First off let me say Happy Frickin' 4th!!! Let's not forget what a monumentous day this is. Over two-hundred years ago our fore-fathers fought for our freedom and today our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers still do the same. God bless the United States and all that do their part to maintain the greatest country on Earth.

Now, how do you feel about deadlines? How do you coup with making the cut-off point? And what about holidays? How do they affect your world and family?

Caitlin and Jaye dropped a couple of blogs over at the league posing those very questions. Both have much to do with writing and story craft, so if you have a thought to add drop them a comment.

Scrolling through blogs can often net some choice nuggets. A huge "THANK YOU" to Stacia Kane for posting this link originally. At Ain't It Cool they have a first look trailer for the new Bond film. I was stunned and thriiled by Casino Royale and by the looks of this trailer expect to be even more so. Once there, scroll down to the second vid clip and enjoy!

There's a rather wickedly twisted flick coming from 20th Century Fox this August called Mirrors. It stars Kiefer Sutherland and it looks like it packs quite a few scares. What's cooler is the site you can visit to check out an "R" rated version of the trailer. Lots of blood and freaky shit. But there's one catch - you have to sign up and prove you're over 18. If you can, check it out!

The Barnes & Nobel Paranormal/ Urban Fantasy forums is hosting some of the lethal ladies of the genre. Majorie Liu, Lilith Saintcrow, and Stacia Kane (the sharp-tongued lass from the ever-popular League!) are popping in and out of the forum to answer questions and comments about the genre, publishing, and their favorite midnight snacks. Sign up and join the fun!

Started another dialogue over at Absolute Write about my favorite fur-laden, meat-eaten, maladjusted monster - the werewolf. (Note: look up at the top of the page. Was there any question?)

Of all the monster community, the werewolf has always grabbed my attention. On a one to one level, the idea of having such raw power and savagry cresting under the skin, and at any moment it could pop out and eat its way through an arena of helpless bystanders gives me the Wilies and at the same time inspires tale after tale. Imagine the Incredible Hulk with an fathomless appetite for flesh and blood. Brrr... Chaos will reign!

There's so much that can be done with those bad boys. There's so much to do!

In a few weeks the world will falll to its knees. After the brilliant re-imaging of the legend in Batman Begins, never has a character - or movie - captivated so many. The Dark Knight starts July 18th and tickets are already selling out nationwide thanks to Fandango. This film promises to be shot with the same deft hand, produced beyond the limts, acted by an A+ list of actors...

Enough with the tongue wagging. Enjoy the trailer.

What do you get when you mix sexy vampires, a heaping helping of rock & roll, a recovering con artist, and one fine writer to swirl it all together? You get Jeri Smith-Ready's Wicked Game. And if you want an inside scoop as well as a chance to win an autographed copy of the hot new book, Amber has a new contest!

But this is no ordinary contest. She's setting a challenge to the posters to step up their enthusiasm. Besides posting a comment, Amber has her own newsletter. Sign up for that and double your chances. But wait! If you can post a thread linking back to the interview (hey, that's what I'm doin') then you've upped the ante.

Regardless, it's a great interview! Learn more and take a shot for some genre gold!

Lori Perkins posted an enormous blog about the growing state of e-publishing erotica. Pioneers like Ellora's Cave set the stage for many writers to publish high-quality lit with the ease and accessiblity of the internet. Many other publishers are seeing their sales pick up after coming aboard. This is wonderful news for so many writers trying to break into the business. Check it out!

I started a fun thread over at Absolute Write called Creature Comforts. We're taking a week-long look at the various monsters used throughout horror and urban fanasties while everyone weighs in with the pros and cons, the ups and downs, the yin and yangs, or the shit and shinolas of said creatures. We started out with (argueably) the lit fave: the Vampire.

If you're an AW regular or just enjoy buzzing forum sites, stop over and a eyeful of what others feel about the creature.

Over at the Rant and Rave, Sidhe has a guest blogger by the name of Dante. Fresh from his debut in the pages of A Rush Of Wings he came by to strut his stuff and lay down the law. Read what this Nightkind has to say and drop a line to win a signed copy of the book written by Adrian Phoenix! Then you'll get a little deeper into the mind of Dante.