Well, my weekend with Irene ended being more like a weekend at Bernie’s. My area of NYC got some rain and some wind and not much else. The toughest part of the whole thing was banging my head on a cupboard door while searching for extra bloody batteries. Still, I know there are millions without power, and there has been flooding and damage in other areas so I feel incredibly fortunate a little wind and rain is all I had to deal with.

Thanks to everyone who sent their best wishes! Clearly, they worked.

Now I’m off to the grocery store to return 35 gallons of bottled water and a forklift’s worth of Twinkies.

1. Buy milk.
2. Buy eggs.
3. Buy bread.
4. Make French toast.

5. Buy wine.
6. Buy candles.
7. Turn on radio to smooth jazz.
8. Place ad in Craigslist personals.

9. Make light of the situation.
10. Watch weather radar like it’s a Victoria’s Secret special.
11. Wondering if I should have bought more Twinkie’s because they will be the new gold when civilization collapses.

If you’ve ever dated me – there isn’t room here for my apologies – or read one of my books, you probably concluded that romance is not exactly my forte. Welllllllll, that’s past tense, baby (wait, can I call you baby? Shoot, this could be one of the reasons I get into trouble). I’m not saying I’ve moved into Casanova territory, but then my goal (unlike Tiger Woods) is to get just one woman to believe I am the sun in the sky, the moon at night, and the guy who can say “No, those jeans don’t make you look fat at all” while pondering – for no apparent reason – the curvature of the earth.

So what has me waxing all smoochie? An early review just came out for Ashes of a Black Frost from no less a magazine than the Romantic Times! The Romantic Times. They’re all about getting down, getting it off and then getting it on (I might be paraphrasing a bit). And no, they weren’t using my book as an antonym.

Yup, Ashes scored the coveted 4 out of 4 star review. I think the only thing higher is a heart glazed in honey on a pillow of milk chocolate. But seriously though, I’m thrilled. I always knew I had a pretty good grasp of the military angle, but creating believable relationships, especially of a romantical nature, was and remains a bigger challenge. Ok, so the review doesn’t actual mention the romance, but then, they’re the Romantic Times. I’m guessing they were so taken with emotion that mere words proved inadequate to express the joy and wonder that filled their hearts. That’s my assumption and I’m sticking with it 🙂

To the ladies (and gentlemen) of the Romantic Times, I doff my hat. I said to you (via my publicist), that I was just a writer, standing in front of a reviewer, asking you to love me. And you did.* Soooo, what are you doing Friday night?

Romantic Times

October 2011

http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/ashes-black-frost

ASHES OF A BLACK FROST
by Chris Evans

Genre: Fantasy, General Fantasy

http://www.rtbookreviews.com/images/star-4.pngRT Rating

“A fast-paced, action-filled, fitting end to an epic tale between forces of good, evil and those with a bit of both, filled with characters from fairy tales to nightmares who all play their roles beautifully, especially the enigmatic Konowa Swift Dragon. You’ll want to read this trilogy in order for maximum enjoyment and understanding.”

*Thanks to the writers of Notting Hill for that line.

When I’m not writing about Konowa and the lads I spend my hours publishing military history books. (By the way, if you’re into military history, or just curious about what I do all day, please stop by my new Facebook page for Stackpole Books, I’m looking for ideas to spruce it up – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stackpole-Military-History-Series-by-Stackpole-Books/247110561975726 )

I managed to get a watermark of sorts onto this photo, but I had to use the paint program to do it. Is there any easier way? Oh, and if your curiosity remains, the photo shows two German Wehrmacht soldiers from what appear to be a cavalry unit during the invasion of France in the summer of 1940. They’re standing in front of an abandoned French tank, a Renault R35 light infantry tank. The horse in the background on the far left was a mare named Beatrix. She had three colts, one of whom, Henri, became famous for climbing the Eiffel Tower on a drunken night in Paris after the war. A bronzed horseshoe is welded to the east leg of the tower in honor of his adventure.

It’s possible I’m making some of this up.

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/ridley-scott-direct-another-blade-runner-won-t-220747839.html

I just watched it again recently and it was very much on my mind when I saw this article. Not only will it not be a remake of the original (no need to remake a classic) but Ridley Scott will likely helm it again. Without a clue of what the plot will ultimately be, I know it’ll be a movie I want to see. And as extra icing on the cake, Scott is finishing work on Prometheus, a film which the article says started as a sort of a prequel to Alien but has since morphed into something else.

Here’s the site for the movie: http://www.prometheus-movie.com/