Keeping Up and VooDOoPad

 

No, I didn't get a shiny new computer, a friend brought over her laptop so I could go into SL (Second Life) for myself and "walk" around and pay on my booth (which she has been keeping up with rental payments for me and keeping it updated too) at Awen island.

I have to admit, it felt really weird. I couldn't remember the simplest things and it was like relearning it all from practically scratch, since so much had changed, even down to the controls and how to navigate.

I guess considering the last time I was in SL under my own steam was something like 2011 or 2012, it stands to reason. Nothing stays the same for very long and when you're talking computer technology or anything related to computers,  make that quadruply so. She helped me take a few pics of my avatar for posting. Within about fifteen minutes of being in SL, her laptop started to overheat and we had to use her laptop case's built in fan. After an hour, the machine was so hot nothing helped so we shut down. But the main thing I got to accomplish were the new additions to my booth in Awen, pictured below:

Pretty nifty, huh? I wish SL didn't melt computers. Because I remember what I loved about being in virtual worlds and that's the neat graphics and the odd feeling like its you really walking around and interacting with stuff and your creativity kinda soars as a by product, or at least mine did.

But until they make a computer that doesn't get fried by SL, I guess quick in and out trips on her laptop when she comes to visit are about it.

The other thing I haven't kept up with (but still thought I knew what I was doing -- of course) is the little program I used to use when I needed to "block" scenes in my story outline.  The program evolved into something else or got bought out by someone else and I sorta stopped using it and actually thought I'd switch to Scrivener since that's what the majority of my friends who write, use.

But I simply couldn't get comfortable with it like I once was with my little program (for the Mac) VooDoo Pad. Somewhere in between I decided to kick it old school and went waaay back—to index cards and pens and even—gasp!—binders! It got to be a real hassle, especially since I'm the queen of paper scrap notes. Maybe being in SL today reawakened a part of my brain that remembered there are some things computers do well and one of them is organization and note keeping, so I went online and found the latest full version of VooDoo Pad that my ancient computer could still run and installed it.

Will this keep me on track now? Yes. I think so. Or at least I believe it to be so. If anything in this world can. lol Ahh I know me too well.

Have a Mac? Want to try VooDoo Pad?

Go here: http://flyingmeat.com/voodoopad/voodoopadpro.html

In The Cards

Campfire Ghost Stories With Sizzle!

Just a reminder, this Wednesday, June 26th, is the Campfire Ghost Story event. The Storytelling starts at 5pm SLT (5pm pacific US; 8pm eastern US; 1am London)

When: Wednesday, June 26, 2013, 5pm SLT (8pm eastern)
Where: Bookstacks Campfire, Awen, SL 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Awen/201/194/22

If you thought ghost stories were simply scary, think again, because authors Kimberly Troutte, Cassandra Curtis, Natasha Moore, Tawny Taylor, and Adrianna Dane blend sizzling passion into their haunted romances. Intended for a mature audience, 18+ over please. Event is in voice, so remember your headphones. You won't want to miss this spine-tingling storytelling event! 

To attend, you must have a Second Life account. To sign up for a free basic account, go to: https://join.secondlife.com/?lang=en-US

Excerpts from The Ghost of Goodacre Hall by Cassandra Curtis, Catch Me In Castile by Kimberley Troutte, Quinn’s Curse by Natasha Moore, Whisper by Adrianna Dane, and Sex And The Single Ghost by Tawny Taylor will be read.

The Ghost of Goodacre Hall

Cassandra Curtis

Matthew Lambert tried to run from his past, but when he decides to renovate an old house, he is forced to resurrect more than ghosts. Intrigued by the paranormal, Cadence Martin always loved Goodacre Hall. When she gets an invitation to attend the Victorian house’s grand opening as a B&B Inn, she decides to see if the new owners are aware they just inherited the resident ghost, her great-aunt Miriam.

Catch Me In Castile
Kimberley Troutte

Seeing dead people is bad enough. Loving him could make her one of them.

When the mother of all panic attacks prompts Erin Carter’s boss to pass her over for promotion, her mind doesn’t just crack. It explodes like an egg in a microwave, shattering her career along with the company car she crashes into the office building.

The death grip she’s kept on her sanity slipping, she takes a friend’s advice and flees to Spain. There she finds comfort in the healing arms of surgeon Santiago Botello—until a fifteenth-century ghost warns her that being with Santiago is dangerous, possibly even lethal.

Santiago has his hands full protecting his sister from a dark curse and his family from a very modern-day psychotic killer. The last thing he needs added to his plate is a neurotic American. Yet something about Erin tugs at his heart so hard he wants to wrap her in his arms and never let go. No matter the risk.

Erin’s attraction to Santiago makes her the killer’s next target. Survival means she must face her greatest fear, solve an ancient murder mystery—and hang on tight to the one man she’s fallen crazy in love with.

Quinn's Curse
Natasha Moore

Cursed to wander Logan Point, lusty pirate Nathaniel Quinn must resist the call of the sea. But nobody said anything about resisting a beautiful woman like Miranda Kent, the newest owner of the lighthouse. So what if their love is doomed? Doom is familiar territory for a ghost like Nathaniel....

Where do bad boys go when they die? If the bad boy is a pirate captain, he goes to shore.

Cursed to haunt dry land for three hundred years, forbidden to touch the ocean he loves, Nathaniel Quinn’s spirit lingers near the Logan Point Lighthouse until his sentence is served. All he wants is an end to the three hundred year curse so he can haunt the seas instead of the shores.

That’s all he wants, that is, until the day Miranda Kent buys the lighthouse with the intent to turn it into a bed and breakfast. She hopes the presence of a ghost will bring in the tourists, but Quinn has finally found a benefit to his time on land.

She can hear him. See him. Touch him. He may only have a short time remaining at the lighthouse, but at least now he can enjoy it like a sailor on shore leave.

But pleasure turns to impending pain as these doomed lovers discover they’re touching more than each other’s bodies. They’re touching each other’s hearts. The long-awaited end of Quinn’s shore curse might just mean a different kind of curse…

Because an eternity sailing the seas might also be an eternity separated from the woman he loves.

Whisper
Adrianna Dane

Eden Trinity, viciously blinded by her jealous lover, survives to testify and send him to prison. But the trauma of his attack and her changed circumstance will take time to heal. Solitary retreat to a small cottage in Raven's Cove brings her some sense of desperate peace. Until the night she has a vision of a murder, and a seductive ghost seeks to soothe her desperate fears.

How could the spirit of a man murdered long ago ignite the passion she'd been certain was dead? Vengeance keeps him chained, will her love set him free? Danger and desire seem to lurk at every turn and not everything is what it seems. Will the erotic whispers from the past succeed where her lover failed--and woo her to her death?

Sex And The Single Ghost
Tawny Taylor

Nine years ago, Claire Weiss died, which put a serious crimp in her plans. Now, she's caught in Purgatory, waiting for that Big Day when she can reanimate and return to earth and have sex at last! Nine whole days of chocolate! Cute shoes! A real beer! And, most important of all, a chance to reconnect with the object of her long-denied lust, hunky Jake Faron. The minute she materializes in front of her favorite old haunt, er, bar, Devil's Night - complete in Halloween get-up of lingerie and high-heeled mules - she locks eyes with Jake, who is as hunky as ever.

Hard-muscled body? Check. Bone-melting smile? Check. Big...hands? Check, check, check. Goodbye, Purgatory - Hel-looo, heaven. The rules are that Claire has nine days to investigate her mysterious death, solve the crime, and do good deeds for others (not as easy as it seems, people) before returning to Purgatory. But she also has nine hot, steamy nights to do absolutely everything she's ever dreamed about doing with Jake. And that's a good thing, because not only does Jake have a secret that could change her whole afterlife, but he's perfectly capable of showing a love-struck ghost plenty of heaven on earth...

Campfire Ghost Stories Event

Cassandra's Story Hour and Bookstacks present:

Campfire Ghost Stories With Sizzle!

When: Wednesday, June 26, 2013, 5pm SLT (8pm eastern)
Where: Bookstacks Campfire, Awen, SL 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Awen/201/194/22

If you thought ghost stories were simply scary, think again, because authors Kimberly Troutte, Cassandra Curtis, Natasha Moore, Tawny Taylor, and Adrianna Dane blend sizzling passion into their haunted romances. Intended for a mature audience, 18+ over please. Event is in voice, so remember your headphones. You won't want to miss this spine-tingling storytelling event! 

To attend, you must have a Second Life account. To sign up for a free basic account, go to: https://join.secondlife.com/?lang=en-US

Excerpts from The Ghost of Goodacre Hall by Cassandra Curtis, Catch Me In Castile by Kimberley Troutte, Quinn’s Curse by Natasha Moore, Whisper by Adrianna Dane, and Sex And The Single Ghost by Tawny Taylor will be read.

Featured in Unforgettable Ezine!

Cool News! Unforgettable ezine did a feature on yours truly and it's in issue no.4 which is available at a virtual SL kiosk near you. Pick up a copy today. :)

Story Hour Presents: Shifting Tides

April 20, 2013

1pm SLT

This Saturday, join me for Story Hour. I'll be reading from my erotic paranormal paperback, Shifting Tides!

Event is in voice, so please bring your headphones. 18+ only. Warning:  Graphic adult language. 

Click the Second Life link below to hop on a seahorse and teleport to the event. Once you get to Cassandra's mer-mansion, simply touch the magical golden door and it'll open. Swim up the tube to the second floor and take a seat in the Storyteller's Hall. 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Charco%20del%20Palo/220/38/11

I hope to see you there!

Story Hour Sneak Peek: Compulsion

This coming Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at Noon SLT, I'll be in Second Life reading selections from my upcoming ebook Compulsion, which is slated for release this May.

I hope ya'll can make it in and bring those headphones!

Here's the blurb:

Lindsay Dannon has a dirty little secret. While she hides behind her plain and proper image at work, a wanton woman with a rich fantasy life lurks beneath the surface. The thrill of sex in public places, and the risk of exposure, is a compulsive itch she knows only one man can scratch—her boss, Jack Randolph.

The company’s “no tolerance” policy on interoffice dating is the only thing stopping her. Good thing Jack created the rules, because he’s determined to make all of Lindsay’s sexual fantasies come true…

April 16, 2013
Noon SLT
Romany Landing Sim, Second Life
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Romany/222/161/21

Witchy Story Hour Thursday

I'll be at Romany Landing in Second Life, reading from my erotic romance I Put A Spell On You, April 11, 2013, 7pm SLT (Pacific time), 10pm (Eastern). Click the link below to teleport to the event.*

 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Romany/222/161/21

Remember to bring your headphones because the event is in voice.

*You must have an account in Second Life to attend the storytelling event. SL basic accounts are free. To learn more about starting your own virtual adventures in SL and signing up, go HERE:  http://secondlife.com/

Story Hour Event Tomorrow

I'll be at the Gypsy Camp at Romany in Second Life, reading from my erotic contemporary romance Naughty Little Secrets, April 9, 2013, Noon SLT (Pacific time), 3pm (Eastern). Click the link below to teleport to the event.*

Remember to bring your headphones because the event is in voice.

*You must have an account in Second Life to attend the storytelling event. SL basic accounts are free. To learn more about starting your own virtual adventures in SL and signing up, go HERE:  http://secondlife.com/

Oops, we made a mistake and the last notice had the wrong SLURL listed for Tuesday's Story Hour event in Romany. The SLURL below is the correct one. The event starts at noon SLT and is free to the public.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Romany/222/161/21

I’ll be at the ‘mermansion’ in Second Life, reading from my erotic paranormal romance series Shifting Tides, on Sunday, March 24 at 2pm SLT (Pacific time), 5pm (Eastern).*

Headphones required, tail optional. Click the link below to hop on a seahorse and teleport to the event. Once you get to my merhome, simply touch the magical golden door and it'll open. Swim up the tube to the second floor and take a seat in the Storytelling Hall.

Remember to bring your headphones because the event is in voice.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Charco%20del%20Palo/220/38/11


*More dates and times to be added.

Upcoming Scheduled Events in SL

For those of you who have an SL (Second Life) account, I will be reading from Yule Tides and The Ghost of Goodacre Hall this January, at the Dunes of Romany sim.

Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 4PM SLT Free event is in voice. Headphones required. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Romany/161/45/22

I hope to see you there!

Reading at The Dunes of Romany

I managed to snap these pics from my reading event in SL at the lovely lavender fields at the Dunes of Romany.

It was a small gathering around a campfire, me wearing my Stacie Purcell avatar and relating funny behind the scenes action from the story. And ya'll just know I chose some of the naughtiest parts in Naughty Little Secrets to read to my audience. *wink*

I'll be back at the Dunes of Romany on December 11, 2012 at 7:00PM SLT (10pm Eastern) and will be reading from my upcoming ebook release, Yule Tides!
Fun lovin' mermaids shake their tails and strut their stuff in land lubber nightclubs as they celebrating the season with comedic results...and seriously hawt passion.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Romany/161/45/22

It should be fun!
I sure hope to see you there. *waves a fin*

More Events Added for October!

More events have been added to the schedule for my Paranormal Party Palooza.

For all dates and times, refer to the event calendar on my website's home page.

Check out my new booth at the Terric sim in Second Life. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Terric/66/162/25

Touch the spinning red and blue box on the table and you'll receive wicked awesome dragon tats and a cool red tank top with the cover art from Open Season. While there, stroll up the stairs and listen to some cool jazz in the Starlight room, or wander over to Netera's Coffee Lounge for live interviews with musicians, poets, and authors, and hear them play, sing, recite poetry, or tell stories in voice.

Netera's Coffee Lounge Upcoming Events:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Terric/20/107/30

October:
6 --Daniel K. Philosopher--10AM slt
13-Experiment Rhode------6 PM slt
20-DennyMac---------------10AM slt
27- RoseDrop Rust----------11AM slt

November:
3-BlairBond------------------11AM slt
10-Erotica Author Cassandra Curtis--10AM slt
17- Any1Gynoid-What's Cooking Chat-10AM slt
24-Sky Randall----------------11AM slt

December:
1 - Prowess Rayna ---- 6 pm 

New Location and Classic Rock

My friend and social media helper Jan spotted a new classic rock club last week during her last visit exploring SL, and grabbed a booth there to promote my books. The club's grand opening is tomorrow at 5pm SLT. Not sure I'll be able to make it in for the fun festivities since I am pushing my already extended deadlines on two books, but I hope if you do visit, you make sure to touch my freebie box of goodies and enjoy listening and virtual dancing to the cool rockin' sounds.

I wondered at Jan's reasoning for renting a booth at a classic rock nightclub and ya'll might too. She said it was perfect for a tie-in to some of my book titles, which include Black Magic Woman (Carlos Santana) and I Put A Spell On You (CCR). Girlfriend does think outside the box, gotta give her that. lol.

What: Classic Rock Club (new sim) Grand Opening
When: Tuesday, September 25, 2012; starts at 5pm SLT
Where: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Serena/206/87/22

October Plans and Chillaxin' Mer-Style

I'm planning a wicked cool Paranormal Party this October and ya'll are invited. Most of the fun will be on my blog, on my Facebook, and on Twitter, but I'll also be at my good friends Eden Bradley, Crystal Jordan, and R.G. Alexander's Smutketeers website and blog (later this month or early next month). Also planning a hop to another friend, T. Sue Versteeg's blog. Lots in the works, so make sure and check back for updates.

Some of the Paranormal Party events this October will also be in Second Life for the fans and friends who follow me there. With that in mind, I've been hunting with my longtime friend and social media helper (gods knows I needed one, lol) for places willing to host various events next month in SL.

One of the things we have lined up so far is a free tarot reading event open to the public on a pirate sim in SL. More details on that later.

While scouting around SL for venues, I found this virtual gray tabby who followed me back to my merhome.

Since my place is 3/4 under the sea, I grabbed kitty so he wouldn't drown and hightailed it mer-style to the upper terrace above the water and sat kitty on my tarot table.

He seemed very interested in the cards, so I gave him a reading from my mermaid deck and my Rider-Waite. He seemed to enjoy getting his future read—probably because it involved cuttlefish and pink salmon treats. According to his reading, I think he's found a permanent home with me. lol

Until next time,
Cass

Moving and Grand Opening Contests

 

These last couple of days, I've been rushing around, picking up prim and searching for a new home in SL. I figured it was too good to be true, having a home in SL for over two years when change is the constant norm. 

The first four months I was in SL, I hunted for an underwater home. It made sense to me since I had a series of selkie, mermaid, and dolphin shapeshifter romances just released, plus mermaids are typically friendly.  

Me in my office inside the old villa. I do admit I miss that house. It was gorgeous.

Since I was having no luck on the underwater search for a merhome, I settled on a lovely Lake Como styled villa where I stayed for several months before privacy (and other issues) caused me to renew my search for a little place under the sea.

While scouting for mermaid hangouts that might like to hear me read from my new books, I saw that there was a nightclub for mermaids having a ballroom tails night (yep, only in SL, lol) and the women there were very friendly and we chatted long into the wee hours. (Remember, SL is like one big graphically cool 3D chatroom). 

I think it was about a month or two later that I learned the ladies I met were all living in the same sim, Tokara, and invited me to join them there—under the sea! I got myself moved into my first merhouse, and happily said buh-bye to the sim where I'd been renting the villa.

I learned there was also a mall in the adjacent sim owned by the same wonderful owner of the residential sim where I now lived, and quickly grabbed a spot where I could give away freebies and set up book readings and tarot readings and of course, posters of all my published ebooks. Those were good days. Eventually, the Tokara mall closed and I had to pull my prim and relocate my bookshop. However, my merhome under the sea remained...yet all things must come to an end. 

The Tiki Bar at Trilla's Treasure Estates. Trilla's house is in the background.

You wouldn't think you could get so attached to a virtual place, but having had to delete the MMC website, SL, Twitter, and finally the last bastion, the MMC blog, these last couple of months—and now my merhome away from home...it's been sad. All my friends there have scattered and although I hope we stay in touch, I know how life is, both in RL and SL.

Linden Labs charges an exorbitant amount of money to own a homestead sim, hell—any sim at all, which is why my idea of having my own Mermaid Isle based on my books was soon snuffed out when I learned it costs more than a car payment PER MONTH to own an island SIM. That's insane!

Even a "homestead" sim costs over $100USD a month to maintain. Unreal is right!

Anyway, the friend who owned the sim couldn't keep up the pace with the constant tier dues and such to Linden Labs, the creator of Second Life. So the sim closed for good today. 

While I'm a bit sad though, I'm also happy to say I did find a new place and the merhome I recently had custom built by Serafin Galli fits perfect into the underwater area there. I hope to hold (by invitation only) readings from my books and also tarot reading parties at my new place.

This weekend is the official grand opening of my new group in SL, Cassandra's Story Hour and to celebrate,  I'm giving away a bunch of SL gift card goodies. To enter, all you have to do is be a member of my new SL group. Go to this link to join: http://world.secondlife.com/group/8c4d6d12-a0e9-26e5-3b28-5f2fabe543a3

There will be drawings throughout Saturday and Sunday, so join up, the contest ends Sunday night at 10pm edt, August 12, 2012. There is no cost to join my SL group, but you do have to have an SL account. The gift cards are for stores located in SL and are virtual items with only Linden value.

Not into SL? You can still win a prize and here's how: leave a comment on this blog post and tell me who is your favorite Olympic athlete from the London 2012 Summer Games, and you'll be entered to win the mermaid cameo pin pictured below. 

 

Contest ends, Sunday, August 12, 2012 at midnight and the winner will be announced next week. You must have a valid email address and be over 18 years of age to enter. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning are subject to the number of entries. Good Luck!

Open Season Reading Event

Today, I'll be in Second Life, reading excerpts aloud from my newest ebook, Open Season. If you'd like to attend, you need to have an account in Second Life (they're free) and a set of headphones so you can listen in.


Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Time: 4:30pm SLT
EVENT: Storytelling With Cassandra.
Excerpts from Open Season will be read in voice.
Location: Eternal Desires sim:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eternal%20Desires/166/213/25

Hope to see you there!

Neat Dragon Goodies

Getting ready for the fun party and book launch (Feb 19th) of my latest ebook, Open Season. I've got several goodies planned to give away and wanted to share a few of the neat things my promo bf is cooking up for me.

I will be giving away a very cool dragon button pin on the 19th here on my blog, along with a copy of my ebook Open Season to one lucky winner, and in Second Life, I'll be reading excerpts from Open Season and giving away "virtual" Open Season unisex tank tops, and a really cool red dragon tattoo layer your avatar can wear in SL.

Neat huh? I hope you can join me on the 19th. It's sure to be fun!

Holiday Decorating

I'm hopeless when it comes to decorating, but I'm fortunate that I have friends who aren't. They were born with wicked skillz and display them in style. I'm luckier still that several of those friends are happy to lend a hand, be it in RL or SL.

I may have to *kidnap* Cora, Linda, and Jan, and have them help me get my house all purdy for visitors. lol.

Speaking of SL, check out the neat winter decorations my friend Jan did for my pal Kimberly Menozzi's booth at the book fayre.

Pretty cool, huh?

Weekend In A Nutshell

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gorvana/173/71/26

The other day, bff Cora Z. and I did a little make-up shopping at a store called—what else—Make-up! lol They have a bunch of freebies and specials running right now 50% off on a ton of stuff. The tattoo layer make-up there is really great and I gave the owner much Linden love. :p

Afterward, we rezzed our boxes and stopped by the Midnight Moon Café to check on things and take a break. Cora had the great idea to make some piña coladas and we talked shop for a while.

Looking forward to Cora's Wicked Obsession ebook release date.

Right now my big dilemma is whether to leave my story Derby Girl as a romantic comedy (non-erotic), or turn it into a YA and place it under a different pen name.  To make the change, I would have to switch the main focus from the reincarnated friends and onto the secondary character, a teenage girl who got hurt in a bad fall and now is nervous around horses. So I am not sure the best direction for the story. ::sigh::

I did a little card reading for myself (which never works but I do it anyway) and everything sounds promising and sunny, lots of lovely cups and the Sun card. So I had Cora read for me, and of course, it was nothing like my reading. There will be decisions to make and obstacles to overcome. Story of my life. Nothing comes easy. But the eventual outcome did sound great, so I'll simply have to waddle hip deep in the muck and go for it. :-)

At least one thing did get settled. Bear and I drove up to the cemetery in the country and after almost eight months of pleading, nagging, and phone calls (which were seldom returned) they finally got mum's tombstone engraved. It now lists her name, date of birth, date of death, and the words Gone but not forgotten at the very bottom. Finis  It's a complete relief.

So there it is. My weekend in a nutshell. Until next time...
~ Cass