Rachel C. from Fallen Angel Reviews has reviewed Flyboy and given it 5 angels. Yay! Thank you, Rachel! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book!

 

“Flyboy by Nicole Austin is a welcome addition to The Hussies series, the thought of a group of warriors known as the Hussies is enough to make any woman proud to be female; especially when they’re fighting evil at every turn and saving the world. Ms. Austin’s writing never fails to grab you and she’s not shy about turning up the heat either. Jhett and Twyla’s story is a mix of action and adventure, lust and love. It’s amazing what you discover in life threatening situations and this pair is no different. Caught in an attraction so strong it’s undeniable, and the need to focus on a mission that could turn deadly, only intensifies the tension spiraling between them. Right from the beginning I wanted to get hold of Jhett and soothe his hurt away, but you just know he’s never gonna let that happen, he’s one tough alpha that doesn’t need anyone. I wanted to warn him about Twyla because I just knew she was going to reach inside that big brawny chest and grab hold of his scarred heart. Twyla had me with her first sassy comments, her sharp tongue is just one of her many appealing traits. She might not have seen much action sitting behind her computer but she isn’t afraid to get out there and get the job done, and with a man like Jhett at her back how could she go wrong? Already a fan of Ms. Austin’s writing I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed in Flyboy and neither will you.”

The Hussies™ Prologue

My first book in The Hussies series, Flyboy, released in July. My second, Have a Little Faith in Me, will likely be scheduled for early 2009. Ideas for the third are brewing.

It’s such a fun concept based on heroines who are Hussy Warrior Hunters. Each story is a stand alone title spanning a variety of genre as diverse as the five authors who write them, The Hussies—Ciana Stone, Nathalie Gray, Sahara Kelly, Sally Painter and Nicole Austin.

The word “hussy” has a very different meaning in modern society than it had centuries ago. In the old Norse language, Hussy meant “mistress of the household”. It was a compliment used to describe orderly, capable women. Sometime during the seventeenth century the meaning started to change, becoming increasingly more negative over the years.™

Here are 13 parts of The Hussies series prologue and a look into our idea of what makes a hussy… Myth, magic or legend?

˜There have been Hussies since before time was measured in days and minutes.

˜Women who fought bravely alongside their mates with sword and axe, warriors whose courage changed the world around them.

˜Led by the first Hussy, Danu, these fierce fighters discovered their inner strengths, summoned reserves they didn’t know they possessed and passed into the fabric of legend with their daring exploits.

˜Since that time, myths have been spun around the Hussy Warriors—tales told by firelight, whispered from mother to daughter—eventually to take their place amongst the mystical fables that shape our souls.

˜But the essence of a Hussy remains strong in the hearts of so many women.

˜Heroines who don’t realize that within them lies the power to make a difference, to effect change, to use their passion every bit as skillfully as Danu wielded her sword so long ago.

˜Warriors in different times and different places, who love as deeply and desire as desperately as any woman ever has, seldom knowing that their desire will impact not just one man, but so much more.

˜Therein lies the magic of a Hussy. To right a wrong, turn a frown to a smile—to positively change those around her.

˜To love a man with every fiber of her body, to learn from that love and to grow stronger because of it.

˜Whether in the past, the future or the here-and-now, there are Hussies around each corner.

˜They may not even be aware of their Hussy destiny. But one thing is certain—when passion knocks on their door, lives will change for the better.

˜And when it comes to their one special hero? Well, he’s in for the ride of his life.

˜Which leaves one unanswered question…are you a Hussy?

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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I just got the cover for Have a Little Faith in Me. WOOT! That hunk on the cover is Rodney, Mr. Romance 2006. Dayum, he looks good wet!

I decided to start posting some photos that have inspired my characters. A bit of man candy for you enjoyment. This man was the inspiration for Jhett from Flyboy. Yum!

   

Thirteen things about hurricanes  
 
This week those of us in Florida have been dealing with tropical storm Fay. The forecasters have been making dire predictions and constantly changing where they thought the storm would go. But a force of nature doesn’t listen to weather predictions and does whatever the heck it wants to.

*Information obtained from The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA.

1. Hurricanes are severe tropical storms that form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

2. Hurricanes gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. Evaporation from the seawater increases their power.

3. Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around an “eye” and have winds at least 74 miles per hour.

4. The eye of the storm is free of clouds and relatively calm, but the “eyewall” of clouds, wind and rain that creates the eye is the most destructive part of the storm.

5. When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves can damage buildings, trees and cars. The heavy waves are called a storm surge.

6. The official hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30, but hurricanes can happen any time of the year.

7. Hurricanes are part of a family of weather systems known as “tropical cyclones.”

8. The word hurricane is from the West Indian word hurricane, meaning “big wind.”

9. Hurricanes are classified into five categories, based on their wind speeds and potential to cause damage.
 Category One — Winds 74-95 miles per hour
 Category Two — Winds 96-110 miles per hour
 Category Three — Winds 111-130 miles per hour
 Category Four — Winds 131-155 miles per hour
 Category Five — Winds greater than 155 miles per hour

10. Hurricanes are given names to help identify and track them. One name for each letter of the alphabet is selected, except for Q, U and Z.

11. The 2008 Atlantic Hurricane name list: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky Wilfred

12. September is the most active month for Atlantic hurricanes.

13. On average, two major hurricane (cat 3-5) strike every three years. In all categories, about five hurricanes make landfall every three years. On average, a hurricane cat 4 or higher only strikes once every six years.

Hurricane Katrina Storm Surge DVD

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Check this out, the real Flyboy, Christian Boeving. Model / Actor / Fitness Celebrity

 

Click Here   WOWZA! Make sure you check out the demo reel.

 

You can read Ciana’s interview with tall, dark and lethally handsome Christian by clicking here

 

Cover art by the amazing cover goddess, Syneca Featherstone

                                   

Visit The Hussies website to learn how to win all five of our July e-book releases

Thirteen things about the Olympics opening ceremonies in Beijing

I’ve been in a bit of a funk (dealing with empty nest blues) and not getting much writing done so I’ve been watching the Olympics. Without doubt, the opening ceremonies were amazing. Here are some things you may not have known about the show.

Click here to watch video of the opening ceremony (There are several videos to watch different parts of the ceremony)

1. The $100 million dollar extravaganza was the most expensive in the history of the Olympics.

2. The opening was watched by an estimated 15% of the world’s population. 34.2 million people viewed the U.S. broadcast of the ceremony.

3. Some of the fireworks were faked on the broadcast. They were actually prerecorded footage and 3D graphics.

 

4. China pulled a Milli Vanilli. The cute girl in pigtails and a red dress lip-synced the song when the real singer was deemed to be not cute enough. WTH? This was decided at the last minute by some Chinese official. What a jerk!

 

 

5. Even the waving flags were faked by mechanical flagpoles. There was no breeze in the bird’s nest National Stadium.

6. The stadium was built for the Olympics. Construction took more than 4 years.

7. A cast of 10,000 performers were involved in the spectacle.

8. They used a total of 15,153 sets of costumes in 47 styles.

9. NBC paid almost $900 million for exclusive U.S. broadcasting rights.

10. China’s most famous film director, Zhang Yimou, spent 3 years designing the opening ceremony.

11. 18 composers created the 110 minutes of music for the ceremony.

12. Some of the performances were rehearsed for 13 months and some of the rehearsals were 48 hours long.

13. Former gold medal gymnast Ni Ling lit the Olympic cauldron after being hoisted by cables and running around the inside rim of the stadium.

I am enjoying watching the events but what is up with the beach volleyball? The women were as little as possible while the guys have shorts and shirts on. That’s discrimination! The female viewers want to see men’s topless volleyball like in the movie Top Gun. *g*

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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I’ve been in a funk since Friday, but I think I’ve figured it out. I’ve got empty nest syndrome. When my daughter left home we were pushing her out the door. She’s the oldest, and developed a thirst for drama when she was a pre-teen. After she left we all took our first long, deep breath in years.

My son is a different story. He’s my baby. And he’s been gone for two weeks, visiting his sister up in the Panhandle. The longest he’d ever been gone before this was 10 days. It is entirely too quiet in the house without him. Even the cats are depressed. LOL! Now he’s visiting the Suwanee River with his dad, extending his time away. He won’t be back until Thursday or Friday.

If this is indeed empty nest syndrome, I only have about five years to figure out how I’m going to deal with it when he’s an adult and moves out on his own. I’m going to have to figure out something because this sucks! Perhaps I’ll travel, see new places, and avoid the empty house. For now, I’m counting the days until he comes back home.

I am going to be MIA among the ranks of thirteeners this week due to insomnia and writing. My muse is an evil bitch! LOL! I’ll try to make up for it next week.