night]. We also have very good friends who are moving 3000 miles away, back to jolly ol’, and we’ll have a fabulous send off with them [and I’ll make the kids mugs of hot chocolates for the memory books].

THE HOLIDAYS! They will be upon us sooner than I’m prepared for and, despite the hectic pace, I’ll still enjoy them. Halloween is one I enjoy picking out candy to hand out, mainly because I like saying “grab what you want”, and then I nick one for myself. As for the other holidays [Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years], we’ll be splitting them between our families, which also means spending lots of time on airplanes and totally worth it.

EVENTS – parties that last a weekend! There are a couple going on this Autumn, but one I’m really looking forward to is Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend! There are so many great paranormal authors attending, it’s going to make the panel discussions truly interesting. Wake up with a Vampire; Faerie Tales (Dragons and Fey); Earth, Air, Fire, Water: Witches and the Craft; Dirty Demons and Shifters Unleashed – wow, what a line-up. Besides the sub-genre chats, there’s going to be a Candy Shop Welcome Party [yum!], a Masquerade night, and, amongst many other things will be a book fair. I love the idea that this weekend is all about and for the reader!

For me, the cornucopia often associated with this season is full of the simple pleasures in life, like family and friends, what are you looking forward to?

Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
www.tillygreene.com

Zandia is available in ebook and paperback – I’ll be signing this book at the Collingswood Book Festival and Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend.

New Beginnings: Carpe Diem is available in ebook

Life has presented me with a few months of horrible ugliness, but laughing has helped me maintain looking at things in a positive way. The cutie is my first line of defense, he has ways of making me giggle through tears, and sometimes I find it in other places.

Where?

There’s been a couple of movies that were fun and entertaining. Gerard Butler in ‘Rock ‘n Rolla‘ was fabulous, yes, a little violence and a great soundtrack, but honestly the scenes between him and his newly outed friend are the best. Another I enjoyed was a Czech flick called ‘I Served the King of England‘. If you’re okay with subtitles, this one will keep you glued to your seat. There were some serious moments mixed in with an interesting erotic kink and fun that I wasn’t expecting, although both suited the storyline – of which I didn’t even look at the back of the case to see what it was about – was all a total surprise.

I guess this would be a good place to admit that I prefer to pick DVD’s like I do books, hidden gems rather than blockbusters.

Another way I find a good laugh is through a few websites that I regularly visit. The first is Real California Cheese – Happy Cow TV. If I happen to be watching TV when one of these commercials come on, they make me laugh, never fail. Right now they have a campaign to find the next Happy Cow. Such a hoot! I’m partial to Kristen, although Anna is pretty funny, and Shelby, well, I totally get the bloody cold thing I’m waiting until all the auditino tapes are out before voting.

The other one that gives me a giggle while being educational is Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno on the Sundance Channel. The first season was good, but the second called to me directly. I grew up at the beach and yet Season 2 gives me a new outlook on what’s going on out there in the ocean. The limpet orgy comes to mind and whale watching takes on an entirely new element.

Then there’s Angry Alien Productions. Movies re-enacted by bunnies in 30 second clips. Too flippin’ funny! Caddyshack and Jaws are buntabulous

For me, laughter can’t be beat to bring a smile to my face and lighten my mind. What makes you laugh and does it give you a fresh outlook on a problem?

By the way, another thing that makes me smile are signings! A group of romance authors [Stella Price, Bianca D’Arc, Cat Johnson, Jessica Anderson, Kathryn Smith and myself] will be hosting a Hot Summer Reading event at Barnes & Noble [The Palisades Center, 4416 Palisades Center Drive, West Nyack, NY 10994 from 2-6:00 on June 27th]. We all are looking forward to having you come out to say hello!

Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
www.tillygreene.com

Zandia is available in ebook and paperback

New Beginnings: Carpe Diem is available in ebook

Fuppitsu, a Korean company, has been quietly working on a ereader and today it was released for the Far Eastern market with a release date for the US being June and September for Europe. According to the company spokesman, their targeted price point of under 130,000 South Korean Wons [100 US Dollars] has been achieved. The device is 6×9 color touch screen and is less than an eighth of an inch thick, weighing less than a pound total. It will be available either backlit or with a light included. It has an SD card slot, wifi and bluetooth enabled, a keyboard that plugs into the base, as well as a point to plug in earphones for audio. Battery life is extensive and extendable and will include a folder/storage system. The best news, in my opinion, is that the device is capable of opening any format currently available – and without the document losing any of its format.

Okay, none of this is true – a liberty taken on April Fool’s Day, but wouldn’t it be lovely if it were?

During the recent Read an eBook Week my mind circled around what my dream device would be like with a few things added in that matter to others. I want an ereader with a SD card, access to the internet, large enough to hold a full page of text and be able to handle whatever format I buy/have. It needs to be lightweight and some way of typing easily, without putting the buttons on the device itself. I want it to look nice as well, maybe come in various colors or for customers to choose their own designs.

I don’t think I’m asking for much, no one has produced the perfect device for me as yet – although at the moment I am quite pleased with my iTouch. Yes, there have been and will be more ereaders released this year and yet they’ve all failed on one big very important point. In my dreams, I hope someone manages to get the cost below $100.00, making ereading accessible to more people.

It’s lovely to dream. So, what’s yours in regards to ereading devices?

By the way, a group of romance authors [Stella Price, Bianca D’Arc, Cat Johnson, Ciar Cullen and myself] will be hosting a Jump Into Spring event at Unique Books [Bayonne, NJ from 1-4:00 on April 11th]. We all are looking forward to having you come out to say hello!

Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
www.tillygreene.com

Zandia is available in ebook and paperback

New Beginnings: Carpe Diem is available in ebook

It’s the beginning of a new year, everyone is listing their resolutions, and promising themselves they’ll stick to them, no matter how unrealistic they may be. Not me. I don’t do the resolution thing. However, there is something I have promised to do each year and I do it. No matter how many tears are spilt, hair is pulled out in frustration, or hands hurt by slapping them on a counter. I do it.

What am I talking about?

Well, you’re wrong if you think it’s about dieting, exercising, writing, or cleaning. I’m constantly thinking about eating healthier, getting more exercise, finding more time to write all that’s racing through my head. Okay, the cleaning one will never be my thing, so I’ll do what I usually do in regards to it – ignore the issue. In fact, what I do for twelve months is not for me, but for the cutie.

First a confession: I suck, big time, in the kitchen. I wish this was an exaggeration, but it isn’t. People would starve if relying on me for edible sustenance. Years ago we made a deal. For each year we are married, I must add one dish to my repertoire. That means I must cook it well enough to feel comfortable in cooking it for guests.

Gasp! The horror!

And, to make things even trickier, they can’t always be dessert either. Oh no! There goes my favorite part of every meal – afters!

Not to worry, I can handle this challenge without any problems. All I need is time to dabble around the kitchen. Right? Nope, I need something to follow, line by line. There is no such thing as a dash of this or a pinch of that. Every ingredient is carefully measured out and triple checked against the recipe to ensure no disasters happen. Trust me, this has been my downfall since I was a kid who made meatloaf with a 1 cup of pepper rather than 1 tablespoon. Ooops.

This year I added Chicken Pot Pie to my repertoire. In the past, I’ve put Lemon Bars, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Apple Pie, Mince and Dumplings, and Poor Man Tacos into play. In fact, the latter I wrote up for Lori Foster’s The Write Ingredients, sold right here at Samhain Publishing.

I have no idea what I’ll try to create this year, but I do know I’ll make every effort to ensure the final dish is fit for human consumption. And if it isn’t, as some have been true disasters [Mac and Cheese will never be tried again], the cutie will still love me and still be the master in our kitchen.

If you’re in the area, stop by one of the following events and feel free to give me your suggestions. I’m always open to ideas.

February 7th, myself and 12 other romance authors [in all sorts of genres] will be at Borders in Farmington, CT. from 2-6:00pm est, for a Valentine’s meet and greet. Come out and treat yourself to an afternoon full of chocolate, prizes, and Q&A time.

March 21, a group of romance authors, including myself, will be at Chicklet Books in Hillsborough, NJ. from 6-9:00pm for a fun night with wine tastings, chocolates, and readings.

March 28, I and some other authors are at The Spotty Dog in Hudson, NY. from 4-8:00pm for a fabulous night spent welcoming back Spring doing things as learning new makeup tips, enjoying treats to nibble, and great books to read!

Shall be a fabulous new year!

Tilly Greene
WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!
www.tillygreene.com

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Zandia is available in ebook and paperback

New Beginnings: Carpe Diem is available in ebook