The Coffee Time Crew is in the Garden all WEEK!

Good Morning and welcome, find a chair, or pull up a seat on the grass. We are going to spend the week with the Coffee Time Romance & More Coffee Crew. I’m really excited about this. Every day we’re going to talk about a different topic. First we’re going to introduce and get to know everyone. So grab your favorite beverage, and fill you plate with some awesome appetizers I have here on the table.

Mary:
Welcome Coffee Time Reviewers, please tell all of us a bit about you. Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?

Karenne:  Good Morning Mary.  Thank you so much for inviting us to garden party!  I grew up as a military brat all over the world.  When we got done, what did I do….married a military man.  Even though I am a southerner at heart, we are currently living in California.  Culture shock!  lol

AzGaye: 
I was born in Kansas City, MO but moved with my parents to Arizona when I was a toddler so call myself a “born again Arizona native”. Hey if John Denver could do it at 20 some in Colorado, why not? I’ve lived much of my life in Arizona (the Verde Valley and Cochise County) with shorter stays in Colorado, California and New Mexico. Right now I am in Colorado Springs for awhile but hope to get back farther south within a year or so.

Venus:
I grew up in Southwestern Ontario and still call it home. I love it here! Ontario offers the best of so many things; food, culture, arts, entertainment, and nature.

Kimberly: I grew up on a dairy farm in southern Michigan. Yes, I was the farmer’s daughter (smile).At the present time, I am living in the same area, but my husband’s new job has us planning a move to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Danielle:
Seriously? Oh my goodness that is right by me!!! You can visit me!!!

Kimberly: I spent four years in Pennsylvania and two years in Oklahoma all for his job.

Danielle: Hi Mary! Hello everyone. Thank you for inviting me. I just love being invited to a party on such a nice sunny day. Funny you should ask where I grew up…I can honestly say here and there with a straight face and mean it. I have been to 13 different schools. My dad was in the Air Force which makes me a brat…I heard you snicker Kimberly! I was born in London, England. At the tender age of 6 months we moved to Lubbock, Texas. At age 4 we moved to Nellis Air Force base on the outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada. At age 8 we moved to a small town Keysville, New York. From there we kind of bumped around to different spots in northern New York. After my parents divorced my mother took us and moved us to a little town in northern Michigan. I have lived here in East Jordan, Michigan ever since. It is a very small town (one stop light). If you are looking at your left hand palm down, I live in the ring finger cuticle. LOL.

Kimberly:
At least you live up to the title of brat, Danielle. *grin*

Maura:  I grew up in and live in Riverhead, a small town on the East End of Long Island.

Hollie
: Hi Mary, thanks for having us, I’m the Brit in the Group, I was born in N. Ireland but I grow in West Yorkshire, I now live in a tiny village just south of York in the North Yorkshire countryside with my husband, 4 kids and 2 dogs.

Lisa: I grew up in New Rochelle, NY, a suburb about 40 minutes north of New York City. You might know it from the Dick Van Dyke show actually. For the moment, I live in Pittsburgh.

Amy R: I’m an author and I write for Ellora’s Cave, Cerridwen Press, Eternal Press and Samhain Publishing. I grew up in a suburb of Toronto, Ontario known as Whitby, but now I currently reside in  London, Ontario … not England. I’m a Canadian through and through. 

Brenda:  I grew up in Texas with a detour to Washington state long enough to keep the accent to a minimum.  I graduated from high school in Amarillo, Texas, the first year the schools were integrated and went to college for a couple of years until they told me to take a break.  I did.  Spent 14 years in the Army and now I’m back on the farm in Dimmitt, Texas.

Betty: I grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada, and consider myself fortunate to be a lifelong resident. Up until my early working years, I lived in a number of small towns (Dad worked for the telephone company, so we moved as much as army brats), but since 1991, I’ve made my home in the capital city, Halifax.

Kellyann: I’m an author now and I’d have to say that I grew up in the neighborhoods and lands created by great authors like Jerzy Kinski (some quick growing up there), Kurt Vonnegut, Sir Walter Scott, Billy Shakespeare, Stephen King, Peter Benchley, George Eliot.   But my house was in Philadelphia, where I was born and raised, with a raucous, loving band of two brothers, three sisters, Irish-born Mom and Philly-born Dad, in an Irish Catholic neighborhood.

Mary: I love hearing about everyone! How did you find Coffee Time? And what made you join their crew? And what do you do, are you a reviewer or something else?

Karenne: Well I am the webmsitress, maker of rules, and Supreme Nag-O-Nator

Mary: Karenne, you a Nag-O-Nator? I just can’t picture it. LOL.

Karenne:  Awww, you know me so well!

Danielle: It really doesn’t take much to imagine Karenne as a Nag-O-Nator. I swear every time she cracks her whip I can hear theme music. It sounds very naggish!!! LOL.

Kimberly: She can wield a mean whip though when she needs to.

AzGaye: I honestly can’t recall how I first found Coffee Time or did they find  me? Naw, I’m not that infamous.  But it was not long after they opened their doors. I reviewed for them for two or three years and managed to meet Brenda M in Reno where I was crashing RWA National in about 2006 with a pal. Have yet to meet any of the others but we’re all good cyber pals. I dropped out for a bit and just came back to be a part-time live chat moderator and I’m taking over the revamped monthly Book Brew with the Coffee Crew event.

Mary: Hey, I was in Reno, that was my very first RWA!

Venus: I'm a reviewer for Coffee Time and I heard about this wonderful bunch of ladies from a fellow reviewer so I sent an email and before i knew it I was part of the coffee crew.

Kimberly:
We had just moved to Oklahoma and I had my first computer with internet connection. I was cruising through Yasmine Galenorn’s site when I came across something talking about Coffee Time Romance so I checked it out. My husband had been bugging me for years to review books since I love to read as much as I do and I give people suggestions about what I liked about a book or didn’t like. I played around with the idea for about 2 months before I actually submitted a review. I joined because I am a homemaker had some time on my hands and you know what they say about idle hands. Karenne now keeps my hands busy with book reviews and coordinating contests.

Danielle:
I actually came across Coffee Time through their newsletter. I can honestly say I have no idea how I became subscribed to the newsletter. But I remember there being a recommendation for Rhiannon Byrd’s harlequin paranormal series and I was impressed with their apt description. One day I was reading the newsletter and there was a mention about looking for more reviewers. So I used Jacquelyn Frank’s Jacob book and submitted a mock review to Karenne. From there it rolled pretty fast. I do book reviews, author interviews, help with the calendar, help keep the reviews from being duplicated, and just about everything else Karenne asks me to do in my spare time.

Maura:  I am a reviewer.  As a rabid reader, I was intrigued by the idea of writing reviews of the books I have read.  Coffee Time has such a great site, I couldn’t wait to join the staff.

Hollie: I found the Coffee Time Forum from Keri Arthur’s website, a while later Karenne invited me to be a forum moderator and it sort of went from there, I now co-ordinate the Readers Retreat and Coffee Write as well as reviewing.

Lisa: I knew about Coffee Time from back when I just a reader and not an author. When I heard they were looking for people to moderate the Yahoo chat groups I totally jumped at the opportunity! I am not a reviewer though. I host the Erotic and Chatters Yahoo groups on Fridays.

Amy R: I’ve always known about Coffee Time since selling my first book. I’m not a reviewer for CTR, I’m a Yahoo Loop Moderator. I decided to join the crew because I figured I was hanging out there so much anyways. LOL!

Brenda:  I’m not real sure I found Coffee Time.  It found me.  Karenne is my BFF.  She is also very persuasive.  I’m the Review Coordinator.  She is a Nag-O-Nator.  That’s how is came about.

Betty: I’m a chat moderator. I found the Crew by chance after I started editing romance titles for Virtual Tales.

Kellyann: I joined the Crew because I really enjoy the Coffee Time Romance site and the energy that Karenne creates for the whole crew.  I’m an author of paranormal romance so I can find a lot of camaraderie at CTR.

Mary: Tell us what your favorite part of working with Coffee Time Romance & More is?

Karenne: 
My Coffee Crew staffers.  I love each and every one of them and feel blessed everyday to be able to be in their lives.  Plus... I love the creativeness of authors.  Always amazes me what kind of world and adventures come out of the mind of authors.

AzGaye: Sharing books and chat and fun with friends! I have loved books for longer than I care to admit being around and a chance to talk about them, compare notes and kid around with a great bunch of folks who I consider dear friends   is just too kewl to miss!

Venus:
It's definitely a tie between the books and the other coffee crew members :-) I love to read and these ladies are wonderful to work with.

Kimberly:
It has to be the people. We are all a little twisted in the head, but in a fun way. We are a family and as much as I move, I like being able to take my family with me inside my computer. I’ve met people from around the world who have become my friends. But the authors are another big plus. I have met and read some of the most incredible books that I wouldn’t have paid any attention to in the book store. It is an amazing experience.

Danielle: Definitely the books. Not so much that I get the chance to read books as the fact that my eyes have been opened to sooo many different genres. Things I would NEVER have considered reading before. And how much more in tune I seem to be with authors, their characters, and the emotions they are trying to portray. I have had to learn quite a bit about the process. There have been times I have not said something that is PC but the Jr. editors, Sr. editors, and Karenne are amazing support staff who really help out. When I wrote my first review I was so impressed with myself. That is until my Jr. editor  (wonder who that was??? LOL) came back with all of these red sentences in between my own. I thought I was going to cry. But once I sat back and read her notes, I knew that she made sense.

Maura: 
The books of course and the crazily wonderful staff.

Danielle: Did you call me crazy Maura? Who have you been talking to? I thought those rumors stopped! Dang it!!! Kimberlyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!

Hollie:
the best bit is the differences, between everyone we have people from very different places and backgrounds, but support each other not just with reviewing but also life, there is always someone about to chat to or whine at or generally have a good gossip with.

Lisa:  Meeting all the wonderful authors and readers!

Amy R: The people. The rest of the crew, the readers and the other authors are so much fun to chat with.

Brenda:  Books.  I Love to READ.  When you start reading by flashlight at 5 a.m. in the 4th Grade, you are a certified addict.

Betty: Besides a shared love of words, they’re all as crazy as I am. In a good way.

Kellyann:  It’s the books and the opinions and the insights and the laughs.

Thanks all for Monday, hope to see you back tomorrow! Everyone get a good night’s sleep because we have a lot more coming!

Comments

Hollie said…
Hey everyone, my day has been good, it was my first day at uni only a hour long 'we are your tutors' thing this morning, but i did find the students union building :).

Going to get the kids from school now, i'll be back later

Hollie
Lindsay said…
Danielle, no picking on Maura. Besides being a, well sort of New Englander, she gave me a good review. Which begs me to ask the question-How or who decides which of you marvelous ladies reviews which book?
Thanks Mary, you have a beautiful garden (wink)

Thank you for inviting us to join you this week!
Anonymous said…
I'm glad you had a good day, Hollie! Good luck with everything!
Lindsay, our lovely Brenda (Review Coordinator) has a list of the genres that each reviewer will or will not review. Then, she uses those preferences (to the best of her ability) to send out the books to us. I cannot imagine doing her job. She manages to get it right all of the time (at least with me).
As for Danielle, well, I didn't start the rumors... I just added more fuel:)
Stephanie Barko said…
My favorite Halloween recipe is spicy pumpkin pie. Mine is a combo of fresh ingredients and 3 full tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice. Yum! Gourds rule!
Mary said…
Stephanie that sounds fab!

Hollie, Lindsay, Karenne, Kimberly and everyone else who drops by today and all week, thank you!

Don't forget to post recipes they are all in a drawing after November 1st for a download for one of my books!
Sylvie said…
What a unique garden! Lots of fun and gossip. Enjoyed my visit :)
Hi Stephanie

Good to see you! I can't believe you had time (she has been busy giving away daily books) to sit down let alone visit us (wink)

Stop by and win a book:
http://stephaniebarko.com/
Lindsay said…
Speaking of winning books-This is for any of you caffeine ladies. I read ebooks on my iPhone. Are your downloadable books compatible and are you planning to get an iPhone app sometime in the near future?
Danielle said…
Sorry I am late to the party..I have been immersed in the Bones, season 2. I love Booth and Bones. Sigh...Anyway, hello everyone! Rumors about me? Who started rumors? Kimberlyyyyy!!!! I didn't break ALL the toys you know...As for picking on Maura...if I didn't pick on everyone, they would assume something was wrong with me. Something more than my normally twisted self. Grin :-)
Lisa Fox said…
You have a lovely garden, Mary. Thanks for having me over!
waves to Lisa! Glad to see you here
Hi everyone. Its nice to see you all here with Mary, she is such a sweetie!!!

-Brandy
brandyzbooks@yahoo.com
Mary said…
You guys have me blushing and it's only Monday LOL. I'll have a really big head by the end of the week!
Hollie said…
I'm going to say good night ladies, it's nearly 9pm and i need to get everything organised for tomorrow yet.
Anonymous said…
I didn't start the rumors, Danielle! I fed the fire that was starting to die down:)
Good night, dear Hollie!
I thought I'd take a break from packing to see what was happening in the garden.
I agree with the rest of you...Mary's the best!
Danielle said…
So it was you Kimberly that started the rumors! LOL...
Mary said…
Thanks everyone for joining us today. It's been fun reading all the comments.

See you all tomorrow!
Mary
Anonymous said…
What a great chat :) I enjoyed reading it.
Boops_Girl5 said…
I like this one for Halloween
1 oz of Cointreau
3 oz of Cranberry Juice (pour in first so it settles on the bottom to look like blood)
½ oz of Lime Juice
3 oz of Dark Rum (the good stuff).
Shake it up with some ice. Strain into a chilled Snifter. Serve with one of the fake Eyes you can freeze. Called the Bloody Eye!

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