It’s 2011 and with the new year, there are new resolutions. I’ve always seen New Year’s Resolutions as ridiculous statements. That’s probably because I’ve typically fallen short of following through on those self-promises.

This year, I am keeping my resolution simple: I promise to take better care of myself. Yeah, it’s a basic concept, but for me it’s so difficult at times. Whether my best friend needs help or I just want to spend more time with family, I tend to put my own needs and wants on the back burner. As a mom of two (16 yr. and 10 mo.), I fall into the  same rut so many moms do, making sure they look polished and have every desire met instead of carving out time for myself.

Well, this year I hope to level the scales a bit. We moms owe it to our kids to make sure we’re happy, healthy, and fulfilled. We set the examples they will follow later in life, just as I’m following my mom’s example. In the end, it may pose harder to enact than any resolution I’ve made before. Behaviors are often the hardest things to change.

So, what’s your resolution?

If you’ve got tips on helping me keep my resolution, feel free to post them. And above all else, have a happy new year!

PASS IT ON!

Along with the new website, I’ve added the Dungeon Club. It’s a newsletter and reader club named after the club in the series. I’ll be giving away books, swag, special offers, Birthday surprises and more.

Just sign up below.

http://tiny.cc/ls5bs

Until now, you’ve only  known me as Angela Cameron.

To be honest, Angela Cameron is my evil twin.  : ) Today, I’d like to welcome the friends who know me as that other Angela. Those who’ve known me forever and those who are just getting to know that I write, and what I’ve been writingfor years.

Why the sudden reveal? Well, I’d originally wanted to keep it seperate from my life to protect my daughter from the more judgemental people around. Now, she’s old enough that it isn’t necessary (the oldest one is, at least), and I’m tired of keeping it a secret. It’s a pain to have split personalities.

I will continue to write under this name. It’s the home for my spicier material. When a publisher wants seduction and sex, this will be the name of the author who writes it. For the child safe material, I’ll be using my real name. In fact, I have one of those pieces coming out early next year, and I don’t want a bunch of teens coming to the author’s website to stumble on 18+ material.

Wondering who the other Angela is? I’ll tell you soon.
Keep checking back for more details and a total revamp of the site!

Okay, so I took one of those fun little quizzes the other day to find out which crazy writer I am. The results of the quiz from http://roflquiz.com/r/134337/ are in (and they’re hilarious!)…

Hunter S. Thompson

Well hot damn. You are a hard-drinking, hard-living adrenaline junkie with a taste for fast vehicles, altered perception, and dangerous firearms. You also have a remarkably strong sense of justice, and a very distinct moral compass. Good god, man, people keep expecting you to meet a grisly, messy end, but we all know damn well that you’re not going out unless it’s on your own terms… you simply won’t take any guff from these swine! Mahalo.

I suppose bookmarks for an author as a promotional tool are a bit cliche at this point, but I caved and ordered some. I sweated the design a little, since these were the first that I’ve ever designed. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what I was doing. I do. I’ve got years of print design under my belt. But it’s just different when you design them for yourself. I bet I changed the design ten times.

Anyway, here’s what they look like. If you’d like one (or some), just check out my website for information on how to get swag.

Here’s a lighter cocktail that’s a combination of ice cream, orange and chocolate. Recipe from 10 Happy Halloween Cocktails at fineliving.com

Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 oz. triple sec
1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
drizzle of grenadine

Instructions:

1. Blend all ingredients except grenadine until smooth, pour into a stemmed cocktail glass.
2. Drizzle grenadine over top.

Recipe courtesy American Professional Bartending Schools of Illinois in Chicago via fineliving.com

1 1/2 oz Malibu Coconut Rum
1 1/2 oz Southern Comfort Whisky
1 1/2 oz Grey Goose Vodka
1 1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice

This is a recipe that I created for friends, inspired by one of my favorite vampire characters. It is a little strong, but it does the job nicely. And if you get to the bottom, you probably won’t mind being handcuffed by a Southern Vampire—not that I would mind either way! )

Eeesh. My website went down Friday morning thanks to a substandard host who failed me yet again. I left that host, and I’m in the process of moving the site over. So, my newsletter signup isn’t exactly working. To sign up for the newsletter, you’ll have to send an email to angie @ angela-cameron dot com .

Any images not loading here is due to this failure of the website. Please, be patient with us as we try to move everything over.

We’re proud to announce the new Ravenous Romance Readers’ Group. It’s a great way to keep up with free reads, special offers and discounts, new releases, and even to chat with your favorite erotic romance authors.

To celebrate the new group, we’re giving away a virtual “treasure trove” of prizes.

Prizes already included in our treasure chest include:

§  Intriguing one question, mini Tarot reading via email with Sextrology Series author Sèphera Girón

§  Bottle of wine from Vampire Vineyards (or vampire chocolate if you choose)  and a copy of one of the Blood and Sex series vampire books from Angela Cameron

§  Straight from Tally’s Gift by Elle Amery, a bath and body basket from fictional character Tally Bennett’s Naughty Body product line, which includes signature scents like Bed Me In Roses.
Exotic Godiva chocolate from Dark Desires of the Druids series author Isabel Roman

§  Copy of one of the smokin’ hot ’80s bodice rippers from Ripping the Bodice author Inara Lavey

§  Luxurious Bath set with a promo pack from Men In Shorts contributing author Savannah Chase

§  A fascinating Tarot mini-reading via email from Tarotica author Amber Austin

§  Download of Rachel Kenley’s delicious short story JUST’S DESSERTS along with a box of scrumptious chocolates to match

§  Two $5 gift certificates for steamy reads courtesy of Ravenous Romance

To enter, just sign up for the loop and post your introduction before April 30^th. The number of prizes will depend on the number of entrants. The more new members we get, the more prizes we’ll give away—so tell you friends, neighbors, family, and that crazy lady down the street. Remember, the deadline is April 30^th—so get chatting!  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ravenousromance/

It’s Child Abuse Awareness Month. And, since I’m a survivor, I wanted to post a reminder to everyone that the effects don’t stop when the child leaves the abusive situation. The emotional and physical effects last the rest of the person’s life.

Not only have I survived an abusive childhood, I’ve worked online in support groups and with other adult survivors. Even in their seventies, people find the strength to speak out for the first time and start a healing process that they sometimes don’t realize they needed. When this happens, they’re often eager to tell their stories to someone who will take them seriously and treat them with respect.

You don’t have to be an expert to help. Just take the time to listen and be honest. They only need to know that it sounds as horrible as they felt it was, and that they weren’t to blame because it was outside their control. If you know someone who as abused as a child, don’t tell them to get over it, as much as you may want to. This just adds you to the list of people who they cannot trust with their feelings.

Also, if the person is talking about suicide, take them seriously. You can’t fix them, but you point them in the direction of help when they need it most.

If you’re married to an abuse survivor, watch for signs of their getting too involved with others emotionally–especially abused children. I worked to help get a group of kids out of an extreme situation. It was expensive, emotionally exhausting, and took two frustrating years. I don’t regret it, but the emotional toll literally put me into a tailspin because it brought up a host of old feelings. I wouldn’t fail to help another child in the future, but I know how to protect myself now.

I’m also going to be blogging about the topic this month. I look forward to seeing you there http://angelacameron.wordpress.com