Joining the 21st Century...

At long last, after much dithering I've decided to opt for broadband connection. This should take place over the next two weeks. Faster dowloads, quicker connection. Marvelous!

Random thought... I was reading the contents list on the side of the shower-gel tube today (as you do), when I noticed the stuff contains PEG - polyethyleneglycol. This waxy substance is also used by marine archaeologists to preserve ancient waterlogged timber. It makes you wonder...

http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/mrgreyandthehotelghosts.htm

Breaking news...

I've exchanged contracts with Liquid Silver Books for the next Mr. Grey novel, Spirit from the Sky, featuring sexy spook-hunters Martin Grey and Claudia Mackenzie. Stay tuned for further details...

Normal Service has been resumed...

The technical problem has been overcome and the interviews with Shara Lanel and Vanessa Hart are posted on my website. Check 'em out - if you can tear your eyes away from the Scottish butt below... ;)

http://ajaymatthews.com

Hong Kong Kiltie feels the wind a whistlin' doon the pass...

Going Regimental...

It's been a busy old week - but a short one for the day job. It's the Easter four-day weekend here, and I'll have plenty of time to write - and to be on tenterhooks over the two book submissions pending approval from the publishers. They're not the first I've submitted by any means, but the waiting never gets easier...

I booked my flight to the USA on Tuesday, and I leave on the 28th June for Indiana. As part of the festivities I'll be off to a French-Indian Wars re-enactment weekend over in Bourbonnais, Il. where I may have the pleasure of wearing a kilt and firing a musket :)

Other than that, I'll be in and around Indianapolis, meeting and greeting friends and new acquaintances alike, drinking copious quantities of root beer and spending a lot of time and cash in bookstores. Maybe I'll see you there..?

Due to technical problems the interviews with Vanessa Hart and Shara Lanel will be delayed until further notice.

"Computers don't bounce when you throw them out the window." Sage advice given me by my old IT tutor.

Those nice folks at Liquid Silver have asked for the full M/s of my next Mr. Grey novel! Fingers crossed they like it.

Also, tomorrow sees two new guest interviewees on my Ajay's Q & A, those lovely people Vanessa Hart and Shara Lanel. C'mon over tomorrow and see what they have to say :)

Another day at the coal face...

My workload varies with the seasons. Pre-Xmas it goes totally nuts with everyone and their hamster ordering stuff which I have to deliver soonest. Post-Xmas it's busy-ish then trails off around mid-February. So far, so mind numbingly boring.

What it means is, I get more time to write nowadays, so the WiP is getting a thorough workout. I'm up to 115,000 words. It should total around 150-160,000. Eek...

BTW, I'll be making my first guest appearance at the SEx blog Thursday. What will I talk about? You tell me. No, seriously ;)

Ahhh, another weekend! The day job was a PITA Friday, plus an electrician was fussing about doing rewiring work in the house so I couldn't use the 'puter for some hours. I was glad to come indoors from work and just fling everything down and not bloody well bother with it until Monday. Monday has got to be my least favorite day of the week...

Someone once said their ideal job was "indoor work with no heavy lifting." That describes writing for me :) There'd be nothing I'd like better than to turn professional and WRITE!

Ho hum...

So, I'm working on a story that has been banging around in my brain for years. But, it's finally taking concrete shape on the page. Whether anyone will accept it when I submit it is anyone's guess. It'll weigh in at around 150-180,000 words, so it's bit of a brute. I'll finish it, then I'll see what transpires.

And the winner of my competition is...


Kay Monte!

Well done to Kay, and many thanks to all who took part :)

A St. Patrick's Day Competition starts tomorrow on my website! Go to :-

http://ajaymatthews.com

The First Ajay's Q & A Session is now posted on my website!

My guest authors this month are Dee S. Knight and Michelle Hoppe.

Dee is a TRS 2005 CAPA Nominee, and her interview features a link to her latest work I'm no Saint, Valentine, co-written with Rhiannon Neeley.

Michelle is the award winning author of the Club Belle Tori novels, Hart's Heart and many others.

April's Q & A will feature award-winning authors Vanessa Hart and Shara Lanel!

Hit the link and go there now!

http://ajaymatthews.com

"I have six honest serving men (They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When,
And How and Where and Who..."

Rudyard Kipling (The Elephant's Child)


I'm considering featuring an interview spot for authors and would-be authors on my website! The questions will be based on the six listed above, and the page will be posted for 28 days. I'll be happy to post a banner + link along with it for any newly published or current work, plus an author's picture/image if so desired.

If interested, please contact me on:- aj@ajaymatthews.com

Thanks!

By popular request (Hi Paige! ;) I can say my work in progress is called Cauldron of Fire. The story involves a quest in the Ireland of Celtic legend and will feature heaps of action, romance, and steamy sex!

Dear gods, what a week it's been! Tuesday saw a wheel come off my car when I was driving home. No harm done to wind or limb, but the car took some damage (it's kind of hard to roll on three wheels and a brake rim). Just 5 minutes more and I'd have been home safe and sound and able to fix the damn thing without all the expense and bother I've got to go through now. Wednesday was spent sorting the matter of insurance out, Thursday saw the day job turn into a total PITA. Sooooo, that's why the blog entries have been a li'l sparse of late.

Rant over ;)

Anyways...

The collaboration effort is coming on apace. Everyone's working hard. I have a title, I have a synopsis which has met universal approval. This weekend - I shall make a beginning!

Some interesting work is afoot...

In the last few days I've been engaged with a band of fellow authors in plotting a whole series of books in a collaborative project. The sheer creativity and scope of knowledge they display leaves me breathless - and excited to be involved!

It's early days, so I'll say no more. In the meantime I continue my solo writing projects, and wait for a decision on a recently submitted work.

'Tis done! 'Tis finished - well, apart from a few minor goofs. I now have a funtioning website! Check it out at http://ajaymatthews.com

Ahh, bliss! :)

It has been a trying couple o' days...

I've been attempting to create a new website. Everything looks fine on the PC, all the pages link nicely, the pictures and images are in their rightful places - yet when I upload, nothing looks right and nothing works properly - well, except the hit counter.

It will be done. It will be finished!

The Ninth Wave

~~ cover art by Laura Givens ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cassie's dead – but her troubles have only just begun. And her lover Craig will do anything to get her back – even take on a marauding god…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter One

"Stand on the shore," Cassie O'Neill said, shading her eyes from the harsh sunlight. "Look out to sea. That's when you know you're on another world."
She and her lover, Craig Lowell stood on the edge of a frozen beach of mixed sand and gravel that trended down the inner length of a long, curved peninsula. Around them, the jumbled mass of pack ice glowed yellow beneath the lurid noon blaze of Solace, star of Orpheus. In the deeper water near the horizon, huge, fantastically carved icebergs loomed like fairytale castles. The rich scent of salt and seaweed hung heavy in the cold air.
Craig skimmed another stone onto the open stretch of water in the large hole they had found in the ice. The tiny pebble flew straight and true for hundreds of meters, smacking lightly off the slow ocean surge that rolled under the pack ice. Three long skips, then, when it was little more than a distant speck on the shimmering water, the lighter-than-Earth gravity of Orpheus finally claimed the stone.
"Your Mom knew what she was talking about," Craig said as he crunched over the snow-covered sand toward her. He took her in his arms and stared down at her, his big blue eyes sparkling with warmth. "I'm only sorry I never had a chance to meet her," he said softly.
"I'm sorry too. She would've liked you." She rubbed her hands over his chest as she smiled up at him. He bent his head, kissing her tenderly. Cassie’s nipples hardened and a rush of warmth flooded through her pussy. She melted against him, her breasts aching, pressing her lips avidly on his, flicking her tongue lightly over his. He tightened his strong arms, pulling her closer, as he nuzzled her neck, his breath gusting hot over her skin.
She pulled away slowly, closing her eyes for a moment, her heart racing. Damn, but the man could kiss! If they didn't have to unload the drones, she'd drag him into the ATV right now and rip off his clothes. She opened her eyes, ignoring his knowing grin, and turned away.
"Work first, you bad man," she said, injecting a note of mock disapproval in her tone, "but you better believe you're going to give me a rain check!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ninth Wave - Out now at Loose ID! Click the link below...

http://www.loose-id.com/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=58

Here's something I found whilst trawling through my archives today. It's a souvenir of the time I worked in the housing office of the local town council. Enjoy!

Extracts from actual letters sent to various councils and housing associations throughout the UK. Logged by the Housing Association.

1. I want some repairs done to my gas stove as it has backfired and burnt my knob off.
2. ...and their 18 year-old son is continually banging his balls against my fence.
3. I wish to report that tiles are missing from the outside toilet roof. I think it was bad wind the other night that blew them off.
4. My lavatory seat is cracked, where do I stand?
5. I am writing on behalf of my sink, which is coming away from the wall.
6. Will you please send someone to mend the garden path. My wife tripped and fell on it yesterday and now she is pregnant. We are getting married in September and would like it in the garden before we move into the house.
7. I request permission to move my drawers in the kitchen.
8. 50% of the walls are damp, 50% are crumbling away and the rest are just plain filthy.
9. I am still having problems with smoke in my back passage.
10. The toilet is blocked and we cannot bath the children until it is cleared.
11. Will you please send a man to look at my water? It is a funny color and not fit to drink.
12. Our lavatory seat broke in half and is in three pieces.
13. Will you please send a man to repair my spout, I am an old age pensioner and need it badly.
14. I wish to complain about the farmer across the road; every morning at 6am his cock wakes me up and it's now getting too much for me.
15. The man next door has a large erection in the back garden, which is not only unsightly but dangerous I'm sure.
16. Our kitchen floor is damp. We have two children and would like a third, so please send someone round to do something about it.
17. I am a single woman living in a downstairs apartment and would you please do something about the noise made by the man I have on top of me every night.
18. Please send a man with the right tool to finish the job and satisfy my wife.
19. I have had the clerk of the works down on the floor six times but I still have no satisfaction.
20. This is to let you know that our lavatory seat is broken and we can't get BBC2.
21. My bush needs trimming round the front and my back passage has fungus growing in it.
22. ...and he's got this huge tool that vibrates the house and I just can't take it any more.

Computers - can't live without 'em, but can't exactly love 'em either! Mine developed awful technical complications a month back and I've only recently gotten it back to something approaching normal operations. My mantra now is "Back-up, back-up and back-up again." Believe me, it saves a heck of a lot of heartache and avoids a lot of wasted work.

Going for weeks without writing whilst the machine was fixed became rather painful! Now it's back, and I can get moving. I do love to write. I love to create new worlds and appealing characters, which I hope will give pleasure to all who read my work.

Today I began a new novel, a vampire-oriented romantica which has been banging around my head for a couple of years. Progress (so far) is good, at 2,500 words today. I don't quite know how long it'll eventually be; I'm a "pantzer," so it's anyone's guess. As a second string project, I have a sci-fi novel underway. When I run out of steam on the one, I can turn to the other and make progress. So many stories, so little time...