Doing It with Passion

Because a lot of our family time is attending sporting events, I get to hear the National Anthem a lot. Many different versions, many different settings, and many different methods.

Recently, I realized I've started categorizing each rendition I hear.

The most disappointing are the "look at me!" types. The ones who drag it out to twice as long as it should be, showing off all the fancy stuff they can do with their throats. They really seem to be focused on themselves, on being impressive. And on trying to make everyone recognize how oh-so-special they are.

There may be a venue where that's appropriate. The National Anthem probably shouldn't be it, though I do understand that its very nature must make it hard to resist.

Another type is the nervous amateur. They deserve the most applause, IMO. Probably pushed out there by someone or something not completely in their control, singing one of the hardest songs to sing in front of huge, judgy crowds of people. I think that takes incredible bravery, especially when it's kids.

We also have the pros. You know, the military quartets and traveling choirs, the people who sing with quiet confidence, who care as much about the teamwork as the soccer players or football players do.

But then you have my favorites. The people who sing with passion. They don't care about the crowd or how they look or even how they sound. They close their eyes and lose themselves in the music. I think this is why Whitney Houston's rendition is considered by so many to be the best ever. She tells a story with her voice. The song is about the emotions inspired by the events and the symbolism of the song. Yes, she has off-the-charts talent, but how much of it was simply because of her joy in singing?

We should all be doing this. It's not possible, I know, to imbue everything we do with joy and passion. I will never engage in passionate grocery shopping or joyful laundry for example. And it's disingenuous to imply that every job can be approached that way. But I think it's good to concentrate on what something gives us internally, at least while we're creating it, rather than what it can give us externally. Write, sing, dance, play the piano, knit, garden, sculpt, paint, create with passion. It will always make the experience better.

Orphan Black Has Made Me Afraid

I admit to holding on to a bit (or way more) of naivete and blind idealism when it comes to certain issues related to casting in Hollywood. When people roar about Supernatural killing off all the ethnic and female characters, I point out that they kill off EVERYONE. If someone ever survives (Hi, Sarah from "Provenance" in season 1!) and comes back, well, we know it's goodbye. When people were up in arms about having too few females in the first "cast photo," I thought it was unfair to JJ Abrams, who is well known for using strong female characters in his shows. And then we had additional casting announcements that hopefully appeased the impatient angry masses.

I tend to believe there is oversimplification in casting allegations, and I tend to take that angle when I debate such issues because...big confession here...I'm part of the problem. I *love* The Avengers, and I don't care that it's flooded with testosterone. You can't pay me to go see August: Osage County, and I turned off Bridesmaids about 10 minutes in because it made me queasy. I don't want the movies and shows I love to go away, so I try to make the issue more complex.

A couple of days ago a friend and I were chatting about The 100. For those who don't know, that's a CW TV show set in the future, featuring kids sent from a space station down to a post-nuclear Earth to see if it's safe to come back to. I stopped watching after maybe the third episode, when a little girl killed one of my favorite characters. The fact that he happened to be black was irrelevant, but my friend said yeah, she hates that the show seems to kill off all its ethnicity. She also said, in that same conversation, that Orphan Black wasn't getting the credit it was due because it's a female-centric show.

OB does get tons of credit, at least as far as gen-pop buzz goes. Tatiana Maslany, who has played 9 different, very distinct characters, has won her second Critics Choice Award and everyone raves about her skill. But of course by "credit" we mean Top Honors, aka an Emmy. We have a little while before we find out whether she'll be nominated. The show itself probably will never get a nomination, because it's very genre, it's on BBCAmerica, and the competition is fierce. But NO ONE on TV can possibly be giving as good of a performance as Maslany is right now. I argued that the genre and the network were bigger marks against the show than the fact that there are more women at center focus than men.

But a gamechanger occurred in last night's finale. We learned there are male clones, so the guy who has been playing Mark will get a chance to do what Tat does. And now I'm scared. This is a perfect chance for my friend to be proven right. If this guy gets more acclaim than Tat has (which, like I said, would be difficult in terms of buzz) I'll be forced to admit that the level of gender bias in television is disgustingly deep-seated.

So come on, Hollywood. For once prove all the others wrong. Give us a reason to put this topic to bed, at least for a little while!

My Chris Pine Mini Marathon

Last week, I read a blog post about romantic comedies with geeky characters. And one of the suggested films was Blind Dating.

So I got it out of the library. It was adorable. Chris Pine did a very good job pretending to be both blind AND geeky AND insecure, and he's also got a talent for displaying passion. (Not that kind, although sometimes that kind.)

Someone else had mentioned watching Unstoppable on Facebook. That was one that had been on my Netflix list before we ditched Netflix, so I got that from the library too. I liked it! The people on FB thought the beginning was slow, but I didn't. It had good enough cinematography and characterization to keep me interested until the tension started ramping up. Plus, Chris Pine was usually on the screen. I liked the story and the balance of heroism between the two characters (three, if you counted the welder guy).

So then I got Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, which had already been on my list because I didn't get to see it in the theater. By now, we've seen Chris Pine as a rugged action hero several times. But in this reboot (I assume it's a reboot because of the 9/11 stuff and moving up young Jack Ryan into the present, but I don't read the books so who the heck knows.) he's an intellectual more than a physical hero. Not completely. I mean, he was a Marine. But in his first foray into the field, he sells his fear and lack of confidence even while he balances it with doing the right thing. I loved the scene on the plane where he's getting all take-charge and showing off his brains.

Kiera Knightly was good, though she distracted me with her American accent. And I kept looking at the Russian bad guy going "He looks just like Kenneth Brannagh, but he can't be Kenneth Brannagh." Guess what? He's Kenneth Brannagh!


So what's next? I own these two:

I might just watch them again. And...I confess. I just added This Means War to my library requests. I've seen it, and it's kind of icky in places, and some of it isn't well written, but... I'm on a Chris Pine kick! It's low level, not nearly to the heights that my Brendan Fraser obsession went. (Ooh, maybe I should start that again...) But it's still buzzing. :)

What's your favorite Chris Pine movie? Do you get on these actor kicks like I do?

Weird Discoveries at the Soccer Match

I made two discoveries at the soccer game on Saturday, neither of which had anything to do with soccer.

OWU Guy
Number One had worn her new Cleveland Browns ballcap to the game. A guy sitting near us spotted it and, as people are always surprised to find Browns fans in the heart of Steeler country, he commented on it. He grew up in Akron, and played high school football on the same field (at Baldwin Wallace University) as my husband did. They reminisced about the old region for a while, and then the guy mentions OWU. Turns out he went to Ohio Wesleyan University, same as we did! Albeit a decade after I graduated.

It's amazing how amazed we continually are by these small-world coincidences, common though they are. It's like the summer we went to Tennessee for vacation and the people in the cabin next door live two blocks from us back home. Weird!

Cyst
So Number One is talking about the bruising on the webbing of her thumb from using the mop at work so much, and I comment that the pad on my right hand right below my index finger only ever hurts when I'm driving. Like, EVER. But I just kind of figured it was tenderness from the steering wheel. I grip the wheel gingerly and otherwise don't think about it.

But talking about it had me probing the area, and holy cow! I found a cyst in my hand! That's the most padded part of my hand so I hadn't ever probed that hard. It wasn't otherwise detectable. It's right over the lowest joint so I'm pretty sure it's a ganglion cyst. I had one in my wrist when I was a teenager. It went away by itself, so it's no big deal, just one of those "huh" things.

Except probing it was apparently really stupid, because today it's huge and every time I used my hand for support (like to get up at my desk or something), it hurt. And I can feel it just brushing my thumb over the area, no probing necessary. Idiot.

So what weird discovery have YOU made lately?

A Little Bit of TV Love and Hate. We'll Start with the Hate.

It's the end of the main TV season, and I have a few things to say. THERE ARE TONS OF SPOILERS HERE.

Revenge
My boss and I watch this show and break it down every week. It's been fun, because it's very much not the kind of show either of us would normally watch, and we have extremely different tastes. But we normally feel the same about what happens in each episode. We love the same characters (Nolan and Jack, natch, and Victoria and Conrad for the opposite reasons). We hate the same storylines. And we are very disappointed in the finale.

I'm speaking only for myself, but there was a lot of "oh, come on!" The network (probably our local affiliate) screwed up and had a big blank spot where a commercial should have been, then the commercial, and then we landed halfway through Aiden's murder. That left me feeling cold and disengaged. I knew Aiden was going to die, though the showrunners seem to think that was a big surprise, and that might have contributed to my lack of caring. I liked Aiden, and I liked Emily with him, especially at the end, but it was always clear they weren't destined to be together. I figured he'd die heroically. There was nothing heroic in being paralyzed and smothered, and how the hell are we supposed to believe Victoria dragged his body from the city to the Hamptons and posed it in Emily's house? He was paralyzed so I guess the look on his face could have been frozen there, but he was paralyzed so how did his mouth get that open, AFTER a pillow was smashed against it? The whole doll thing was just stupid.

Then there was Charlotte cluing in to Jack's involvement in her abduction. She's a pretty dumb person in a lot of ways, but NOW she gets smart and doesn't confront someone about something? The cops can't really hold Jack. Charlotte thinking his hand felt the same and that she might have felt the rip in his car seat through her jacket and clothing is so far from real evidence it's not even funny. But that's all for the future. The drama and "uh-oh" of it were fine.

But the truly gasp-worthy moment? David orchestrating Conrad's escape and then knifing him in the street? WTF?!

They've teased the possibility of him being alive in a variety of ways all season, but successfully dismissed each one. Then in the finale they showed him on TV incessantly, in footage I don't think we've seen before, which of course was so we'd be sure to recognize him when he shows up on that rural road. I admit, I gasped hard. But this man who has JUST been cleared of crimes he did not commit decides the way to celebrate is to become a murderer? I mean...if you could get any more ridiculous than posing a dead guy to look like a blow-up doll, this was it. I assume he's going to come out of the shadows. And just how does he explain to his daughter why he let her think he was dead? Not to mention that hey, he's the most likely suspect for the knifing!

I think the Revenge writer's room got a little too hung up on Scandal-style shock value and forgot to support their story.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Last night's finale left me feeling the complete opposite of how Revenge did. There was so much awesomeness it's hard to know where to begin.

Okay, let's go with the big one. I told my friend Gail over at SciFi Chicks that I expected Fury's bit to be short. But it was delightfully not! First, he had the best intro moment possible, when Simmons drags Fitz to the surface and there's good ol' Nick to save them. Then his banter with Coulson while Garrett tries to be the center of attention was hilarious. He INTERRUPTED him. We had to watch a couple of parts a second time. I'm sure others would stone me for saying this, but I think Nick Fury is SLJ's best role ever. :)

Coulson still manages to upstage him, though. Garrett survives the blast from a newly freed Mike/Deathlok and rebuilds himself with Quinn's fancy rebuilding machine, then begins to declare himself unstoppable before being interrupted (again) by a molecularizing weapon wielded by Coulson, who has no comment, no real reaction, and walks away saying "Found it! Told you it would be in here." It all plays such delightful fun with the melodrama of action-adventure.

Some fans (Gail!) dislike Skye with a surprising (to me) level of intensity. I've always liked her, though she's about sixth on my list of favorite team members. I really enjoyed her empowerment (I know, that's a bit of an exaggeration). She's had the least to contribute to the team over the season as a whole, but this time she got to free people and save lives and employ her skills to hugely successful results, and was able to dismiss Ward and pass him off to May for punishment. And oh, what fantastic punishment! Nailing his foot to the floor was one of the bits we rewound. :)

Then there was FitzSimmons. Goddamn, they broke my heart right before the escape. Fitz, for cripes sake, leave my heart alone! He shredded me with "I don't have the courage to tell you, so let me show you." Us hard-hearted, unsentimental Damschroder females admitted to getting a little teary. Number Two is absolutely furious that we didn't get to see him at the end, and the potential implications of his changes.

But the very best moment was when Coulson confronted Fury about T.A.H.I.T.I., saying it was only to be used if an Avenger fell. Fury shoots back, "Exactly" and Coulson's expression is just perfect. They set up the second season amazingly well, IMO.

Oooh! Ooh! And THEN. Agent Koenig! A different one (twins? clones? LMDs?), but played as the same kind of guy, and that was the cherry topping on the big pile of yummy whipped cream that's the only reason to bother eating cake (or pie) in the first place.

As with any show, there are a few tiny quibbly things that would mar the joy with too much scrutiny, so I'm ignoring them. :)

And that is puh-lenty of both gushing and ranting for one (way too long) blog post! If you watch these two shows, let me know your thoughts!

Today I Finally Broke Open

The Reason I Couldn't Clean the Gutters

As I mentioned an annoying number of times this winter, it was a long, wearying one. I spoke with many people about how little energy we had, how little impetus to do anything. The cold and snow were confining.

I was excited when the birds came back. Even when a mourning dove laid eggs on our extension ladder. But while it heralded spring, it didn't really change how I felt. I'd get momentary spurts of happiness when I heard the singing and chirping, but when I opened my office window to let in fresh air, thirty seconds later I was closing it and turning my space heater back on.

Last week Laverne had babies.

My husband named her Laverne because a robin moved in about two feet to the left of Laverne's nest. She's called Shirley. We put up little tape labels with their names on them. I don't have a picture of Shirley, because she flies off frantically every time we go outside. She's probably upset, despite the way the two of them fought, because a few days after the two babies hatched, they and Laverne moved on. They pushed the nest off the back of the ladder and disappeared. (I'm going with "they fledge fast" because I can't handle any other possible explanation and there's no evidence that's not what happened.) Anyway, I think Shirley misses her roommate.

ANYway, we've had some nice days, and I've been outside a bit doing yardwork and whatnot, but "it" hadn't happened yet. Cuz, you know, every time it hit 70, the next night it was back to 30 and all the people who were told NOT to plant their tomatoes until May 15 started screaming that their tomatoes were dead. Last week, we went to pick up Number One from college in Boston and I couldn't believe it was May 1 and there were NO leaves even budding on the trees there. In the city itself there was a hint of green, and a few flowering trees were starting to get some color, but in the rest of New England it might as well have been February. So depressing.

Then today I drove Number One to work and had lunch with my husband and did some flower shopping. We bought a couple of annuals and these:

And I spent a few minutes admiring the lushness in our front bed:

It's at least a month later than the azaleas usually bloom! But those lilies and hosta are gonna be monsters. Foy!

After I'd loaded up the car I took a spin through the trees and shrubs section of Ashcombe, which is in the parking lot. My husband was already back in his office so I was able to refrain from spending more money, but I did pick out what I want to get later this month.

I drove home with the windows all down and music blasting on the radio, me belting out "Addicted" by Kelly Clarkson (except the high parts; SO can't do those) and other rocking songs. And it happened about halfway down Lisburn Road. The "click." The moment when everything breaks open and euphoria fills me up. I finally feel unfettered and energetic, and pleeeeaaaassseeee, Mother Nature, hold off on the 85-95 degrees for a few months, okay?!

How's YOUR spring going?

Book Covers and Movies and Tweets and Stuff

I am so freaking tired, I'm sitting here staring at the computer and trying to find some little ounce of energy to do something. Anything. It really is not a good idea for me to go to bed at 12:15 a.m. and get up at 5:00 a.m., after first getting up at 4:00 a.m. to feed the cats so they stop scratching at the freaking doors.

So I got the final print cover for Acceptable Risks, which comes out in mass market paperback in June. It's pretty much the original cover with the new Carina logo and some added richness and contrast, I think. I'm excited! This is my favorite of my three Carina books. If you're in the romantic suspense Reader Service, you'll get this one!

I am not much for independent films. I tend to find them morose, dull, navel-gazing, and/or weird. The bigger accolades the critics give an independent film, the less I tend to like it (assuming I cave to the praise and give it a try).

Things started to break with Silver Linings Playbook. I was wary of the mental illness plot, but I love both Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper (every time I type his name I want to go back and watch Alias again), and I love football. Lo and behold, the movie was funny and sweet and had an uplifting ending that surprised me.

Last night I watched an independent film that I absolutely loved. Well, it was Joss Whedon, so that's not a surprise. The ending was a little too Hollywood (dramatically satisfying without much thought to the consequences of events and what would happen after the credits rolled), but the acting and editing were absolutely superb, and the characterization and cinematography equally so. I rented it last night, and since I haven't stopped thinking about it all day, I'd say it was well worth the $5. Check it out:



Last night or maybe this morning, I don't know, it all runs together, I watched the trailer for Clark Gregg's Trust Me, and it looks delightful. Now, admittedly I've got a bit of a crush on Clark Gregg. Some of it is why the rest of the world is crushing on him (i.e. Agent Coulson) but he's a Massachusetts native and went to my college and is a writer. And he's always super-gracious to all the Twitter whiners who beg him to tweet them. So check THIS out:



And finally, there's the movie called Authors Anonymous that also looks cute and funny and not dull or depressing, though I'm not as eager for that one because a) I've been burned before by movies that portray author-dom in a completely ridiculous way (I'm looking at YOU, Cheaper by the Dozen), and b) the cast doesn't excite me as much as the other two movies did/do.

Okay, that's book covers and movies... Oh, tweets! Yeah, I thought I had 10k tweets exactly this morning because Twitter said 10k, but then I pointed to it this afternoon and it said 10,004, so I missed it. That made me a little sad, especially since I'd already posted a tweet about it that was wrong. Oh, well. I gotta be wrong sometimes. It validates all my rightness. :)

Stuff...

Why do we have so much freaking mulch? We'll be shoveling it around the property all summer long.

The mulch-shoveling is extra annoying because I also have to do a big heavy cleaning of my house, with my inlaws coming later next week to stay with Number Two while we go to Boston to pick up Number One from college. Cleaning and yardwork take away from writing time, and that's frustrating. So I should write now, except I'm pretty brain-dead.

This came out okay, though. Maybe I'll have my heroine do some blogging...

Grocery Store Fantasies (of the Non-Food Variety)

I just made a quick run to the grocery store for pancake mix for Number Two's birthday breakfast tomorrow. (We HAD pancake mix, but it turns out it expired in January. :/ )

So on my way out I watch a woman with a giant SUV parked 4 spots from the store using her free hand (she was on her cell phone, natch) to stick her grocery cart in between the cars. Rather than taking 30 seconds to run it up to the walkway.

As I passed it, I deliberately-accidentally bumped into it, but it didn't go anywhere. That made me sad. So here's my fantasy, edited twice in my head on the drive home, because that's my job. :)

I "bump" the cart hard enough to knock it into her shiny planet-killer. She leans back out the partially open door of her vehicle to yell at me.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I say, grabbing the cart, even though it's too late to save her paint job. "The person who left this here obviously didn't care about what happened to people's cars."

And then I leave it there and walk away to my 16-year-old Toyota that can totally stand up to any carts left in the lot, and then carefully put my cart in the corral, because I always do.

That would have been trés satisfying, non?

What kind of confrontation have you fantasized about lately?

Second Honeymoon Book Tour by Sara Walter Ellwood

Gambling On A Secret

Book 1 of The Colton Gamblers

Blurb:

When Charli bets everything on a secret, will she find the deck stacked against her?

Former runaway-turned heiress Charli Monroe is hiding her sordid past and planning a future in Colton, Texas. Attending the local college for a degree in social work, she intends to raise cattle on her newly purchased ranch, which she plans to open as a home for troubled teens. Only a few glitches—the Victorian mansion is crumbling, the barn needs a roof, and her oilman neighbor wants more than friendship. When she meets Dylan Quinn, Charli is willing to take a chance on the town drunk to help her rebuild the rundown ranch.

Dylan has his demons, too. The former Special Forces commander can’t get past his ex-wife’s betrayal and the botched mission that left him with much more than a bad limp. Certain the greedy oilman next door to Charli wants much more than just her heart, Dylan’s even willing to stop drinking in order to protect her.

When things get dangerous and secrets of the past are revealed, is he only looking out for his new employer, or is she the new start he so desperately needs?

Buy Links:

Lyrical Press | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo

~*~

Gambling On A Heart

Book 2 of The Colton Gamblers

Blurb:

She once lost his heart on a bluff. Will she risk everything to win it back?

Beautician Tracy Quinn spends her days making the women of Colton, Texas beautiful, while living down the nickname of Olive Oyl, given to her by the only man she has ever loved—Zack Cartwright. She spends her nights alone, despite what her ex husband wants their friends and neighbors to think.

Ex-rodeo cowboy. Ex-bad-boy. Ex-Marine. Widower and single dad Sheriff Zack Cartwright can describe his life in exes. One ex in particular reminds him of what’s missing in his workaholic life: Tracy Quinn. For years since she broke his heart, he’s practically made avoiding her a second job. He still wants her, but can never go after her.

When cattle rustlers target her brother’s ranch, Tracy and Zack are stuck working together. Her son could use a positive male role model, and his daughter is wild for a chance at a “substitute” mom. But Tracy’s ex threatens to sue if she lets Zack near her son, and the Colton grapevine is abuzz with rumors about their past relationship. Is it worth the gamble to see if what they have is more than lust?

Buy Links:

Lyrical Press | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo

~*~

Heartstrings

Blurb:

He’s determined to set things right, no matter the cost.

The last person Abby Crawford wants to face down is country music superstar Seth Kendall. Last time she did, she flat-out lied so he’d go to Nashville without her. She’s never understood why their mutual best friend proposed, but she went with it so her baby wouldn’t be fatherless. Now she’s a divorced mother of a teenager, and secretly Seth’s biggest fan.

Seth is home in McAllister, Texas for his father’s funeral…and a chance to meet the daughter he’s never known. He’s willing to face the music of his own making and admit he’s known about his little girl all along. For fifteen years he’s kept his distance because Abby told him to follow his dreams without her, insisting she didn’t love him. But now he won’t leave until he knows his daughter and she knows him, even if it means facing the woman who broke his heart for good.

Confessing she’s lied about her daughter’s paternity all these years won’t be easy for Abby, especially with her ex blackmailing her to keep the secret. And Seth doesn’t know the hardest truth of all: Every love song he plays on his guitar still plucks her heartstrings.

Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wGmgAkdsyM

Buy Links:

Lyrical Press | Amazon | Barns and Noble | iTunes | Kobo

~*~

About Sara…

Although Sara Walter Ellwood has long ago left the farm for the glamour of the big town, she draws on her experiences growing up on a small hobby farm in West Central Pennsylvania to write her contemporary westerns. She’s been married to her college sweetheart for over 20 years, and they have two teenagers and one very spoiled rescue cat named Penny. She longs to visit the places she writes about and jokes she’s a cowgirl at heart stuck in Pennsylvania suburbia. She also has paranormal romantic suspense published under the pen name Cera duBois.

Author links:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter Signup

~*~

Follow the Second Honeymoon Blog Tour HERE

~*~

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

Sara is giving away a beautiful treasure box full of goodies:

1. A thumb drive containing Sara’s novella The Birthday Fantasy and her paranormals A Hunter’s Angel and A Hunter’s Blade

2. A signed paperback copy of Carolyn Brown’s Just a Cowboy and His Baby

3. A retractable black ink pen

4. A decorative diary style notebook

5. A mouse pad

6. Sara’s own custom designed jewelry (necklace and earring set)

7. $10 Starbucks gift card and more.

A total prize package valued at $100.

The giveaway ends April 30 and the winner of the Swag Pack will be announced on May 1, 2014. Must be 18 years old or older and a resident of the USA to qualify. Void where prohibited by law. See http://sarawalterellwood.wordpress.com/giveaway-rules/ for complete list of terms and rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filling You In, Catching You Up

This is why I couldn't clean out my gutters.

So today I thought I'd update you on some of the things I've posted about recently. (Of course, "recently" is a relative term. Heh.)

There's a new thing to add to my "Happy" list. This Saturday is the City Islanders home opener. Local professional soccer. I have come to love attending these games so much, and I have occasional anxiety about it because Number Two is finishing her freshman year in high school so the countdown has begun to when I have an empty nest. Now, no kids in the house does not bother me. Them moving on to their own lives, possibly far away? Great! That's what's supposed to happen! I have plenty to keep me busy and Number One can tell you I'm not the Meddling Mom type.

But what if they do both decide to live several hours away? What will I do about the City Islanders? My husband only goes to a couple of games a year because it's a family thing. I have no friends who like soccer. Do I really want to be that creepy woman all alone in the top corner of Section 7 every summer?

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I have not been killed by Silent Sam. So there's that.

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I got to read Misty Simon's next Ink book, Protective Ink. It's even better than Wicked Ink! I'm very happy to say she's hard at work on the next one and has ideas for the one after that, so we're set for a while! :)
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I'm writing lots! Well, in comparison to the not lots I was doing before. Harte and Soul is going well, and I'm pleased with its progress. I'm really tickled by the imaginative idea I had in the current chapter. It's a small thing, but it made me smile. Aftershocks is under consideration by my publisher so I'll let you all know if/when I have news on that. It's a little different from my usual romantic adventures, in that it's longer than the ones that have been published recently, and there's some ambiguity about the hero. As in, there are two guys who could potentially win my heroine. That's risky!

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Plumbing! This is the main reason for this post, because I never updated you all on the clog situation, and I'm sure that bothered you as much as it bothered me that there's not a sequel to Kasie West's Split Second.

So my expert plumber guy came out, used a powered snake, sent that about 20 feet through the pipes, closed everything up, and the clog was still there. So he opened it all up again, went 42 feet, which is an incredible distance and HAD to be outside the house. Hit something he couldn't get past, which we both hoped was just a cast iron bolt in the outside plumbing and not something, like, collapsed. But that did it, and the drain has been clear ever since, and we haven't had any soggy spots in our yard or anything. So fingers crossed that's the end of it.

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Victoria Smith has a new book out! For the Love of Isaac. Which I haven't read yet. Because I am a bad friend. The pressure is off after I buy the book. But I HAVE read her next one, and it's a great paranormal that has a feeling like Supernatural. Keep watch for that!

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Okay, last one. I had a post about being sick of winter and talking about the weather, and despite spring finally making an appearance, we had a wintry mix this week and it's been in the 20s at night. Sigh. A coworker and my daughter are both all, "I refuse to wear a winter jacket in April!" and I'm like, "You know Mother Nature doesn't care, right? You're only spiting yourself." They both kind of gave me a look.

The birds are indeed ALL back, and they're nesting. On my ladder. That we need to get to the roof. So that we can put up this giant piece of flashing that fell off.

Did I say Yay, the birds are back?

There's Something to be Happy About Every Day

Hi, all! I know, you don't remember who the heck I am, since I post so infrequently! I have had little to say and no time to say it, but I've been thinking about this one for a while. So here's a quick hit, with hopefully some more rambling stuff to come soon. :)

Monday
On Mondays I am happy because there is a new Football Today podcast to listen to.

Tuesday
On Tuesdays I am happy because there is a new PFW in Progress podcast to listen to, plus Agents of SHIELD and Supernatural are on TV.

Wednesday
On Wednesdays I am happy because my Entangled sales are updated. Even though I'm far enough past my newest release that they aren't "big" anymore, it's still exciting to see how many copies have been sold. Also, my first Friday of the week, so I feel okay staying up late to watch TV shows recorded the last three days, even though I typically get up very early on Thursday, anyway.

Thursday
Another new Football Today podcast AND another new PFW in Progress podcast. I'd never get through my daily commute and household chores without them. And since it's the offseason, Ayisha Tyler's Girl on Guy and EW's Inside TV Podcast get me through the gaps, but I don't know what days those release. ALSO on Thursday, Carina sales are updated, AND I don't have to leave the house to go to work. It's my catch-up/writing day.

Friday
The busiest day at the day job is also my second Friday of the week. LOL

Saturday and Sunday need no explanation.

What makes YOU happy each day?

This Is New

I got this in spam mail last week. It really speaks for itself, don't you think?

From: yanglim177 at a yahoo e-mail address

Subject: SAD NEWS!!!

Re: YOU NEED TO SAVE YOUR LIVE

Attn:
          
I AM VERY SORRY FOR YOU, IS A PITY THAT THIS IS HOW YOUR LIFE IS GOING TO END. MY DUTY AS I AM MAILING YOU NOW IS JUST TO KILL YOU AND I HAVE TO DO IT AS I HAVE ALREADY BEEN PAID. SOMEONE YOU CALL A FRIEND WANTS YOU DEAD BY ALL MEANS, AND THE PERSON HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY ON THIS PROJECT, THE PERSON ALSO CAME TO US AND TOLD ME THAT HE WANT YOU DEAD AND HE PROVIDED US WITH YOUR NAME, PICTURE AND OTHER NECESSARY INFORMATION'S WE NEEDED ABOUT YOU. SO I SENT MY BOYS TO TRACK YOU DOWN AND THEY HAVE CARRIED OUT THE NECESSARY INVESTIGATION NEEDED FOR THE OPERATION ON YOU,  AND THEY HAVE DONE THAT BUT I TOLD THEM NOT TO KILL YOU THAT I WILL LIKE TO CONTACT YOU, NOT SINCE THEIR FINDINGS SHOWS THAT YOU ARE INNOCENT.

I CALLED MY CLIENT BACK AND ASK OF YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WHICH I DIDN'T TELL WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH IT, GAVE IT TO ME AND I AM USING IT TO CONTACT YOU NOW. AS I AM WRITING TO YOU NOW MY MEN ARE MONITORING YOU AND THEY ARE TELLING ME EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU.

WARNING: DO NOT THINK OF CONTACTING THE POLICE OR EVEN TELL ANYONE BECAUSE I WILL KNOW. REMEMBER, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS YOU VERY WELL WANT YOU DEAD! I WILL EXTEND IT TO YOUR FAMILY, IN CASE I NOTICE SOMETHING FUNNY. DO NOT COME OUT ONCE IT IS 7:PM UNTIL I MAKE OUT TIME TO SEE YOU OF THE DISCUSSION WITH THE PERSON WHO WANT YOU DEAD FOR ANY LEGAL ACTION.

TAKE CARE.
Name: SIR. SILENT (INT' KILLER)

~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, yes, it speaks for itself, but here's some commentary anyway.

Um...how am I supposed to save my live? There's no demand for me to do anything except "not come out." There's no link for them to infect me or demand reparation of some sort. So what's the point?

I love that the value of my death is only $500. Oh, no, wait, that's what my husband said he paid when I read this to him.

I have so many questions! How am I innocent? Or not innocent, if that's not a typo? Why would the person who hired SIR. SILENT to kill me give him my e-mail address without demanding to know why he wanted it? Why would he be willing to extend it to my family with no additional payment? That's not very professional.

So tell me! Anyone else getting this in their spam mail? Is there an epidemic of murder-for-hire, or am I a lucky one? :)

Listening while Writing

Today's guest is my very good friend Misty Simon, another of the authors in the Harlequin E urban fantasy launch anthology! Misty, take it away!

I know a lot of people make play lists when writing books. I’ve tried this before and have failed miserably. I tend to listen to a whole album when writing a book. Phantom of the Opera was on the iPod while I wrote Wicked Ink for the Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Box Set for Harlequin E. There was something about the dark music and the thought of what could have happened if the Phantom had been redeemed. Yes, there’s a Point of No Return but what if he’d been brought back from the edge?

It was quite the experience to write to that music and hard to find a different album to write to for the next book in the series, Protective Ink. I’ll tell you all about that when the next book comes out!

In the meantime, do you use music to set the mood? And I’m not just talking about writing. My daughter and I dance around the kitchen to techno when we’re making dinner and I have Bach for Book Lovers for when I am reading. There are Saturday night dance parties in the bathroom at my house and music is a constant. But what do you put on when you want to exercise or think or relax? Lay it on me! Maybe it will be the next soundtrack for another Ink book!

Visit me at:

Misty Simon Official Website

The Whole Shebang Site

Friend me:

Facebook

Twitter

Wicked Ink can be purchased in the Box Set in all retail outlets but here are the top sites:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Harlequin

Garrett’s gift for violence is tattooed on his flesh. Dory looks like the typical girl next door, but she has dark secrets of her own. When a predator strikes, Garrett learns that Dory is the only one who can save him. But first, he’ll have to save her….

Planes, Boats, and Nausea Relief Bracelets—Guest Blogger Naomi Bellina

Everyone, please welcome my guest Naomi Bellina, one of the authors in the Harlequin E urban fantasy launch anthology!

Every year, traveling sucks a little bit more. I take a plane trip in October to visit family and I don't know, maybe it's just me, but the whole adventure seems to be weirder each time. This last trip through the airport I had to stand in this strange machine I can only assume was scanning my body looking for contraband. The position I assumed was feet slightly apart, arms over my head with my hands almost touching. I swear, I almost rose up on my toes in a “pointe” ballet move, which would more than likely have resulted in a not-so-graceful teetering fall not to mention an increased interest in searching me more thoroughly. But it was tempting.

Riding in the airplane is actually big fun to me. I love being in the air and looking down at the landscape and the clouds. The take-off is awesome and the landing is even better! I've never been in a small plane, but that's what was required for my heroine in Her Wild Protector. Not only does she have to board a Cessna, she also has to ride in a small boat. Tara doesn't do so well with either of these and is given some relief by using bracelets designed to combat nausea. After doing the research on these, I'm thinking about getting a pair. I'm trying to work up the courage to take a cruise soon and the bracelets might be just the thing to fight off a case of the pukes. After spending one stormy night on a smaller-size gambling boat with my head in the toilet, I don't want a repeat of that.

All the research for this story was fun. I now know a lot about the Bahamas and how to get there. Only certain ones have airports large enough to land a big plane, so if you decided to go to one of the smaller islands, you'll be traveling by small plane or boat , just like Tara. Check out this great website if you want to know where you can and can't land, then enjoy this excerpt from Her Wild Protector. http://www.pilotpub.com/bahamas-airport-map.php

It's out now as part of the Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Box Set from HarlequinE, at a great price!

Buy links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo

Excerpt: 

Tara jogged inside and found the small bathroom. Obviously a male hangout. The bar of soap was dirty with grease and the seat on the toilet was up. She squatted, thankful for strong leg muscles. She washed her hands, put on lotion and ran a finger under her eyes to fix her makeup. Back at her apartment she’d taken just a minute to apply a bit of eyeliner and mascara, and the hurried application wasn’t quite a success. Under the dim lighting in this room, she looked like death warmed over. Of course, considering what she’d just seen, her pallor was understandable.

She pulled out her phone and turned it over in her hands. It wasn’t too late. She could call the cops, run out the back door, find a place to hide…

A light tapping on the door interrupted her thoughts.

“Tara, come on out of there. We need to get moving.” Marshall spoke in a low tone. She opened the door and stuck her head around.

“I don’t want to go.”

“Come here,” he beckoned, crooking his finger, still using the gentle tone one uses with a frightened animal. She emerged halfway from the bathroom. He took one hand and squeezed it, then gently pulled her all the way out. “I know you’re scared and this is all pretty strange to you. I’m going to do my best to make sure you’re safe. I promise.”

“Take off your glasses—look me in the eye and tell me that.”

He removed his shades and stared at her intently. Those gorgeous eyes! She forced herself not to focus on Marshall’s good looks but instead to study him to see if he was telling the truth. Tara liked to think she was good at reading people, but she knew she was far too trusting. Saying “I do” to Karl proved that.

In Marshall’s eyes she saw sincerity. He truly believed he could protect her and her gut feeling told her to trust him.

“I will keep you safe,” he said, still holding her hand, and this time the low timbre of his voice stirred feelings deep inside. Her knees wobbled and her heart sped up. A familiar tingle that she hadn’t felt for a long time ran between her legs and heat rose to her cheeks. She ducked her head. She would not let him see the effect he had on her. He would use that to manipulate her, she was certain. Already he’d convinced her to climb into a small tin can and fly to who knows where.

“This is the best option, believe me. If you stay here you’re in danger,” Marshall said, and still holding her hand, they walked to the airplane. The warmth and pressure of his grip gave her comfort but she pulled away, not wanting to get so drawn into his masculine presence that she couldn’t think clearly. She had a feeling that was easily possible.

“It’s got blade thingies,” she said when they reached the plane. It seemed even smaller close up.

“Propellers, we like to call them,”

“What kind of plane is this?” Still stalling, Tara walked around and kicked one of the tires. It felt solid.

“It’s a Cessna Conquest. I ride in them all the time—it’s perfectly safe. Hop in.”

She climbed the steps and looked inside.

“It’s kind of small.”

“There’s plenty of room. Grab a seat and buckle up.”

Tara did so, wiggling around. The chair was roomier and more comfortable than she remembered from her other flights, and there was enough room to stretch her legs. The interior was actually fairly spacious, she noted, now that she was seated. She let out a breath. Claustrophobia wouldn’t be a problem.

Marshall joined her a few moments later, sitting in the seat across from her.

“Hang tight, we’ll be in the air shortly. Use this if you feel nauseous.” He handed her a bag.

Tara gripped her purse as they taxied down the runway. The scenery flew past and suddenly they were in the air. Her stomach lurched and she grabbed the airsick bag Marshall had given her. The droning sound of the engine pulsed and she could feel the plane vibrate.

She turned to find Marshall watching her, his brow furrowed and a look of concern in his eyes. Damn it, she did not want to get sick. She hated to throw up, despised that burning feeling in her throat. She also found, to her annoyance, she wanted to make a good impression on Marshall. Taking a deep breath, she stole a glance out the window and was instantly distracted. The view was breathtaking! Sunlight sparkled off the water where shades of blue and green blended together to form a colorful mosaic.

“Wow, the world looks different from up here,” she said.

***************** 

About Naomi:

Naomi lives in beautiful sunny Florida with the love of her life and a magical calico cat. She writes for various fiction and non-fiction markets, but finds she is drawn to romance because her characters insist on canoodling and falling madly in love. So she lets them. Occasionally, however, they go to dark and strange places. She lets them do this also. Most of her stories will surprise readers with unexpected twists and turns, because isn't that what makes life exciting?

Her interests include dancing, hula-hooping, drumming, and creating healthy meals. She takes the opportunity to play, have fun, and indulge in the pursuit of passion whenever possible. She hopes you enjoy her stories and would love to hear from you at naomibellina(at)live(dot)com. Visit her website at http://www.naomibellina.com/ and chat on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NaomiBellinaAuthor

Her motto:  Never pass up the opportunity to have an adventure!

My Writing Process—Blog Tour

Just Released!

I was invited by Sherilee Gray to participate in the ongoing "My Writing Process" blog tour. She talked about hers last week. I find it fascinating how different we all are. :)

So here are my answers to the tour questions:

1.  What am I working on?
I have two projects going at the moment. One is a romantic adventure I'm revising called Aftershocks. Zoe's past has come back with a vengeance, threatening the life she's worked so hard to build, as well as the lives of her fiancé Kell and the people she loves. The only way to eliminate the threat is to revisit old pain. That brings her back in contact with Grant, the first guy she ever loved.

I'm also working on the third book in the paranormal romance Soul series, Harte and Soul. It's been a real struggle to find time to write this one, and I apologize to all those who've been waiting impatiently! The hero in this book is Peter Ranger, the brother of the heroine from Soul of the Dragon, and the heroine is investigating his daughter and the abilities she has.

2.  How does my work differ from others of its genre?
My paranormal romances are very grounded in today's world. The people who have abilities are either out in the open with them, or they are alone rather than part of a hidden society. That makes for some unique challenges.

My romantic adventures are different from the typical romantic suspense because they focus more on excitement than fear. My characters also tend to work around the law (or all the way outside it) rather than being members of law enforcement. They're a little closer to being regular people dealing with extraordinary circumstances.

3.  Why do I write what I do?
I guess I write what I love to read. I like fast-paced, action-oriented books with high emotional stakes and really strong heroes and heroines, and I enjoy finding circumstances that test and challenge characters like that.

4.  How does your writing process work?
I scribble ideas down at random moments, and eventually those ideas coalesce or click together into a book-sized concept. Lately, I've been working on contracted projects that were already defined, so that organic process hasn't been given much rein. That means I have several projects that are conceptualized and just waiting for me to get around to them.

Usually I start with the main ideas and the main characters and just start writing until I get stuck, then I go back and revise and/or work out where I'm going. In the case of Harte and Soul, I got solidly stuck and for the first time, I mind-mapped some of the story elements. So now I can start in a stronger position. I tend not to do a lot of preliminary work, but I keep spreadsheets and notes pages to keep track of my characters, story details, and plot points.

My process means a lot more work on the revision end, because at some point I just grab the story and run with it until the end, and that can make for some rocky progressions. :) I've been blessed with great editors who've helped me strengthen the core of the story and make sure everything is clearly motivated.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Check out Sherilee's link up above so you can read her process and the other two authors she's tagged, and next week look for new posts by these great authors:

Misty Simon loves a good story and decided one day that she would try her hand at it. Eventually she got it right. There’s nothing better in the world than making someone laugh, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places when reading her books. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two insane dogs in Central Pennsylvania where she is hard at work on her next novel or three. She loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at misty@mistysimon.com.

Victoria Smith moved eight times before finally settling in Mechanicsburg. She writes paranormal, urban fantasy, and dystopian - all with romance. Who doesn’t love a happy ending? She currently publishes with Liquid Silver Books. http://vickismith.wordpress.com/

Vicky Burkholder grew up in the Mechanicsburg area, but now lives in Lititz. Her writing spans the fantasy, science fiction, paranormal and romance lines from YA to adult. No matter the age or genre, all of her books have a touch of romance in them and have to have a happily ever after ending. She currently publishes with Liquid Silver Books and Ellora’s Cave. http://burkholv.wordpress.com/

Plumbing in My Underwear (Not a Euphemism)

Don't you hate it when something minor turns into a big thing and derails your entire day?

That happened to me yesterday. Our sink had been clogged. Slow to drain, but repeatedly clogging. When I got home from work today I tried a new, all-natural de-clogger. Didn't work. So I plunged the sink for a while. (It's okay, the all-natural de-clogger instructions said to do it. It's not like Drano.)

Ugh. I first sucked up black bits and junk and brackish water that smelled like vomit. I plunged and plunged and got nowhere. So I got a bin, put it under the pipes, and unscrewed the trap. Despite my care, the water (far more water than was in the sink itself) gushed out, bounced off the bottom of the bin, and soaked my sweatshirt.

Did I mention the water smelled like vomit?

So I took off the sweatshirt. A few minutes later, I got up and realized I had not caught the water on the floor, and I had a wet patch on my jeans. Off came the jeans.

And yes, wearing only my undergarments, I fished the trap out of the black, sick-smelling water. It was perfectly clear. Yay. Notice the lack of exclamation point. That's because the trap wasn't clear because the clog fell out of it. Oh, no. Because I replaced it and tried the sink again, and up swelled the water.

At this point, I had to go pick up Number Two at school and take her for a doctor's appointment, so I put on some clothes, threw my yucky-smelling ones into the washing machine, took care of all that, and came back, changed into old, household-chore-type clothes, and tackled the damned sink again. Fully dressed this time. So of course, I got wet again.

This time I took off several pieces of PVC pipe. All clear. It appears the main pipe into the wall is where the clog is. Due to a combination of the builder's stupidity and our installation of a deep sink, the pipes are a little convoluted. But using drain cleaner/de-clogger probably isn't going to work because it will sit in the trap instead of being pushed up to where the clog is. We can't snake it because the snake won't navigate two bends. So I'm probably calling a plumber on Monday.

On the plus side, see that piece of duct tape on the back of the sink in the photo above? I replaced that with a tightly sealed white cap. I can also proudly report that after a leeetle trial and error, I got all the weirdly cut PVC jointing back together and nothing is leaking.

At least I can feel accomplished about something.