Just Jump

Just a shallow post to say:

2012-01-21T21:15:00.001-08:00

Hello Chris Evans!!!

On the book nook - an interview with Nancy Volkers

2012-01-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

Today on my book nook, I am posting a fun interview that I did with Nancy Volkers. Come check it out!

Interview with Nancy

Some ways to interact with Nancy:

Nancy's Website

Nancy on Goodreads

Nancy on Twitter

Buy the book:
Amazon

Barnes & Noble (Nook only)

iTunes

Smashwords

New book review posted!

2012-01-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

First book review for my new review blog! YAY!!!

Come on over and read what I thought of Nancy Volker's Scotland by Starlight.

(I will be posting the links each time I review for the first few reviews over there, then probably just start doing a monthly roundup of review links over here.)

Here we go...

2012-01-09T19:57:00.001-08:00

I promised myself that I would get back in the blogging saddle with 2012. And then promptly ignored my sweet little Just Jump.

Not my fault, you see. First I got hooked on the Sherlock series that is on BBC (and Masterpiece on PBS if you don't get BBC). (Thanks, Tracie!) Oh so good!! Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock is BRILLIANT! And Martin Freeman's John Watson is so utterly charming as well. They have amazing chemistry, the total love/hate relationship. You totally know if given the chance Watson would beat Sherlock to death with the first blunt object he could find, if he didn't really like him as much as he does that is.

Then I spent some time reading. "Darkfever" by Karen Marie Moning. Again with the oh so good! I had a hard time putting it down, in fact.

Throw in work, errands, every day things...and a little dash of my favorite - procrastination. Here we are, January 9th and I'm updating finally.

I do have a little announcement...and that is the fact I am going to move the book reviews off of this blog and onto their own. You can check out Michelle's Book Nook for all my book reviews.

So new year, renewed ambition to get my blogging back up to par. Is there anything you want to see here? Anything in particular that you are wanting me to blog about? Speak now or forever hold your peace!

Hello 2012, you beautiful number!

2012-01-01T08:21:00.001-08:00

2011 was an interesting year. It was a roller coaster. 2011 started off on the uphill journey, things were going really well and starting to come together. Unfortunately, when I hit the top of the slope, the dizzying descent was not something I was prepared for and ended up struggling emotionally/mentally for a bit. However, like any true thrill ride, the rails head back up and after a few loops thrown in, the exhilaration of the year paid off.

A new position at work has led to a new outlook on life. I feel that the last five and half years that I have struggled have finally paid off. I am in a position that challenges me and lets me use my mind. I was listless most days in my previous position, now I am amazed at how fast the day flies by.

Luckily the new position came with benefits and a raise! Enough of a raise that I can move out on my own again. I love my parents dearly, but when I moved in here five and a half years ago, it was only going to be for a few months. I crave my independence and I have found the perfect apartment for me. The move in date is a little up in the air at the moment because of being on a wait list, but it will be by March.

I have spent time with good friends this year. I have made some very cool new friends and acquaintances this year. I have had to come to terms with the fact that there are some dead end relationships in my life that I need to stop hobbling along with and instead let them go.

2011 ended up teaching me lessons and that is all you can really ask for in the end.

But now it is time for 2012 to make a roaring entrance (the year of the dragon, after all) and I'm ready for it.

As always, I have had to decide on my word of the year. Last year I chose exploration. It served me well, I think. Now what shall I do for 2012?

Growth?
Delight?
Change?
Adventure?
Focus?
Clarity?
Awe?

It came down to three words that are sticking with me - BLOOM, LIVE, and THRIVE.

My 2012 word of the year is:

LIVE.

It really is that simple - Living my life is what I want to accomplish in 2012.

Life is never guaranteed. You don't know how much time you have on this earth so you need to live your life fully. Do what makes you happy. Be with people that you want to be with and never forget for one moment how truly blessed life is.

Happy New Year!

Interview with author Annie Bellet

2011-12-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

Annie Bellet is currently on tour with CLP Blog Tours and the lovely Samantha asked if I would be interested in doing an interview with Annie. I hope you enjoy!

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1. Describe a typical day of writing for you?

I don't know if I have a typical writing day. For a while I was working pretty solidly between noon and five or so, but then my husband lost his job and my schedule fell by the wayside. I've been struggling to get back to a schedule since then.

My new method I'm trying out is to set a timer for 45 minutes and write until it is done, take a break, do another session, rinse, repeat. Ideally, I'd get five or six thousand words done (about the length of a short story) in four or five "increments" like this (usually I write about 1k an hour, but I've found that with the timer on, I do that 1k in 45 minutes instead, which is kind of cool).

I also tend to bounce around on projects, usually having two or three things going at a time so that if I get stuck on something, I can let my brain work on it while I go work on a different writing project.

2. How did you celebrate the publication of your first book?

I don't know that I did. I think I was too busy writing. It was definitely a relief to have the work done (I spent 14 straight hours approving just the copy-edits). Maybe I will celebrate the sequel when it is out.

3. What is the first thing to go through your mind when you see a bad review?

That I shouldn't be reading it. Reviews are written for readers, not for me. I know I should stay away from them, (good or bad), but I just can't help myself (who can!?) so I try not to let them get me down. I'm writing the best books I can, which is all I have control over. Hopefully people enjoy them, but if they don't, me being sad about them expressing their opinion won't help anyone. And maybe a bad review will prevent someone else from reading my book who wouldn't have liked it. I want readers who like the sort of stories I'm telling, not readers who aren't my audience (which is often what a bad review indicates- that someone found the book who wasn't your audience).

4. Is there a genre that you want to write in that you haven't tackled?

I have an idea for a full on historical novel, actually. Not the sort of "borrowing from historical elements" that I've done before, but actually using real people, real events, set in a real time period, like some of the books done by Morgan Llywelyn or Dorothy Dunnett. My idea will take a lot of time and research, so we'll see if I ever get around to doing it, but I think it is good to try new things.

5. Your biography lists "many other nerdy pursuits" in your interests. What is your "nerdiest" like? (As a nerd myself, I will probably be nodding my head in agreement.)

My "nerdiest"? Hmm. Videogames are kind of mainstream now, right? I play table-top RPGs, but those are also sort of mainstream (which is great, I approve of more gamers in the world). One of the things my friends think is pretty crazy is that I watch StarCraft II videos as a sort of brain break between writing sessions, etc. It's like watching a sport (I watch high-level games mostly from Korea, but usually commentated in English). I guess that is kind of nerdy. I would play StarCraft II more, but my computer is on its last legs, and my wrists won't stand up to a lot of mouse use these days, so I try to save them for writing and get my SC2 fix by watching other people play.

6. If you were casting the movie of "A Heart in Sun and Shadow", who would you cast?

Eep. That's a tough one. I think I'd cast Molly C Quinn (she plays the daughter on Castle) as Aine, just because I think she'd do a great job of being strong/passionate and she's about the right age. For the twins, that is tougher. I think if I could find a younger, swarthier version of Michael Sheen, that would work. For Seren, maybe Tricia Helfer.

7. What is up next for you?

I'm finishing up the sequel, which is titled "The Raven King", right now. It should be out in January (maybe by the time this interview goes live).

Thank you for the opportunity to do this interview.

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Bio: Annie Bellet is a full-time speculative fiction writer. She holds a BA in English and a BA in Medieval Studies and thus can speak a smattering of useful languages such as Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Welsh.
Her short fiction has appeared in AlienSkin Magazine, Contrary Magazine, and Daily Science Fiction Magazine as well as multiple anthologies and collections.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a very demanding Bengal cat.

Official Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Annie is on tour with her novel, A Heart in Sun and Shadow.

In an ancient Wales that never was… The twin brothers Emyr and Idrys are cursed to live as hounds; Emyr by night, and Idrys by day. The twins believe they will be trapped this way forever until they meet the fierce and curious Áine, a changeling woman born with fey blood and gifts struggling to fit into a suspicious human world. Áine unravels the fate of Emyr and his twin as all three of them fall in love. To free her lovers from the curse, she embarks on a journey to the realm of the fey where she confronts her own unique gifts and heritage. Ultimately, she must decide where her heart truly lies and what she’s willing to risk to get what she desires most.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T12:02:00.000-08:00

Guest post: Naming Characters After People You Know by Denise Grover Swank

2011-12-19T20:38:00.001-08:00

Naming Characters After People You Know

One of the first things a writer is faced with when creating a story is naming the characters. For me, this is like naming my children. When you name a child you have to test it out to make sure it’s going to work when the child is two or fifty-two. But with a fictional character, you have to make sure that you’re not going to get sick of typing hundreds of times. In Here, I used Julia 231 times. (Here is written in first person which accounts for the low number.) Evan is used 669 times and Reece is listed 391 times.

But there’s often more to a name than just liking the sound of it. Or how easy it is to type. When I wrote Chosen, my urban fantasy, I wanted the characters names to have meaning. The main female character was almost named Lenore, but it just didn’t sound right to me. Yet the meaning did. So I dug a bit more on baby names sites (the number one source of finding names for many authors) and found another name that was perfect. Emmanuella. But I couldn’t have my character running around with that name, plus I liked the idea of keeping it hidden for awhile. But that meant she needed a nickname.

Emma.

Slight problem. My youngest daughter is named Emma. Honestly, I’m mature enough that I separated the two in my mind without issue. My Emma was a three year old. The Emma in Chosen was a twenty-seven year old woman who had did whatever she had to do to protect her son. But what would readers think? Would they think it was weird? In the end, I decided I needed to do what was best for the story and Emmanuella was perfect.

A few books later, I wrote Here. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I wrote Here because my then thirteen year old daughter begged me to write a book she and her friends could read. I loved reading YA, so it wasn’t hard to agree. But her next request floored me.

“I want you to name the character after me.”

At first, I refused. “No,” I said. “That’s too weird.”

“You did it with Emma. That wasn’t too weird.”

“But that was different.”

“How?”

“The two Emma’s were completely opposite. You’re thirteen and the character in the book is sixteen. It’s too close.” But I thought about it. Could I write a book using my daughter’s name for the main character that was close in age? Did I even want to attempt it?

In the end, I told her yes. And between her squeals of delight, I qualified my agreement: “If it gets too weird, I’m changing the name.”

It was a risk. I’ve never renamed a main character but I suspect it would be like deciding to completely change the name of your three year old. Did I want to face that challenge?

But a funny thing happened within the first chapter of the book: Julia Philips became a completely different and distinctive person from my daughter. I never once thought of my daughter as I wrote the book, other than to wonder if she would like the story when I was done.

I’ve gone on to use the names of people I know for other characters. The fun is making them completely opposite from who they are in real life. Thankfully, so far the name bequeathers have all enjoyed the results. Just ask the youth minister I made into an evil megalomaniac. He tells everyone he knows.

Book Review: Here by Denise Grover Swank

2011-12-19T04:44:00.001-08:00

Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can’t ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.

This is my third review for work by Denise Grover Swank and I have to tell you, each one is so different and difficult to put down. The first thought is Julia is a mess, obviously not emotionally able to move past the accident and everyone around her at their breaking point. This girl needs help and she isn't getting it. And the bullying, no matter how little it is, from the other classmates and how they react to her is heartbreaking. Her parents and sister are at the point of giving up hope with her and life seems to be spiraling downward. The entrance of two very different boys, Evan and Reece, into her life change things more than Julia ever realized they would.

This book fascinated me. Alternate reality, space jumping, and pure imagination. I love how vivid the storytelling is from Denise Grover Swank. This is part one of a series and I'm going to be impatiently awaiting the second one to come out. A definite thumbs up for this YA novel. I would have loved this book in high school as well.

You can find Denise at the following:
Official Website
Blog
Goodreads page
Facebook
Twitter

Click on the link below to be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card

Winner of "Family Pieces"

2011-12-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Random.Org, a winner has been picked for the copy of Misa Rush's "Family Pieces"...
Congratulations, WENDY!!!

Just let me know if you want a print copy or ebook. :)

Book Review: A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis by Irene Woodbury

2011-12-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

This darkly funny novel describes Wendy Sinclair’s spin-crazy life in Las Vegas after she impulsively decides to not return to Houston following a bizarre girls’ weekend in 2005.

The confused, unhappy 45-year-old newlywed soon rents a ramshackle apartment in a building filled with misfits; wallows in a blur of spas, malls and buffets, and, ultimately, becomes a designer of cocktail waitress uniforms and an Ann-Margret impersonator in a casino show with Elvis.

She also hangs with some pretty colorful characters. Paula’s her bold, brassy glamazon BFF who’s looser than a Casino Royale slot. Maxine’s her saucy former-Tropicana-showgirl boss. Paige and Serena are two twenty-something blackjack dealers she shops, gambles, and clubs up a storm with. Major crushes on a hunky pilot and sexy former rock star are also part of the mix.

And then there are the phone fights with Roger, Wendy’s workaholic husband waiting impatiently in Houston. Their clashes are louder and more raucous than a hot craps table at Caesar’s! Does she go back to him, or does her midlife crisis become a midlife makeover?

"A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis" is such an interesting concept for a book. And what better place to have a mid-life crisis in the United States than in Sin City, Las Vegas? As Irene Woodbury described the sights of Vegas I also vividly recalled my own wild times spent there. You can tell that Irene has spent plenty of time in Vegas as she has such spot on descriptions of all the city has to offer.

The characters in the book are unique and quirky. They are full of flaws that they embrace as who they are. I found the characters of Wendy and Paula to be quite a bit self involved in the beginning of the book. However, I like that Wendy does recognize that she is unhappy and is not willing to put herself back in a situation, such as going back to her workaholic husband in Houston, until she had her head on straight and knew what she needed to do. And she ultimately discovers herself, which is what she set out to do. Of course, there is temptation along the way and ultimate decisions that have to be made. The staple for a good book!

Overall it was a really fun read and if Nevada needs someone on the board of Tourism to help get people to Las Vegas, they need to contact Irene Woodbury. Read at your own risk...you will be planning a trip to Sin City before you are half way done with this book. Or maybe it is just me. I'm already planning when I can hit up Vegas and hope to have a wild ride like Wendy.

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A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis, Irene Woodbury’s first novel, was inspired by her love of travel writing. Between 2000 and 2006, her stories appeared in many newspapers, including the Washington Post, London Daily Telegraph, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Toronto Star, and Nevada and The Affluent Traveler magazines.

One of the author’s favorite destinations was Las Vegas; she always believed Sin City would be the perfect setting for a novel. In 2006, she came up with the idea for Slot, and, four-and-a-half years, and many visits later, it was finished.

Irene is convinced her book wouldn’t work nearly as well in any other city. “Las Vegas has a frenetic energy to it,” she says, “and there’s plenty of chaos and confusion to go around. Is there a better place for a midlife crisis? I don’t think so.”

The author has lived in two of the locations featured in her novel: Los Angeles, where she worked at the Los Angeles Times, IBM, and Time Magazine, and Houston, where she graduated from the University of Houston in 1993. She also got married in Houston. (Yes, like Wendy, her lead character, but Irene insists the similarities end there!) Her husband, Richard, a retired Time Magazine correspondent, edited her novel.

Since 1994, the couple have called Denver home. As for midlife crises -- his, hers, yours, mine -- Irene believes it’s a time for asking questions. “Where am I? Where have I been? Where am I going? That’s it in a nutshell,” she says. “Writing this novel has been my midlife crisis. And it’s not over yet!"

You can visit Irene at the following:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter

Click on the link below to go to Irene's tour page and enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

Interview with author, Irene Woodbury

2011-12-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

Author, Irene Woodbury, took a few minutes to do a quick interview with me. I hope you enjoy it! Her debut novel, "A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis" is out now!

Who inspired you to become a writer?

The work of great writers like Henry James, Edith Wharton, and Charlotte Bronte. Also, the poetry of T.S. Eliot and e.e. Cummings. It was inspiring, but also intimidating. Sometimes when you’re feeling both, it takes years before you attempt to write fiction.

What is your cure for writer's block?

A few hours of housework or cleaning out closets will get me back to the computer fast!

How did you celebrate the publication of your first book?

I went to Chicago, visited friends and family, slept in, shopped, attended a Cubs game, ate pizza and ice cream, and didn’t work for a week.

What is your favorite thing to do when you go to Las Vegas?

Hang out in the Flamingo garden on a Saturday afternoon and watch the weddings taking place. I love to see people all dressed up, smiling, and glowing with happiness as they take their vows in this brief, romantic ceremony, and walk away believing they will live happily ever after. I also love playing slot machines into the wee, small hours, and walking around the Bellagio and Caesar’s on Saturday night watching people from all over the world having a good time and getting along. The Strip is a giant, 24/7 international block party.

Who would you cast in the movie of "A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis?”

Jennifer Aniston as Wendy

Cameron Diaz as Paula

Aaron Eckhart as Roger

Brad Pitt as Gary (It might be a little awkward for Jennifer and Brad to do the romantic scenes. Maybe they could use stunt doubles?)

George Clooney as Kent

Scarlett Johansson as Paige

Anne Hathaway (with a little nose enhancement) as Serena

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Write what you want to write. Don’t worry about how others will react to it. No matter what you do, someone will be unhappy. That’s unavoidable, so come up with an idea you believe in, and do it. You have to spend so many hours, seven days a week, working on a story or book. It has to be something you love.

What is next for you? What project are you working on?

I’m not doing any creative work at the moment because I’m promoting “Slot.” Short term, I might go to Europe and do a travel story. Long term, I might do a sequel, or go in a totally different direction. But I miss writing, so it’s inevitable that I will go back.

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Thank you for the fun interview, Irene!! (And to you as well, Samantha!)
You can visit Irene at the following:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter

Click on the link below to go to Irene's tour page and enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

Book Review: High-Heels and Slippers! by Ella Slayne

2011-12-01T04:51:00.000-08:00

Meet Josie Jenkins, a Brit living in Texas, fan of indulgent body-scrubs and the odd glass of wine. She’s currently Customer Service Manager at Harpers & Green Co, home of high-end shirts and also, rather unhelpfully, Bob Green: her ex-boyfriend (who also happens to be married). She is thousands of miles away from home and her job appears to be in jeopardy – safe to say, Josie’s going through a wobbly patch. So when the rather handsome Callum Doherty, (just picture blue eyes and Irish good looks) begins flirting with Josie, she is thrilled…until she realizes she’s not the only girl at work with her eye on the office heart-throb. How can she compete against her pert-bottomed rival from the accounts department? Josie’s love-life takes another complicated and unexpected turn when out of the blue Josie receives a mysterious Facebook friend request from her high-school sweetheart, Tom Barker. Tom is keeping something from her, drawing her in and causing her to question if it’s time to reconnect the past with the present. It’s time for some soul searching. Will Josie take the emotional trip back to the UK or try her luck with the handsome Mr. Doherty? Is there heartbreak ahead in Josie’s future?

I absolutely adored this book!! Josie is such a fun character. She puts her foot in her mouth frequently, she is a bit of a mess, but she is one of those characters that you just know would be your best friend if you met her.

Ella Slayne has such a charming voice to her story telling and I think I ran the gauntlet of emotions in this book. From the giddy moment of a realized crush to the heartbreaking realization that you can't cure what ails everyone. Two very different leading men to tempt our Josie's heart, Callum and Tom, make things very difficult. The supporting group of characters are a good combination and all bring a unique perspective to the story.

This is such a fun chick lit novel that I think everyone will love as much as I did. Ella Slayne has such talent and I hope we have something new soon from her.

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Ella Slayne is originally from the UK and now lives in the US with her family. Her first novel, High-Heels And Slippers, is available as an ebook at Smashwords and Barnes & Noble and in paperback at Amazon. For more info please stop by her website: Highheelsandslippers or leave a comment on her blog: Ella Slayne. You can follow her on Twitter: here or check out her Facebook page: here. Stop by and say hi, she would love to hear from you!

If you leave a comment on Ella's blog page at Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours, you will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

Guest Post: Attraction to writers by author, Monique Domovitch

2011-12-01T04:49:00.000-08:00

Deciding to become a writer was a natural extension of falling in love.

People often ask me what attracted me to the life of a writer, and I have to say it was a natural extension of falling in love…with books, which I have been for as long as I can remember.

I remember my mother taking me to the public library when I was as young as four years old, when she introduced me to Madeline, the little schoolgirl. As teenager, I discovered Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames, and then Harlequin books. And then I really fell in love for the first time. I was in England where my friends introduced me to a book by Wilbur Smith.
I think I hadn't read ten pages of his book--can't remember the title anymore--when I knew this was it. I could spend the rest of my life in bed with this writer's books.

Over the next few years, this author’s books made me discover Africa, where I met animals I'd never heard of, and villains the likes of which I hope to never meet. I was swept into his stories of love and passion and greed; stories from which I never wanted to walk away. I devoured book after book of his, until, of course, the inevitable happened. I caught up with every last one of his books and was left adrift until his next book hit the stands. And I, fickle reader that I am, had an affair with a few other authors and then it happened again. I read Dominic Dunne. And wham. I was in love again.

With Dominic Dunne’s books, I spent time with the truly rich and the truly manipulative. How can anyone forget books like The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, or An Inconvenient Woman, or A Season in Purgatory. Once I discovered them, I was hooked. Forgive me Dominic, for I betrayed you too, when I discovered my next big love, Nelson De Mille.

De Mille is a master of sharp, snappy talk and he makes all those words come out of the mouth of a sexy good cop with a bad attitude--John Corey. Now here's the funny part. I don't really know what John Corey looks like, except that he has scars on his chest from some bullet wounds. I also know that John Corey is almost as fickle when it comes to love as I am. He seems to fall in love with a different woman in almost every one of his adventures. That is, until he met and married Kate. But who knows, so far she's only been around for a couple of novels. For all I know she'll be dropped off, maybe even killed off in the next book, and then sexy John will be available again and I can go on dreaming.

Now here's something you might not know about me. I'm married, and—get this—my husband doesn't mind my little dalliances with all these authors...as long as I don't meet them in person that is.
And why am I blabbing about all these loves of mine? because, my dears, every time I start a new project, I hope with all my heart, that I infuse my novel with enough passion and ambition and greed that when you, dear reader, read my work, you will fall—perhaps just a little bit—in love with my characters. And I promise to be kind to you, even knowing that I will never be able to write fast enough to keep your from someday leaving me for some other writer.

C’est la vie!

Monique

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Monique is currently on tour with Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours for her novel, "Scorpio Rising".

If the cost of love was the loss of success, which would you choose? Some people have ambitions so great that they will trample anything and anyone to achieve them. Born in Brooklyn from an embittered mother, Alexander Ivanov climbs his way to a better life in New York. Thousands of miles away, beautiful Brigitte Dartois also has big dreams and raging ambitions.

Official Website
Facebook
Twitter

If you comment on Monique's Chick Lit Plus blog tour page, you are entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope that each of you has had a very blessed day. Today, and always, I am thankful for:

My family. They may drive me crazy at times, and vice versa, but I love them with all my heart.

My friends. So many of you are family to me and I am beyond lucky to have each of you in my life. You help me soar but also know when to pull me back down to ground.

My Tyson. Yeah, he has cranky face on most of the time, but he shows love in his own way on a daily basis.

My job. It may not be glamorous, but it is all mine and I am thankful to have it and to enjoy what I do.

Those that provide entertainment, inspiration, and creativity in my life through their own efforts.

The brave men and women that dedicate their lives to ensuring that we continue to be free and safe. Their sacrifice is the ultimate and they deserve all the respect and blessings in the world.

I hope you count your blessings today and make sure to tell those that make your life better how happy you are to have them.

Traditions and a Giveaway!

2011-11-24T10:57:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite new authors this year, Misa Rush, has an absolutely wonderful book out called "Family Pieces". (Reviewed here.) This book centers around a pretty cool family tradition in the form of a puzzle piece charm that is worn on a necklace. Each piece interlocks, completing the family circle.

Misa and I exchanged a quick volley of tweets and decided to host a giveaway based on you telling us what is your favorite family tradition? That's it! Leave a comment between now and Friday, December 1st, for a chance to win Misa's debut novel, "Family Pieces" in either print or e-copy version.

A little bit about "Family Pieces":

What do you do when your once charmed life falls to pieces? Karsen Woods' life seems charmed from her hunkalicious boyfriend to her picture-perfect midwestern roots. Away at college, even the necklace she wears serves as a constant connection home - a family tradition created when her grandfather handmade each immediate relative an interlinking charm. Each piece crafted in the shape of a puzzle piece, each one interlinking perfectly together. But when the unexpected death of her mother turns her world upside down, she discovers there is a missing piece of her treasured family tradition and her life as she once knew it may never be the same. Addison Reynolds resides in her posh Manhattan condominium and wraps her personal identity around running Urbane, the magazine empire built by her father. In a moment of haste, Addison divulges her deepest secret to her closest friend Emily - a secret she never intended to disclose. Could one choice, one secret, bond two unlikely women forever?

This is one of my favorite books this year and I can't wait to share the love with one of you.

So, share your favorite family tradition and tell your family and friends to come on over and share traditions as well! Good luck!!

(By the way, be sure to leave me a way to contact you in case you win. :) )

It's that time!

2011-11-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

The Chick Lit Plus Challenge 2012 is up and ready for you to sign up!

I joined this for 2011 and I have loved it! I have met some absolutely lovely people through the challenge. And, of course, I am on board for 2012's challenge!

(In fact, a new blog will be debuting for the new year that will be housing all my reviews for books as I try to get back into some life blogging on this one.)

Book Review: Chosen by Denise Grover Swank

2011-11-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase she moves from one roach infested motel to another. She and Jake, her five year old son who can see the future, are running from the men intent on taking him. Emma will do anything to protect him even when it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs Will, but Emma’s never needed help before. And even though she’s learned to trust her son, it doesn’t mean she trusts Will.

Mercenary Will Davenport lives in the moment. Hauling Emma to South Dakota should have been an easy job, but his employer neglected to tell him about Emma’s freaky son and the gunmen hot on her trail. Instinct tells him this job is trouble, but nothing can prepare him for Jake’s proclamation that Will is The Chosen One, who must protect Emma from the men hunting her power. A power she doesn’t know she has.

Will protects Emma and Jake on a cross-country chase from the men pursuing them, while struggling with memories from his past, his apprehension of Jake, and his growing attraction to Emma. Will’s overwhelming urge to protect Emma surprises him, especially since it has nothing to do with his paycheck and possibly everything to do with the tattoo Jake branded on his arm. Rich and powerful men are desperate to capture Emma, and Will must discover why before it’s too late.

This is another book where I am struggling to come up with a review for. Not because the book was bad. It is the complete opposite. I couldn’t stop reading once I started, finding myself staying up later than intended because I needed to read “just one more page”. When I read Denise Grover Swank’s first book, “Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes”, I noticed that she had books in other genres as well and was thrilled when Samantha with Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours asked me if I was interested in reviewing two more books for Denise. The first one up was “Chosen”.

To sum the book up in one word – Intense. I was immediately drawn into the plight of Emma and her adorable and yet troubled son, Jake. Wise beyond his years, it was often Jake that seemed to be the one steering the wheel for them. Both are strong in their own ways, Emma wanting to protect her son at all cost and Jake, in return, wanting to protect his mother. Enter Will Davenport, clearly with an agenda in “assisting” Emma and Jake, but also just as clearly conflicted. It was the character of Will that I was most fascinated with and wanted to learn more about. Will falling in love with Emma, and vice versa, happened a little too fast for me. I wasn’t sure if I could believe they were in love or if it was the trauma of the situation they were in and turning to each other for comfort. But as the explanation about Jake and his “gift” was unveiled, it made sense.

While there is a love story of sorts that unfolds, this is not a romance book. It is a roller coaster ride, up and downs and your imagination is a requirement. Denise knows how to write a character that doesn’t have to say much to draw you into the story with vivid descriptions bringing the scenario to life. My second book from Denise and I give it a thumbs up!!

If you would like to learn more about Denise and her books, please visit her at any of the following:

Denise's website
Blog
Goodreads Author Page
Facebook
Twitter

If you leave a comment on Denise's Blog Tour Page, you will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

Inspiration in Imagination: A guest post by author, Denise Grover Swank

2011-11-11T04:58:00.000-08:00

When I learned to read, an entire world opened to me. I didn’t just read books. I devoured them. In my first grade class, each student got a caterpillar with little bubbles we could color for each book we read. My teacher had to keep getting me more sheets. My caterpillar stretched to the side and around the corner. By the end of the year, I’d read 187 books.

As I got older, I always had a book in my hand and it wasn’t uncommon for my mother to find me hiding under covers reading with a flashlight instead of sleeping. (Some things never change. I’m still known for not going to sleep at appropriate times.)

By the time I was a teen, I’d blown through Judy Blume, Madeline L’Engle, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. (Which produced a semi-obsession with all things pioneer related and inspired me to create sunbonnets out of baby dresses. See? I had a wild imagination even back then.) I moved onto adult books. Barbara Cartland, Stephen King, LaVerle Spencer, J.R. Tolkien, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Robin Cook, T.H. White Do you notice a trend here? Yeah. Me neither. There is none. I literally read everything I could get my hands on. During the summer, it was common for me read a book a day. The library became my best friend.

When I started a family, my reading time decreased, although I would often cook and bathe kids with one hand and have a book in another. But my genre hopping still continued, now moving onto to Patricia Cornwell, Janet Evanovich, Michael Crighton, Mary Janice Davidson, Stephenie Meyer. (So I actually own up to that one. Sue me.)

Lately, I’ve gone through a paranormal romance and young adult craze. And let’s not forget the Game of Thrones marathon reads. But my current favorite author is Sarah Addison Allen, who writes adult magical realism. She was actually a partial inspiration for my humorous southern mystery, Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes. Her books are sweet and southern with a dash of paranormal thrown in.

Here’s the fact: I like change. I thrive on it. If I spend too much time reading one genre, it becomes stale. And if I was chained to a single genre to write, I’d probably gnaw my limb off to get away. Because even though writing is the most fun career I’ve ever had, it’s also the hardest. If I start writing stories that don’t excite me, then I might as well hang it all up. The only way I know to keep it fresh is to keep moving around.

Besides, I never know when and where inspiration for story ideas will strike next. It just might be in my next great read.
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You can find out more about this talented lady at the following:
Denise's website
Blog
Goodreads Author Page
Facebook
Twitter

If you leave a comment on Denise's blog tour page, you are entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

When Books Become Movies: A guest psot from author Kathleen Kole

2011-11-08T04:52:00.000-08:00

When Books Become Movies

When writing my books, there’s no question I have a mental image of my characters in my head. It’s pretty much impossible to write without that mental image, as it allows me to give meaning and depth to their movements, expressions and conversation.

That being said, I think it becomes great fun to take things one step further and ask the question, “Whom would I cast in each character’s role, should this book ever see the light of film?” Thankfully, I was given the opportunity to share my vision with you, as Michelle was kind enough to offer me the chance by asking me to write my guest post about this very thing!

Here is a list of actors I could see stepping into my character’s shoes and bringing them to life on screen. Let’s see if you happened to visualize the same people, or at least individuals who are a very close match. Here we go!

April:
When I first began writing April, I hadn’t assigned any one known female to represent her in my thoughts. However, upon reflection, I’d say Drew Barrymore would absolutely fit the bill to bring April to life. Drew has that girl-next-door quality I imagined in April, is about the same build and has shown herself to be able to adapt to many different roles and make you believe in whomever she is in that moment.

Kevin:
Kevin is definitely a man who would be called handsome, as opposed to pretty. He’s a great looking guy, but would make an ugly woman. He’s strong and solid and carries himself with confidence; thus I believe the actor, Nathan Fillion, would be a perfect match to portray him on screen.

Gerritt:
This character was an easy one for me. Gerritt is charming, lean, unconventionally good looking, worldly - who better than Isaiah Mustafa to bring him to life?

Jessica:
April’s sister took me a while to match to a current actress in her mid-thirties. It was actually my husband who was able to give a face to her character and I think he did a great job. The talents of Christina Hendricks seemed the ideal match to Jessica. She matches Jessica’s curvy build and comes across as a strong and intelligent woman - just like Jess.

Carol and Deborah:
Almost from the inception of this book, I had an image of both Carol and Deborah in my mind’s eye. The talented Edie McClurg would be the perfect person to breath life into Carol’s character and Parker Posey would possess and bring fantastic animation to the role of Deborah.

Denise and Heidi:
I believe Margaret Cho would be brilliant in the role of Denise. As her sidekick, Heidi, I’d happily cast Melissa McCarthy - both of these actresses are funny and charismatic, exactly what I believe these characters would need when on screen.

Ed and Bob:
And, finally, the husband’s of Carol and Deborah. I think it would be fun to see Carol’s husband, Ed, embodied by none other than Jeffrey Jones. (Yes, for all you “Ferris” fans, it would be a fun hat tip and that’s an added bonus in my world!) As for Bob, I believe Kevin James would be spot on to bring to life Deborah’s patient and slightly downtrodden husband.

Well, I think that wraps it up - or not! Don’t for a moment think I’ve forgotten the unique and smile worthy Thomas! I would love to see Thomas brought to the big screen by the talented and charming Craig Ferguson. Imagine Craig "aged up" by approximately ten years with unruly Einstein hair, a Van Dyke beard, eclectic clothing and charming Scottish brogue - what fun it would be to see that!

Okay, that really does wrap this post up. A huge thank you to Michelle for giving me this fun opportunity. If you already had character ideas of your own in your mind’s eye, wonderful. If not, then I hope these actors will breath an added dimension of vitality into the book as you read.

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Kathleen Kole was born in Edmonton AB and graduated from college with a Diploma in Radio and Television Arts. Her career path has included writing in the fields of advertising, television and newspaper - and most recently novel writing. Kathleen relocated from Edmonton to Kelowna BC and resides there with her beloved husband, adored son and their happy-go-lucky dog. Dollars to Donuts is Kathleen's second published novel and she is currently working on her third, to be published in December.

Visit Kathleen at her website and on twitter.

Follow me by email!

2011-11-07T16:42:00.000-08:00

Woo-hoo!!
You can now follow my blog's updates by email via the handy dandy little gadget located on the upper right hand side.

Review: Dollars to Donuts by Kathleen Kole

2011-11-07T04:50:00.001-08:00

Take one newspaper columnist; move her from the anonymity of her home city to a sleepy, small town; add a dollop of nosey, suspicious and just plain odd neighbors; a dash of mystery in the form of a stained garbage can and a rodent and, finally, a large pinch of unsettling attraction to a virtual stranger and you’ll find yourself with a recipe that imitates April Patterson’s life.

Sound strange? It is.

April Patterson had no idea that when she decided to follow the path of family and love, she would find herself an unwitting player in an eyebrow raising cul-de-sac mystery, grasping for her privacy as she plays “Dodge the Neighbor” and being forced to examine her relationship motives ... all before she had unpacked her last box!

Taking a deep breath, and a large bite into a comforting donut, April consoles herself with the knowledge that it will all work out. It always does ... doesn’t it?

Oh Kathleeen Kole, you have done it again...you have given me another fun filled read, an adorably charming chick-lit novel. I love the character of April Patterson. I think of all the books I have reviewed this year, this is the one that I identified with the most. Accused by her sister, Jessica, of letting her life live her instead of the other way around, April evidently has a history of bouncing from one situation to the next. I can relate, most definitely.

The big problem starts when her live-in boyfriend, Kevin, brings home a house guest: His extremely attractive friend, Gerritt, who needs somewhere to stay after a freak accident destroys part of his house. You can't always control what your heart wants, especially when your head is already feeling restless. This is where all the insanity starts to ensue - crazy stalkers and even crazier neighbors. Seeing as how I think my neighbors are insane (hippies on one side, pigeon raising paranoid kooks on the other) I was amused to read all the gossip of the neighborhood. (I wonder what MY neighbors would do if dead squirrels started to show up on their doorsteps? Ha!)

I love Kathleen's writing style. She brings to life fun characters with a lot of spunk to them. I even gifted this book to my mom, who loved it as well! Give it a whirl, you are going to thank me for recommending this lovely author to you.

Kathleen Kole was born in Edmonton AB and graduated from college with a Diploma in Radio and Television Arts. Her career path has included writing in the fields of advertising, television and newspaper - and most recently novel writing. Kathleen relocated from Edmonton to Kelowna BC and resides there with her beloved husband, adored son and their happy-go-lucky dog. Dollars to Donuts is Kathleen's second published novel and she is currently working on her third, to be published in December.

Visit Kathleen at her website and on twitter.

If you go over to Kathleen's tour page at Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours and leave a comment you will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

Review: "Our Eyes Met Over Cantaloupe" by Anne McAneny

2011-11-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

A wedding order at The Secret Lives of Cupcakes Shop is always reason for Millie Morris to celebrate – except when the groom is her ex-boyfriend and the bride is the woman he dumped her for. Still, it’s business for her mom’s shop. Millie even makes a good-faith effort to shoo the groom away when he confides his doubts about the marriage. But when Millie's job as a crime reporter finds her covering a big court case, she must choke down her unresolved feelings like a burnt cupcake slathered in bitter frosting… because the bride is the lead lawyer on the case. Unexpectedly intertwined on multiple levels with both her ex and his fiancée, Millie must choose to either remain in her half-baked state of existence or finally rise above it.

I am a big fan of chick lit books, obviously. I particularly love when they are laugh out loud funny and this book was just that. Millie Morris finds herself in one predicament after another and has to rely on her quick wits to help her rise above the claws of her ex's new fiancee, Laura. The ex is also proving to be quite a problem as Sam has decided to unload all his doubts about his upcoming nuptials on Millie. Anne McAneny has created a cast of zany characters that will make you smile.

The side stories are entertaining, particularly co-worker at the cupcake shop, Josh, and his quest to find his "mystery angel". I had a few moments of getting uptight when Sam kept coming around and Millie was starting to question her feelings. Luckily there is a hunky truck driver and a mystery man from the grocery store to spice this story up.

I have to warn that you will end up craving cupcakes, by the way. Each chapter is named for an actual cupcake and I had to stifle the urge to run to Sprinkles a couple of times.

This is a fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. And Anne, I have a big bone to pick with you - I have had "Jesse" by Carly Simon on my mind since I read this!

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Anne McAneny lives in Virginia with her husband, children, two ferrets and a cat who currently answers to Mythical Flarb or Food. In addition to three e-books, Anne has written several screenplays that float through Hollywood on a regular basis. Her latest chick-lit novel, OUR EYES MET OVER CANTALOUPE, features Stuffed Cupcakes and Belgian beer... she really should have called it "Personal Nirvana." Her previous chick-lit novel, CHUNNELING THROUGH FORTY, sold well enough to gain the interest of literary agent April Eberhardt, who now represents her. Not limited to one genre, Anne has also written FORETELLER, a mystery-thriller that takes readers on a heart-pounding journey into the past with a doomed archaeologist who must fight to ensure her own future. Anne loves to hear from readers and wishes everyone HAPPY READING!

Anne's blog
Facebook
Kindle Author Page
Twitter
Nook page

For something fun, if you visit Anne's page on Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours and leave a comment you will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card AND a dozen stuffed cupcakes from Stuffed Cupcakes. (Just a warning, don't be hungry when you check out that site or you are going to be drooling on your keyboard.)

Life is truly beautiful!

2011-10-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I posted about needing an ass kicking jaw jarring jolt to get myself out of the funky doldrums that I was stuck in. I'm beyond pleased to say that things are on such a positive high for me right now.

First off, the new position! I have toiled in the trenches for five and a half years, 2 1/2 in the current position, wondering when I was going to get back on my feet. I am on loan to A/P for another week and then it is off to the Global Mobility Department and to learn to be an expense analyst. The challenge is big for this job, the chance to grow in the department is also big. I am ready for it!

It also means that I will be able to get out on my own again. And that is an exciting prospect for me! I have already begun the apartment hunt. It won't happen until January, but I need to get plans rolling. Besides I need living room furniture (I have leather furniture which I hate and do NOT want to take to another place).

I have surrounded myself with a fabulous support system and some absolutely incredible friends.

I see a new year approaching and instead of beating myself up over what have I achieved, I see that I have actually taken huge steps forward and am ready to greet 2012. (I am ready to celebrate the rest of 2011, too.)

Guest Post: Inspired From The Heart by author, Heather Hummel

2011-10-13T05:56:00.000-07:00

Inspired from the Heart

Heather Hummel

I was just nine years old when I had open heart surgery. As a third grader, this was naturally quite traumatic, especially in 1974 when medical advances weren’t near what they are today. I missed a significant amount of school due to the surgery and recovery. And yet, the fall of ‘74 signifies my earliest memory of focusing on being a writer. Certainly my writings were youthful in nature. Some were journal entries; some were short stories and poems. Yet, these were the beginnings of my interest in writing, and signified the pieces that I shared with the one writer who inspired me.

My grandmother, Dorothy Crispo, was not your typical fuzzy-top, spaghetti making grandmother. She was a dynamic, international traveler and business woman who spent much of her youth and early adult life in the 1940’s through ‘60’s between California, New York and South America. But it wasn’t until she put her suitcase down and picked up a pen that her writing career was defined. Though she penned two books, it was her gag writing that set her apart from other writers. As one of the top “gag writers” in New York City in the ‘40s and ‘50s, she wrote a newspaper column titled Dear Dorothy that was akin to Ann Landers, but with a saucy, spunky twist. The top cartoonists of those times sought her out as their gag writer for their submissions to periodicals such as the Saturday Evening Post. Her gag writing even launched the careers of comedians such as Joan Rivers.

It was this writer, Mima to me, who inspired me because she didn’t conform to one genre. She wrote from the heart, using wit and substance at the core. With seven fluent languages to her tongue, Mima,a stunning, elegant blond, whose wit was as sharp as her wardrobe was later a translator in the California court systems, hence her book How to Speak Everyday Spanish. Mima wrote about topics that inspired her, and in turn, that is what has inspired me.

There are authors who influence us, and there are authors who inspire us. Quite a distinct difference. For example, John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley is a book, among two others, that has influenced my newest novel $1 and $100. When $1 and $100 is published, I will be traveling much like Steinbeck did to talk to people of all walks of life about $1 and $100’s theme: how do you relate to money? Like Steinbeck, I too will be on a cross country voyage with my dogs (my eighth, their fourth), as I develop a documentary to balance the novel’s message.

As someone who has been inspired to follow her heart as a writer, I have taken on projects that range from my own novels to celebrity ghostwriting to my own nonfiction book. My career started out when I became a feature writer for a family magazine something I did while I taught high school English. Since those days, I have managed to find consistency in the seeming melting-pot of my career. I, like my grandmother, write from the heart. And, this governing theme became the core of my novel’s series…Journals from the Heart. The first two novels WHISPERS FROM THE HEART and WRITE FROM THE HEART focus on journal writing from the heart. From a high school English teacher who inspires her students through journal writing (WHISPERS) to a single woman who uses her journals as a reflection on lost loves and as anticipation of her future (WRITE), the essence of writing from the heart remains pure.

Certainly there are modern day authors whom I respect many whose works I’ve read, enjoyed and have even been influenced by. But, since I was inspired at an age and a time when I didn’t know if I would even see my teen years (due to my heart condition), let alone excel in adulthood as an author, the role model of my grandmother during my youth is singly my one inspiration.

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Thank you, Heather, for such a beautiful guest post. And thank you to Samantha, as always, for inviting me to participate in this blog tour.

Heather Hummel is the author of the Journals from the Heart Series. She is an award winning author and celebrity ghostwriter.
Her published works include:
Journals from the Heart Series: Whispers from the Heart (2011 eBook) and Write from the Heart (2011 eBook)
Nonfiction: GO BIKE & Other Signs from the Universe (2011 eBook) and Gracefully: Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age (McGraw Hill, 2008), - Merit Award of the 2009 Mature Media Awards,

Heather's books have appeared in newspapers such as: Publishers Weekly, USA Today and the Washington Post; and in magazines that include: Body & Soul, First, and Spry Living, a combined circulation of nearly 15 million.Visit Heather at her website
You can also find her at:
Heather on Twitter
Heather on Facebook

Leave a comment on Heather's blog tour page to be entered to win a $10 gift card to Amazon: Blog Tour Page
If you purchase your copy of Whispers from the Heart from October 7- 31 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**

Review: Whispers from the Heart by Heather Hummel

2011-10-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

Whispers: The heart's way of speaking...

Madison Ragnar is a high school English teacher determined to connect with her students, to finish the next running race with a respectable time, and to avoid ever falling in love again.

But life has other plans for Madison. A man named Michael shows himself in the most unexpected places, raising questions from her best friend, Olivia, and issues around Madison's last relationship.

In the classroom, the death of a student prompts her grieving ninth graders to depend on her for answers. They turn to journal writing as a form of understanding the weight of what's happened in the walls of their teenage existence.

When Madison meets Phil, who throws a wrench in her declaration to not fall in love, it seems that her escape through miles of running is the only real footing she has in life.

Will fate determine Madison's life? Or will she have a say in its outcome?

I have to admit that this is a hard review for me to write up. I have started and re-started it numerous times over the last couple of days. There is so much I want to say and yet have to be very careful what I am saying so as not to spoil the book."Go read this book" doesn't do it the justice it deserves. Heather Hummel has wrote such a heartfelt and touching book. Madison Ragnar was such an intriguing character. One of those that made you want to hug her and tell her it is going to be okay.

I really loved that Madison's past was not delved too deeply into, just enough to let you know that there was a bad relationship and that Madison wasn't willing to put her heart into another situation where she could get hurt. I admit that I was very leery of Michael's presence and each time he showed up I kept waiting for a big bombshell. When it was finally revealed I have to honestly say I never expected it. And Phil...where in real life is a man like him? Because I am calling dibs on him! The swerve of the love story was handled so rationally. I don't know if I could have handled it that way, but I liked it.

The death of the student was handled delicately and it was heartbreaking. It showed so much strength in Madison to keep herself in control and not fall apart in front of the children in the classroom.

If you want a book that is going to pull at your heart in numerous directions, this is the book for you. I cried, I cheered for Madison to find herself, and I smiled as she learned to trust herself to love again. This is the first of a trilogy and I'm anxious to read the next book and find what Heather has in store for her readers.

Heather Hummel is the author of the Journals from the Heart Series. She is an award winning author and celebrity ghostwriter.
Her published works include:
Journals from the Heart Series: Whispers from the Heart (2011 eBook) and Write from the Heart (2011 eBook)
Nonfiction: GO BIKE & Other Signs from the Universe (2011 eBook) and Gracefully: Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age (McGraw Hill, 2008), - Merit Award of the 2009 Mature Media Awards,

Heather's books have appeared in newspapers such as: Publishers Weekly, USA Today and the Washington Post; and in magazines that include: Body & Soul, First, and Spry Living, a combined circulation of nearly 15 million.Visit Heather at her website
You can also find her at:
Heather on Twitter
Heather on Facebook

Leave a comment on Heather's blog tour page to be entered to win a $10 gift card to Amazon: Blog Tour Page
If you purchase your copy of Whispers from the Heart from October 7- 31 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**

Island Time!

2011-10-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

After working my morning away on a Saturday, I was in need of a little “island get-away”. And Hula’s Modern Tiki was just the place! I don’t remember where I had heard about this restaurant from, but have been dying to try it for a couple of weeks. It does not disappoint!

The décor is very Hawaiian and fun. As you can see from the awesome Tiki statues that lined the shelves above the tables. I wanted to take one home with me, in fact. (Cue images of “The Brady Bunch” in Hawaii and Oliver, the Tiki God, they had to return.)

One thing to be careful of is the time you are there. On Saturday and Sundays they only serve brunch, a very limited menu, from 10:30AM – ???. I ended up choosing the Kona coffee battered French toast with apple and plantain compote, bacon, and a side of scrambled eggs. Tina ended up getting a Caesar salad and lobster bisque and Abby had the macaroni and cheese.

Delicious!! For the price ($10 for the French toast and bacon and $1.50 for the eggs) it was a great deal. I had never had a plantain before and while it wasn’t my favorite taste, it was pretty good cooked up with the apples. I had a bite of the lobster bisque as well and that was also pretty tasty. Abby liked her mac and cheese, but she wasn’t overly fond of the truffle oil. She much preferred the Caesar salad as she kept eating from Tina’s.

The only complaint I had with the whole day was the fact that our waitress was extremely slow. After waiting for 20 minutes for her to bring back the check, which time we had NO idea where she had disappeared to, we called for a manager who took care of us.

I am definitely planning to go back, preferably at night so I can try something off of the delicious dinner menu.

Ummm...Guess what?

2011-10-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

I GOT THE JOB!!!

*twirls around*

Ouch, that makes me too dizzy!

After five weeks of interviews, the job was offered to me. I'm still at the same company but moving into a different position.

To say that I am thrilled is an understatement!

Interview with Author, JF Kristin

2011-10-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

1 - Did you always aspire to be a writer?

I've been writing since very early childhood, and before I could write stories down myself, I used to tell them to my parents. So yes, definitely! Reading and creative writing were my favorite parts of elementary school. While Rock Star's Girl is my debut novel, if you asked my parents, they'd probably tell you that it was really a short novel I wrote as a kid about the adventures of four dogs named Clover, Flower, Grass, and Leaf.

2 - Who or what has been your biggest inspiration?

Writing-wise, my biggest inspiration is anyone out there who launches a book, whether they're doing so independently or through a publisher. There is so much more that goes into getting a book out there into the world than completing that first draft. In terms of being part of the arts world, my biggest inspiration is everyone out there who follows their bliss and creates because they love it. Kudos to all of you.

Life-wise, my parents have been my biggest inspiration. They've encouraged my writing for my entire life, and always taught me that there are no limitations to what I can do. Their support and love have inspired me in all parts of my life, for my entire life.

3 - The rock star girlfriend dream is one that many women have at some point in their lives. Who was your rock star crush?

Although I've dated a few musicians, I'm not sure I've ever had a rock star crush -- actually, that's not true. When I was 16, I did have a rock star crush on the keyboard player in a Canadian band that will not be named, because a friend ended up becoming part of that band years later and so I've since met him! I think it was all about his hair. I will fully admit that I used to have a thing for rock star hair.

Right now I jokingly say I have a writer crush (not rock star crush) on Mikel Jollett of The Airborne Toxic Event. By that I mean that I have the utmost respect for him as a writer. Back in April, I ended up at a show the band did at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, and before that night, knew all of two songs by them. By the time they played a song called "All For A Woman" that night, I was hooked on the band's lyrics. Not long after, I was looking up something online and came across an article Jollett had written several years before the band's existence. To say his writing blew me away is an understatement. He has an ability to paint scenes, images, and stories with words that is remarkable and very rare.

4 - Have you thought about going back and telling more of this story? What further predicaments Emily can get herself into?

Given that Emily lives in L.A., there is probably no shortage of predicaments she can get herself into. The city is a non-stop adventure. I haven't thought about revisiting Emily yet, although I have had thoughts about two other "rock star" books involving different characters and entirely different aspects of the music world.

5 - How did you celebrate the selling of your first book?

I think I let myself have a nap, and the celebration happened the next weekend after I'd caught up on sleep and more books were sold. The days leading up to launching a book are incredibly busy, or at least they were for me. Because of that, and because I'm out celebrating friends' birthdays or other events, or going to concerts or comedy shows, or just meeting up with friends all the time, I think sleep can feel like celebrating!

6 - What's your advice for writers just starting out in terms of dealing with rejection?

Don't take rejection personally, and understand that writing is a business. If someone passes on your work, that isn't an agent or editor or publisher rejecting you personally, or even necessarily your writing skill. The last few years haven't produced an easy economy to work with, which can also make the writing world more of a challenge for new writers. Just keep writing, and believing in your writing, but also listen to any feedback agents, editors, other writers, and your readers take the time to give you.

7 – If you were to make your book into a movie, who is your dream cast?

I think I need a month of catching up on recently-released movies to truly answer this! The last year and a half has been really busy, so I haven't kept up on some of the rising actors out there who might fit the bill for 'dream cast.' I think Kristen Bell could make a really fun Emily, though.

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Thank you, Jennifer, for such a fun interview!

You should not only check out "Rock Star's Girl", which was such a great book, but check out Jennifer's bio. She lives by the mantra of "Dream Big" and I think her philosophy is fascinating.

Jennifer's website
Jennifer's Twitter

Thank you, Samantha from Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours, for including me in this tour!

**Photograph used courtesy of Jeff Ryan Photography**

Review: Rock Star's Girl by JF Kristin

2011-10-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Emily Watts just wants a weekend break from the workaholic hours she’s taken on to keep her business – a popular fashion-snark web site – up and running. What she gets is overnight celebrity and a career-killing media scandal.

While taking time out to attend a concert in support of friend Jesse Cinder, a struggling musician, Emily meets Cory Sampson, the lead singer of a chart-topping rock band. When she agrees to a date with Cory, making entertainment headlines is the last thing she expects. Even so, it’s a minor surprise by comparison to her discovery that in the music world, media notoriety trumps all. Tabloid allegations erupt when Cory and fame-hungry Jesse use Emily for personal gain, and her tarnished image spells disaster – personally and professionally. To save the web site and writing career she’s made her life and dream, Emily must go from being a pawn in the Hollywood headline game to becoming the media mastermind.

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Do you remember being a young girl and having that rock star girl fantasy? I do! It was Rick Springfield and I didn’t care if he was 20+ years older than me, I wanted to marry him. When Samantha from Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours asked me if I wanted to review JF Kristin’s book “Rock Star’s Girl”, I was hooked the second I read the synopsis.

I loved this book. I found it so fascinating for the little glimpse into the life of a rock star's “girlfriend”. In what appears to be such a superficial world, I loved that Emily kept her head together the best she could. And I love that she had that best friend, Shelby, to help keep her feet planted on the ground. I’m not a big fan of the tabloids (refuse to read them) or gossip sites (TMZ gets my attention every once in a while) because of the very reason they are portrayed in this book – they are there to cause drama.

The character of Emily was absolutely charming. She is your every girl that gets herself mixed up in the spotlight of fame and has to find herself while allowing herself to fall in love as well. The ending of "Rock Star’s Girl" was not typical, which I think worked perfectly for the situation that Emily found herself in. The supporting characters were interesting and tied the story together perfectly. I went back and forth over Jesse and Cory. Both had high and low points, too bad their desire for fame interfered with them honestly being in love with Emily. (Or allowing themselves to show how in love with Emily they were without needing to capitalize on publicity, as the case may be.)

I can’t recommend this book enough. If you are a fan of the music scene or ever just wondered “what if” about a rock star, this is going to grab your attention and hold it from page one through the end. The tale that JF Kristin wove is compelling, well thought out, and just when you think you know where Emily is going, you get hit with a twist.
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BIO:

(Picture courtesy of Jeff Ryan Photography)

J.F. Kristin (Jennifer) has been writing since the day she picked up a navy blue Crayola as a toddler and began scribbling on her parents' freshly painted white walls. When not writing novels, Jennifer writes about both writing and ecommerce, and previously spent a number of years as a freelance promotional writer and web designer for musicians. In the early days of the Web, she ran the Society for Preventing Parents from Naming Their Children Jennifer (SPPNTCJ), a tongue-in-cheek web site that welcomed millions of visitors during its run, received coverage from print, broadcast, and online media, was included in an academic textbook, and was studied on a college course. Jennifer is currently at work on her second novel.

Jennifer's website
Jennifer's Twitter

See what people are saying (and buy your copy) at the following:
Rock Star's Girl at Amazon
Apple iBooks
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Smashwords

Tune in tomorrow for a fun interview with Jennifer.

Mindless coasting

2011-09-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

I am in need of an ass-kicking, jaw-jarring jolt! I am lacking something in my life. That little spark. I am feeling that I am just coasting along, not working towards or for anything but going from point A to point B.

I tend to do this from time to time. I usually spend too much time in my head and start to over-think and over-analyze things. This usually results in a bitter funk residing over and around me. I’m not at that point, but I am very restless. My feet are tapping to the gypsy beat, I want to be out roaming around. But alas, job duties and tight money situation prevent that from happening. I dream of New York a lot lately. Maybe it is because I watch “Friends” at night on Nick-At-Nite as I go to sleep. Maybe what the morning DJ was saying is true – everyone deserves the chance to live in New York City for a year. (Give me the money to support myself for that year and I would gladly be there in NYC.)

I need something to stimulate my brain. My job is not providing that to me. I find myself daydreaming a lot of the time between the hours of 7:00Am to 3:45PM. I also find myself obsessing over what is going on with this position that I applied for and that usually leaves me feeling drained and lost. (Five interviews, people, and still no decision? Really? Really!?!?)

Guest Post: To Know and To Love by Shannon Hart

2011-09-27T05:58:00.001-07:00

To Know and To Love

I’ll be completely honest here, when I found out I was doing a guest post, I was jumping up and down in my room for about five minutes until I realized I didn’t know what to write about. Then, panic started to set in.

I knew I had a bit of time, but still, my mind was racing searching through corners of my brain to find a so-called brilliant topic to write about, something that would blow readers’ minds away. I went to my dear friend Samantha, asking her if she could give me some tips as well and she came up with much better ideas than I had, of course, but then I realized why those ideas were so good: they were about things I knew well.

I don’t know about other writers, but for me, before I wrote Until the End of Forever, I was hopping from genre to genre, looking for my niche. There was this phase that I had where I was writing children’s stories but then I would always start one, get stuck, and stop. Then, I went on to writing Young Adult stories. Short stories were fine, but when it came down to trying to write a whole 70,000 words novel, I couldn’t get past chapter 16! The voices sounded young, the characters were dynamic and exciting, but the issues were issues that I wasn’t sure today’s youth would get. I had to finally admit that I wasn’t young anymore (and cry about that for a few hours), and that I wasn’t that in sync with what the young one’s were dealing with these days. And being a mom to two toddlers didn’t really help either. The problems they were dealing with were more about what to watch and what to play than anything else. I kept all the chapters, but I haven’t touched them again since – and probably won’t until I get to actually spend time with real young adults and understand what matters to them most these days.

Then, on one magical night… Scratch that. Sounded way too corny. One evening, when I was feeling a bit of pressure on my own marriage because of some silly fight we had (I don’t even remember what it was about anymore but it was probably ridiculously lame), I decided I knew exactly what I should have been writing about all along: marriage. Not necessarily about my own marriage, but seeing as that I had been married for quite sometime, and since I was (and still am) a member of a married couples group, the amount of knowledge I had about marital issues exceeded the knowledge I had about almost anything else. When I started writing about my main characters’ – Rob and Sarah – relationship, I started with just background notes scribbled on an old notebook listing who they were, what they were like and how their personalities could potentially end up in conflict and from there, everything was smooth sailing right down to the end.

I developed a personal relationship with all my characters. Call me crazy or whatever (my husband certainly thought I was, he just never said it out loud), but at times, I felt like I was watching the two of them in a movie in my head. I watched how Rob and Sarah met, their wedding, and even their magical wedding night – though that part didn’t actually make the cut and ended up being edited out.

My point is (yes, there is a point here, I promise), when you write what you know, you’ll love your work even more because that’s what you’re passionate about. That sense of satisfaction when you read the final copy before it goes to print is just so overwhelming because you know what you’ve written is something so close to your heart.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with challenging your abilities and writing out of your comfort zone either. This is great for those who can power through the difficulties and just do it. If you can, by all means, go for it! But for other writers, who know they have a voice but just can’t seem to get it together that first time around, I say (humbly), go back to the drawing board and start putting together things that you know; things you love; things you care about. It just makes it a heck of a lot easier. Not to say that writing should be easy, of course, but it builds your confidence and that’s important because at the end of the day, you have to love what you have written. And don’t worry about bad reviews because you know what, everything is so subjective. Everything they say about your story is just a matter of opinion so even though some may not like it, others will. Don’t think about how what you write has already been written before because hey, is there really anything new in this world? The issues are all still the same. It’s just a matter of packaging it differently and adding twists to it. Personally, and I emphasize here that this opinion really is personal, if writing is truly your passion, then you’re writing for you, not for anyone else. So really, what matters is what you love.

A very special thank you goes to Michelle Bell for welcoming me on her wonderful blog and giving me this opportunity to post, and to Samantha Robey, my friend, my editor and my kick-ass blog tour coordinator who is nothing short of a miracle worker. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you’re the best!

Thank you so much, Shannon, for such a delightful guest post and I'm so honored to have hosted you on my blog during your blog tour!

Come say hello to Shannon at the following places: website, blog, or twitter.

For something totally fun, if you leave a comment on Shannon's tour page, you will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

Review: Until the End of Forever by Shannon Hart

2011-09-27T05:55:00.001-07:00

“Sarah Matthews has everything in the world a woman could wish for: a loving husband; two beautiful children; a small business which she runs together with her sister-in-law; and even her own top of the range car. Why then does she keep having recurring nightmares?

Over a friendly lunch with her ex-lady boss, seeds of doubt and discontent begin to gnaw at her, and the realization dawns that she is no longer free to live a life of her own as she would wish. When offered the opportunity, therefore, to go to work in Paris for a month she finds herself unable to resist.

As Sarah takes us along with her on her journey, we are given a privileged insight into the workings of the female mind as her thoughts and feelings tumble around in an attempt to find answers."

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The premise of this book sounded so interesting that I couldn't wait to read it. The first couple pages had me slightly concerned as they dealt with a recurring nightmare that Sarah was having. That nightmare was of herself drowning and as someone with hydrophobia, I cringed as I was reading it. Voicing my thought on this on Twitter led to some reassurance from Shannon Hart that it was the only time it was talked about in depth. With that in mind I plugged on and am so glad that I did as this was just one of those books that makes you smile when it ends how you want it to.

Sarah has what seems to be the perfect life with the perfect husband, the perfect children, home, and jobs. But what about those nightmares? That is definitely not the sign of something "perfect". When her old boss offers her a chance to go to Paris for a few weeks on her own, Sarah takes the offer. Husband, Rob, doesn't take the news very well. How do you gracefully handle your wife telling you she is unhappy and needs to take a break from you? Regardless, Sarah jets off to Paris where she gets the time to do some self evaluating. A tragedy at home cuts the trip short and when she returns, she finds things aren't as perfect as they ever appeared.

I really enjoyed this book. I think that Sarah was such a charming character and despite her flaws she was genuine. She made rash decisions that weren't thought out and she made well thought out decisions. She learned a lesson and did it with all the human qualities. I didn't always enjoy her husband, Rob. A lot of times he felt very selfish but he ultimately showed the type of man he was.

The nightmares of drowning really made sense as I read this book. Sarah was "drowning" in a way because she was so unsettled with where she was in her life. As perfect as everything was on the outside, she was no fulfilled on the inside. Her journey to finding her perfection was a compelling read and I greatly enjoyed it. Shannon Hart's debut novel was such a lovely book and I hope that there will be more to come soon from such a talented lady.

You can find out more information about Shannon and her writing, or just to say hello at the following: website, blog, or twitter.

If you leave a comment on Shannon's tour page, you will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

Interview woes, part one

2011-09-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

Interview #5. *sighs* Today they wanted to talk to me about my employee expense experience. I have clearly put this experience on my resume. I’m frustrated as I really want this position, I have been told they want to hire me and yet it is either radio silence or more interviews and questions.

I have been actively searching for a job over the last few weeks. I’m not a fan of interviews. I tend to stress myself over them a lot because I question whether or not I am selling myself correctly or overselling myself and coming off arrogant. The thing is I *know* I’m a good employee and I *know* that I am an asset to a company. I have not worked at a job yet where I have not taken on numerous other duties outside of my normal because I can and do handle it. But how do you humbly state that?

I have interviewed and signed up with a few staffing services/head hunters over the last two weeks. One of them said that they had a customer who was really interested in me. It was paying $3.00 more per hour than I currently make and sounded like a busy environment.

(Here is another thing about me…I need to be kept busy at all times in the office.)

An interview was arranged. It was a four hour working interview. I would need to go in and see how I would work out with their office staff. Great! I’m all for it. Until I find out the job pays .50 more than I make now. I was still going to give it the benefit of the doubt and see if I could negotiate a higher pay rate after meeting with them and seeing if I was even interested. Then the dude at the staffing agency entered obnoxious territory. He kept calling me to remind me of the interview and to make sure I was going. Yes, I know that there is a four hour interview scheduled. Yes, I have made arrangements to leave work early. STOP calling me!
I seriously had to just stop answering the phone when I saw it was the agency number because he was seriously irritating me.

I get to the interview and guess what? It isn't even full time. Thirty hours a week, possibly pushing it to 35, but never a full 40. I was bored for the four hours I was there. I did filing, the phone only rang twice, and I worked on a spreadsheet. Then the owner tells me they are still not sure they are hiring someone. They have someone in this position already, she just had a baby and only wants to work three days a week. So they are going to give her a try on three day work weeks and see how that goes. So I just wasted four hours of my day.

I called the agency when I left. The obnoxious guy that I have been dealing with was not available so I had to talk to his supervisor. He was not exactly thrilled to hear that I didn't think this was a job for me. Told me he would see what he could do to get a full week and more money, but not surprisingly I have not heard back from him or the other obnoxious one. No big loss!

Interview jitters!

2011-09-23T12:15:00.001-07:00

Remember back on August 25th when I was having interview butterflies?
Today I go back for interview number FIVE for this position!
I had honestly written this job off as a lost cause when I had a call yesterday that they are asking to talk to me again. Everyone here thinks it is a good sign and that they will offer the job to me today.

So keep your fingers crossed that I come back with a big ol' squee filled post tonight! (And will have to update you on some of the other job interviews that I have done lately...such a joke!)

Inspiration: A guest post by Lacy Camey

2011-09-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

Inspiration comes in many forms for many different people. Some are inspired by the moment, others are inspired by an idea, others by a person, a muse, but I find inspiration for me comes from within.

You see, if I won the lottery tomorrow and was awarded 100 million dollars and was told, “Do whatever you want with your life” – I would write. Of course I would travel, but while I would travel, I would write.

And sure I’d go to quite a few spas and relaxing places, but while maybe on the exterior I’d be relaxing, I couldn’t help but think about stories, characters, dialogue, ideas. I would just have to write.

Put me in a cave without paper or pen, I’m sure I would figure a way to transcribe a story.

It’s just in me to write and tell stories! Does that mean I’m just itching to write your research paper or article for work? Um, no! Haha. I think there is a difference for me. I have inspiration and a strong desire to write stories and be a story-teller and to not write academic books.

I feel like if I didn’t write stories, something would feel missing. It would be as if I had this terrible itch and it would never go away

It’s like a singer born with the gift to sing. It doesn’t matter who hears her, she has to sing. She sings in the shower, in the car on the road, at the store, it’s just what she does.

The joy I feel when I write is so self fulfilling and satisfying. Besides the innate drive inside of me to write, I find inspiration in the end result, as well.

I love meeting people, hearing what they are going through in life, encouraging others and connecting. I love conversations and meeting new people. It’s one of my favorite things. I also love being able to make a difference with my book revenues-helping orphanages and making a tangible difference.

I love making people laugh and smile. When someone tells me they had fun reading my book, that’s the greatest compliment ever.

As far as making a career out of writing fiction for the rest of my life, the thing that inspires me the most is knowing I have chosen a career where, when my husband and I decide to raise a family, I will be able to be home with my future children. That’s very important to me and always has been.

Being cozy also inspires me to write. That warm cup of coffee and tea, cozy clothes, soft blankets, my warm cuddly cat. Too bad I live in the deep south where it never snows! I think maybe if I lived a little bit more up north, I would be inspired by the cold weather. Speaking of weather, thunderstorms inspire me to write as well. Water inspires me, too. Ocean, lake, river, fountains. There is something very creative about water.

Art is a very beautiful thing. Art is like adding color into the world. Writing is a literary art and I hope the color I bring to the world through my stories is bright turquoise.

Thanks for having me. Whatever you decide to do in life, let your inspiration guide you into bliss and peace.

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Thank you, Lacy, for such an inspiring post. And thank you to both you and Samantha for including me in your blog tour. I loved your book and can't wait for the second in what is sure to be a highly successful career for you!

If you want to get to know the talented and lovely, Lacy Camey, you can do so at the following:

Lacy's website
Lacy's twitter
Lacy's Facebook
Amazon Link
Barnes & Noble Link

Win a $10 Amazon Gift Card! From now until the end of Lacy's blog tour (Oct 10th), if you leave a comment on her blog tour page, you are entered to win: Lacy's CLP Blog Tour Page. That's all you have to do! If you buy the book and email a copy of the receipt to Samantha at CLP, you get a bonus entry!

Review: The Last Page by Lacy Camey

2011-09-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

Norah Johnson is at a crossroads and is in desperate need to heal after a highly publicized breakup from her major league baseball player boyfriend. To escape, she moves to her summer home at the beach with her sister and best friend where she journals, attends therapy and works on her pending clothing line. When a gorgeous stranger finds her lost journal, he seeks to find the author and make her fall in love with him. But is Norah ready to love again?

Lacy Camey's debut novel is a sweet journey as Norah Johnson goes from heartbreak at the hands of her New York Yankee ex-boyfriend to healing with the help of her family, best friend, and a new man. A gorgeous setting on the beach helps bring this book to life as this novel takes shape.Norah's spiral out of control and into depression alarms those closest to her, finally resulting in her parents insisting she visit a therapist and then move into the family beach house for the summer to get over her break up. I wish all down times in life could be handled like this. The side story of her sister, Maycee, and her absentee boyfriend is a nice break in the main story. There is nothing worse than the secondary story overlapping the heroine. The hero, the gorgeous stranger, Orien, who finds her lost journal, is just a little too good to be true. But Lacy ties everything together so perfectly that it all works. As this is the first book in a trilogy, she spends enough time introducing you to the cast of characters that leaves you wondering what their story will be. This was a lovely read and a great debut novel. I'm excited to read the next book in the series.

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Lacy Camey is a fiction writer and lives in Houston, Texas with her musician/producer/songwriter husband, Joel, and has a cat who acts like a dog, named Blue. When she isn't writing, or collaborating with her husband, she enjoys being outside, running, working out, reading, cooking, is a huge movie buff and loves watching reality shows on Bravo, especially The Real Housewives franchise. She loves having fun, enjoying the life God has given her and loves to encourage others to follow their bliss. She secretly dreams of going on the Amazing Race with her husband on CBS but is still trying to convince him to audition. Every book written by Lacy Camey purchased by others, a portion goes to supporting an orphanage in Southern America. Lacy has plans to build an orphanage very soon with proceeds from her books. You can stay updated on the process at her blog at www.lacycameywrites.com.
Lacy would love to stay in contact with her readers. Feel free to visit her blog and website at www.lacycameywrites.com or follow her on twitter @lacycamey or e-mail: lacycameywrites (at) gmail (dot) com
Lacy's website
Lacy's twitter
Lacy's Facebook
Amazon Link
Barnes & Noble Link

Win a $10 Amazon Gift Card! From now until the end of Lacy's blog tour (Oct 10th), if you leave a comment on her blog tour page, you are entered to win: Lacy's CLP Blog Tour Page. That's all you have to do! If you buy the book and email a copy of the receipt to Samantha at CLP, you get a bonus entry!

Cinematic Pet Peeve, Take One

2011-09-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

I am a big movie fan, that is no secret. I usually see at least one movie a week and am also pretty anal about my movie experience. I am picky about the theater and seats, I want quiet during the movie (IE do not try to carry on a conversation with me), and I can't stand when people bring kids to a movie that is not geared towards children.Today I went to my favorite movie theater with plans to see "Straw Dogs". I walked in the theater about 20 minutes before it was starting and there were quite a few people there already. All but five of them were children. And I mean young children. I had to go back out and change the movie to "Drive".I completely understand that sometimes you need to bring children with you to the movies, but seriously what about "Straw Dogs" was yelling "kid friendly" to to you? There is a lot of violence, including rape. Do you really think your five year old needs to watch that? I am at a serious loss where some people get their common sense from.

Pass me the garlic

2011-09-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

Johnny Depp has made a career of playing off the wall, unique characters. I love him for it, I think he is such a widely versatile actor that there is not much that he can not bring to life through his imagination.

However, his Barnabus for the upcoming Tim Burton reboot of “Dark Shadows” has me shaking my head.

Where is a stake when you need one? I love me some vampires, but this one? This is not going to cut it.

Every day I'm shuffling

2011-09-14T12:08:00.001-07:00

I hate earworms. Especially when it is something like “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO and I can’t stop singing the song or bopping my head to the music only I heard internally. And now those blasted KIA hamsters have done a commercial with that song.

Last night on the news, they said that AZ is in a state of poverty and has one of the highest unemployment/lack of new jobs rates in the US. Ain’t that the truth! I am still on the job hunt. I have not been dismissed from the position I applied for here, but they have not said a word in 2 weeks. I am not a patient person so I just went crazy applying all over the place. I really do think that Arizona and I need to part ways. It is hard, however, as I do *like* living here. I just can’t keep surviving on piddly pay.

Did anyone else watch the season 4 finale of “True Blood” and have a total “WTF” face going on at the end? I can’t wait for season 5 and that isn’t until next June!! And I hope that poor Lafayette doesn’t have such tragic hair next season! It was bad this season!!

(If you haven’t figured out yet, the subject of this blog is fitting since my mind is all over the place, shuffling. I blame it on horrendous boredom at work. And the worst part of how bored I am is I am a bored eater.)

I think I need to go on vacation! My bank account is not agreeing with me at all, but vacation is calling me loudly. Mainly due to the gorgeous pictures that Marika has been posting, I have a big desire to check out New Orleans. She posted a very cool picture of a pink and purple house and all I thought was I would love to go sit on the steps of that house and just enjoy a day.

Isn't that house perfect? (Photo is used courtesy of Marika.) It is so me and I would be happy to just hang out there.

9/11

2011-09-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

I remember where I was 10 years ago, driving to work.
I remember having to force myself to turn off the news as I couldn't stop watching or crying.
I remember the eery silence that filled the air without planes for days afterwards.
I remember the fear, anger, sadness, and eventual hope.
I remember the devastation in all the lives lost in a horrible act of immense hatred.
I remember all the brave men and women that have and continue to fight to keep us safe.
So I think it is safe to say I don't need to be told to always remember, I will never forget.

Patrick McDonnell's "MUTTS" cartoon for today is fitting:

Hump Day Thoughts

2011-09-01T17:58:00.001-07:00

Isn't this cute? It is on it's way to me and I am so excited!!

For those keeping track of my interview/potential job status – I had a follow up interview on Monday with the big manager in the department. Everyone that knows I have interviewed has been very positive and feel it is a definite go. Until I have the actual job offer, I have to just keep a positive thought on it and keep telling myself the job is mine.

Because someone reminded me of it earlier, I thought maybe I would enjoy reminding you as well – 115 shopping days until Christmas!!! Of course it is 115 degrees outside here in Arizona so the thought of Christmas is a welcome one because of the cooler weather. I went to Hobby Lobby last Saturday just to see the Christmas decorations and try to get in the mood a bit early. Didn’t happen. The second I walked back out the door and got smacked in the face by the heat, I was back to cursing the day.

My first books that I am offering up for my Read It Forward are the two delightful novels by Nancy Volkers, Scottish Ferry Tale and Scotland by Starlight. (Click the titles for my reviews of them both.) I am sending them together because you are going to want to read the sequel as soon as you finish the first one. As I mentioned before, all I am asking is you post a review on your blog, Amazon, Good Reads, etc and that if you pass the book on you ask the same thing. First person to comment that they want these two books, gets them.

Review: Twenty-Eight and a half wishes by Denise Grover Swank

2011-09-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She’s had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone’s toilet’s overflowed, but she’s never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.

Rose realizes she’s wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She’s well on her way with the help of her next door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking, but won’t help with number fifteen-- do more with a man. Joe’s new to town, but it doesn’t take a vision for Rose to realize he’s got plenty secrets of his own.

Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all.

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As a compulsive list maker, I was immediately intrigued by the premise of Denise Grover Swank's new book. Okay, granted I don't have psychic visions or have to worry about someone out to murder me (I don't think anyway), but list making, I have down! Rose Gardner is your typical heroine. She has grown up facing hardship in the form of a mother that treats her more like an inconvenient housekeeper more than treating her like a daughter, feeling that she has to give her freedom to making sure her mother is taken care of. She has these nagging psychic visions that cause her to speak out about them without thinking most times and most people don't understand so she feels like an outcast. Her sister is married with children, having a very charmed life that Rose is not going to have. Then she envisions a customer at the DMV killing her and life takes quite the detour. When her mother ends up getting murdered instead of her, Rose finds herself under suspicion and enter sexy next door neighbor, Joe, who of course is carrying secrets.

I really enjoyed this book. As "typical" as the heroine is, there is so much charm and delight in the character of Rose that you can't help but just love her. This was one of those books that I kept telling myself one more page, then I need to put it down. Instead I found myself tearing through the book instead, needing to know the outcome. (And for the record, I was wrong on who I thought was behind it all, thankfully!) It is a definite recommendation and Denise Grover Swank is going to be entertaining for years to come with fun characters and interesting stories to tell.

You can find out about Denise and her books at the following:
Denise's website
Denise on Twitter
Denise on Facebook

Q&A with author Denise Grover Swank

2011-08-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

As part of the Chick Lit Plus Blog Tour for the book Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes, I had the chance to interview the author, the delightful Denise Grover Swank. I hope you enjoy the interview!

1) Who and what inspired you to become a writer?

I've always written, since I was a kid. I loved getting lost in stories. I started my first book in fourth grade, inspired by a dream, and wrote 70 spiral bound pages before I stopped. But it was my high school English teacher, Mrs. Davis, who made me believe I was good and that writing was worthwhile. I dedicated Twenty-Eight Wishes to her.

2) You have wrote Chicklit, a paranormal thriller, and a young adult novel. Which is your favorite genre and is there one that you haven't wrote in yet but are looking forward to?

I also have a middle grade half way completed in first draft. I read lots of genres and you hear "tell the story you want to tell." Even with all the different genres, they're actually not so different. They all involve some type of mystery or unknown. They all have moments that are tense, exciting or thrilleresque. And they all have some type of fantastical element.

I like having the freedom to write both dark and intense-- my paranormal thriller series-- and also fun and light hearted-- Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes.

3) What is your cure for writer's block?

Keep writing. Seriously, especially in first draft. It might suck but you can fix it later. That's the whole point of editing.

4) In your book, Rose has a list of twenty-eight wishes. Do you have a similar list?

I have things I want to do but I haven't written them down the list tends to evolve. I add new things and others drop off. But Rose's list came from a time in my life after my husband died and I realized that if I didn't live now, I might never get the chance. I look at life differently now and try to make every moment count.

5)Twenty-Eight and a half wishes" is listed as book one. Do you already have a second book plotted out?

I have three more books for Rose semi-plotted out. I'm eager to start on her next book! I miss her.

6) My favorite question to ask of any writer - Who would you cast in a movie of your book?

Funny you should ask. I just figured this out a week or so ago. Rose: Ginnifer Goodwin Joe: Scott Foley Violet: Piper Perabo Daniel Crocker: James Frain Mildred: Randee Heller I have yet to find someone for Sloan. He'd be fun to cast.

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Thank you, Denise, for the fun interview!

You can find out about Denise and her books at the following:
Denise's website
Denise on Twitter
Denise on Facebook

Guest post: Thoughts on friends with benefits by Meredith Schorr

2011-08-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

The title of my book is Just Friends With Benefits. Did you hear about the new movie called Friends With Benefits starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis? So did I and, no, there is no association between my book and the movie.

I cannot tell you how many people have said that to me, a chuckle in their voice or an "LOL" at the end of their email, like they are SO funny and original and like I'd never heard it before. Stating for the record, I've heard it before and it's not that funny. No offense.

Anyhoo, yes the title of my novel is Just Friends With Benefits and my main character, Stephanie, sleeps with her old crush from college who is also a friend. He labels it "friends with benefits." She plays along but secretly wants more.

I had obviously heard the phrase "friends with benefits" ("FWB") before I wrote the book. It's pretty popular these days and I used it in my title hoping to entice readers to buy the book. I've never, however, had a FWB myself. I just don't know if I could handle it. I'm pretty selective about who I sleep with and need a certain amount of physical attraction. I'm also pretty selective about my friends and only befriend people I genuinely like and enjoy spending time with. So, the way I see it, if I'm attracted enough to want to sleep with a man, yet like him enough as a person to call him my friend, chances are, I'm going to want him to be my "boy" friend and having sex with him regularly is probably going to make it worse. And I'll keep hoping that the FWB status will segue into a relationship, it probably won't (since my life is not a romantic comedy movie), I'll waste time, get my heart broken and likely lose my friend in the process. No thanks.

The FWB concept does not work in the movies either. The characters in No Strings Attached took their friendship up a notch and became friends with benefits. Then they fell in love. I haven't seen the movie yet but would be willing to bet my next royalty check that Justin and Mila's characters in Friends with Benefits eventually fell in love too. If the FWB status worked for them, there would have been no desire to upgrade to boyfriend and girlfriend. Although I'm aware that No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits are fictional stories, I suppose real-life FWBs sometimes become boyfriend and girlfriend too, but more likely, I think one of the two is quietly praying for an upgrade and like my main character, feeling bad about herself that her "buddy" doesn't want to be her boyfriend. (And I'm sure in some cases it is the man who secretly wants more.) And while I would not be able to blame my FWB for any wrong doing since the rules of a FWB relationship are clear, anyone who makes me feel not good enough, purposely or not, should not be allowed to see me naked. I truly believe a one night stand makes more sense for me than an FWB. And that statement should not be taken to mean I have regular one night stands. But it would be more likely than a FWB. I just don't think it works most of the time.

It's worth noting that my opinion comes from my own stage in life as a single, never-been-married woman who is still looking for "the one." It would be different if a guy friend and I starting dating with the best intentions and it didn't work out. I could live with that since no relationship comes with a success guarantee, but I'd be afraid to get too caught up in a no-strings sexual relationship with someone I might honestly see myself getting more serious with. But I can see some situations where it could work. For instance, when two people enjoy each other's company and are physically attracted to each other but, due to extraneous factors such as physical distance, know that being in a serious relationship could never work. Or two people who have already been in serious relationships, not interested in going there again and are truly just looking for companionship with no strings. Maybe people in different stages of their lives, ex. older woman and much younger man who have nothing in common aside from a mutual physical attraction could make it work. Or even married couples who have agreed that sexual relations outside of the marriage are allowed. There are exceptions to every rule and I'm sure the FWB actually works in some cases, but for single people like myself who are actually looking for something more, I'd be very surprised if, in the majority of cases, both parties to a FWB situation are truly satisfied. (And I don't mean "sexually" satisfied!)

Anyway, that's my opinion on the subject for what it's worth. But, hey, did you hear about that book Just friends with Benefits by Meredith Schorr? It has nothing to do with the movie, but you should read it. It's good!

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Thank you so much, Meredith, for dropping by my blog with such a great post! I most definitely recommend Meredith's book "Just Friends with Benefits"!

Official Website.
Facebook .
GoodReads

Review: Just Friends with Benefits by Meredith Schorr

2011-08-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

When a friend urges Stephanie Cohen not to put all her eggs in one bastard, the advice falls on deaf ears. Stephanie's college crush on Craig Hille has been awakened 13 years later as if soaked in a can of Red Bull and she is determined not to let the guy who got away once, get away twice. Stephanie, a 32-year-old paralegal from Washington, D.C., is a 70's and 80's television trivia buff who can recite the starting lineup of the New York Yankees and go beer for beer with the guys. And despite her failure to get married and pro-create prior to entering her thirties, she has so far managed to keep her overbearing mother from sticking her head in the oven. Just Friends with Benefits is the humorous story of Stephanie's pursuit of love, her adventures in friendship, and her journey to discover what really matters.

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Friends with Benefits is a hot topic in Hollywood these days, as debut novelist Meredith Schorr will talk about in the guest post that will follow this review. Stephanie Cohen has been carrying a crush since college on Craig Hille and when she finally gets the nerve up to make her move, he promptly puts them in the friends with benefits category. I love the premise of this book and I really liked the majority of the characters. Stephanie is smart, quirky, and bound so deeply to the friends she made in college that a lot of her life revolves around them. I think friendships define us, just as much as our family, so that was one of the most positive things about the book. However, there is one character in this book, Paul, that just grated on my nerves from start to finish. He just came off as rude and annoying, no matter the scene. Paul aside, I really enjoyed the book. Stephanie meeting cute Ryan and having to decide if she wanted to pursue a real relationship or keep on hoping that eventually Craig would move her to girlfriend status was the real story here. I found myself applauding Stephanie and then groaning at her actions in the next moment, pretty much how you would imagine such a scenario would play out in real life.

Meredith Schorr has a great novel in "Just Friends with Benefits". It's about more than recapturing a missed love with someone from your past, it is about the friends that are with you through thick and thin and learning to value yourself and your needs/wants. Thank you to both Meredith and Samantha from Chick Lit Plus for allowing me the chance to read and review this book.

You can find Meredith at the following:

Official Website.
Facebook .
GoodReads

Update to the interview

2011-08-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

I went down to the second floor about 15 minutes early, wandered around to find the conference room. (We have so many conference rooms with weird names on them.) Finally found the room, took a seat to wait for the interviewers to show up. Some guy walks in and tells me I must be in the wrong place. After some chaos of phone calls, it turns out the H/R manager gave me the WRONG DAY! Yup, the interview is for FRIDAY!

So now I get to do this all over again tomorrow. Which I guess is okay as I wasn't feeling my outfit when I got there. But geezo peezo, another day to stress?

Cross your fingers and send me good luck! I am still needing it.

Who's got the butterflies? Raise your hand!

2011-08-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

It is 7:55AM and as I am sitting at my desk, processing invoices, my stomach is full of butterflies and I quite honestly feel sick. Why, you may wonder? I have a job interview for another department at 1PM today. I don’t know about the rest of you, but the thought of doing a job interview rattles my nerves completely. They are right up there with a visit to the doctor. However, after two years of being a temp and lacking benefits and holiday/vacation pay, this is an opportunity that can’t be passed up. To make it even more anxiety filled, when H/R called me about it yesterday I was told they interviewed one other person last week and passed them up so I am the only one remaining. If they like me, it is mine. If they don’t, the job opens back up. Fabulous.

I do know how to sell myself pretty well, but I always fear I am either going to come off too arrogant or not confident enough. I had a friend “interview” me yesterday, asking me a variety of questions to prepare myself for today. I AM prepared, I just feel sick to my stomach at the thought of doing it. (Such a wuss, I know.)

But cross your fingers…this is something I need desperately.

Warrior

2011-08-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

Last night I took in an advanced screening of a movie coming out on September 9th called "Warrior". Last year, if you remember, one of my favorite movies of the year was "The Fighter", and after seeing the trailer for this movie, I figured it was along those lines.

Trust me when I say this movie is "The Fighter" and more! The story of two estranged brothers - Tommy, a Marine dealing with the demons of the past and war, and his older brother, Brendan, a high school physics teacher struggling to help his family survive. They both enter into a MMA (mixed martial arts) tournament for different reasons and this movie packs one heck of a punch. There isn't much that I can say about it right now, as it is still a few weeks from release. But what I can tell you, without a doubt, go see this movie. Beyond the fighting in the cage, see this movie for the heart that it has and the incredible acting from Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy. (With supporting cast of Nick Nolte and Jennifer Morrison.)

Warrior Official Website

Simple little life thought.

2011-08-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here’s something about me that maybe you didn’t know – I get wangsty around my birthday every year. I inevitably take a moment to think about where I am, where I’ve been, what I’ve accomplished, and end up talking myself into a funk.

This year was no exception. The day before my birthday, I was driving home from work and got too deep in my head and felt my mood starting to fade and that “meh” state of mind settle in. However, I quickly asked myself WHAT exactly was I sulking over?

No, I didn’t lose all that weight that I wanted to. And I didn’t win the lottery and see the world. Heck, I’m still at the same job. But I also strengthened bonds with old friends, made some new friends, experienced new sights, had my mind blown by music, books, and cinema, laughed a lot, regretted little (except for a speeding ticket), and lived. Not too shabby.

So many times we are in such a rush to show what we accomplish and to make better that we don’t really pay attention to the little blessings that we have. You put all those little blessings together and you are going to find that your life is pretty damn spectacular after all.

If you ever find yourself in a pre-birthday funk or just feeling a bit sorry for yourself, take note of everything around you and find all those little blessings adding up.

Friday Five

2011-08-19T17:30:00.001-07:00

1. Bath & Body Works has their Halloween line out. It fills me with glee to think fall is coming. And Halloween! I need to go buy this little cutie for my car:

And bonus is she smells like frosted cupcakes!!

2. “Conan the Barbarian” opens today with the oh so sexy Jason Momoa!

I missed seeing him at Comic Con (very sore subject), but I did get a Conan tattoo.

2A. “Fright Night” also opens today starring another hot one, Colin Farrell. I am not a big fan of horror movies, but am definitely seeing this one.

3. I have had a nagging headache for a couple of days now. Combo weather/allergies/work, I am guessing. But there are times that I wish someone would offer to behead me.

4. I got a Kindle for my birthday. I love it, but I have to be honest…I think my books on my bookshelf are giving me the evil eye. I need Kindle to smell like a new book, that is such a comforting smell.

5. I have some really fun reviews and author guest posts coming up on my blog to share with you all. I’m also going to start offering up those books for adoption, will have a list hopefully this weekend. My only stipulation is going to be if you ask for one of the books that you read it, post a review (blog, Amazon, Goodreads, etc), and if you pass the book on, you request the same. There are some fabulous authors that are just starting out and they deserve to get their name out there for more people to hear about.

ChickLit Villains: A Guest Post by Britney Bronte

2011-08-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

ChickLit Villains

To some extent I’ve touched on this in other blogs. When you talk about Chicklit heroes, you can’t get away from villains, because within this genre the guy who looks like the prince is often the toad. Working out which is which can form a massive part of the story.

The genre is unusual, in so much as you don’t need a villain to create the plot. It helps but it’s not absolutely necessary. Chicklit bad boys seldom tie the heroine to railway tracks or blackmail her or poison her relatives, though sometimes we wish he would. Often, he’s a classic example of the kind of man fallen for and never understood; the man who acts interested but then doesn’t text back, the guy who dumps us without a reason, or the love of our life who tells us he can’t commit, then marries a finalist from America’s Next Top Matchstick.

In general, the key to a chicklit villain is that he doesn’t care, or he cares in a way that makes us unhappy. He is always charming and on some level false. Once we know what he’s like, we ‘re generally shouting at the heroine to stop loving him, only she can’t because he represents something she lacks. And that’s a situation we all understand..

Of course, the enemy is not always the male who doesn’t care. Check out The Devil Wears Prada, where the obvious nasty is our heroine’s boss, Miranda Priestly. From bitches to witches, bad girls are just as much fun as bad boys. Whoever your villain is, don’t let them get too heavy; remember Sex and the City, where Aleksandr hits Carrie and gets his just desserts from Mr Big? That’s the point at which the romcom element is almost over, and something more serious is taking its place. It may be a lot of things, but it’s not funny.

Usually, chicklit life is a comedy of errors. In Do Not Lick The Phones, it’s the funny circumstances and mistakes that make the story. If there’s any real danger at all, it lies in what Britney may become if she lets herself. There is a tiny element of seduction…but I’ll leave that for you to discover.

So when it comes to villains./villainesses of course they should add flavour and plot, Let them be as real and recogniseable as it takes to be ridiculous. If they spark you up, chances are the readers will feel the same. Love them, hate them, laugh at them, but most of all, enjoy them. Treated well, they’ll make your story pop!

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Thank you, Britney, for the delightful post!

For more on Britney Bronte and her debut novel "Do Not Lick The Phones", you can visit the following: her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Oh this is high on the list of WANTS!!!

2011-08-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

Official singing "Big Bang Theory" soft kitty

Review: Do Not Lick The Phones by Britney Bronte

2011-08-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

The True Confessions of a TV Psychic!

A sparkling romcom based on the true life adventures of Britney Bronte, hapless wannabe celebrity psychic.

Meet Britney, a girl with a pack of cards and almost no ambition, who finds herself jetset to stardom on psychic Television. Will she find fame? Inner meaning? True love?

Crazies and conmen, angels and aliens, predictions and porn, they're all to be found in this whistleblowing romp through the New Age. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll howl... but whatever you do, remember please, DO NOT LICK THE PHONES!

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Britney Bronte finally lands a dream job, hosting a psychic bit on television. Unfortunately, the station is owned by Satan, but the cast of characters that she encounters is enough to keep things always hopping. Britney weaves a fascinating tale of her job and the people who surround her. Life at the studio is never dull, that is for sure. From the "babes" that do the adult lines to the varied psychics and mediums working in her studio, the tales are varied and amusing. There is a bit with a sheep and another that involves an exorcism of a plant that had me stuck in a laughing fit. Of course, a man enters the picture. Kumar, the hottest man alive, is his name and Britney is definitely interested. And it is complicated, naturally. I think my biggest issue was the fact the book rarely left the studio. It felt hard to get a grasp on who Britney really was because it was all work related and so much detail into the inner workings of the TV station with too many characters being added on a constant basis. Overall, a good debut novel out of Britney Bronte and hopefully more to come.

All proceeds from “DO NOT LICK THE PHONES” will go to help out communities in London recover from the horrible riots that recently happened. That, folks, deserves a lot of respect given to Ms. Bronte.

You can find Britney at the following: her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

As always, a big thank you to Samantha with Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours for inviting me to review this book.

I had the time of my life

2011-08-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

In 1987, there was this little movie that came out called “Dirty Dancing” and I fell in love. The sweet good girl, Frances “Baby” Houseman, that aspired to save the world falls in love with the proverbial boy from the wrong side of the tracks, Johnny Castle. Not only was he from the wrong side of the tracks, but he was older *gasp* and been around the block a few times. But fall in love they did and from the moment Baby tells him she carried a watermelon to the scene where Johnny stands up to her father, telling him that no one puts Baby in the corner, I was hooked. The music was perfect and the dancing was fabulous, but it was the chemistry between Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze that made the movie. (And I developed a crush on Patrick Swayze that lasted until his unfortunate passing.)

Earlier this week, it was announced that there was a remake of “Dirty Dancing” in the works. Not just a remake, but basically copying of the original, down to the music. Can you say “boycott”? Then today I saw the names they are throwing around for the remake and I wanted to kick something. For Baby they are talking Lea Michele (from “Glee”), Demi Lovato, and Mily Cyrus. For Johnny, the names hinted at include Matthew Morrison (from “Glee”), Usher, Justin Timberlake, Chace Crawford (from “Gossip Girl”), and Derek Hough (from “Dancing with the Stars”). Uh, how about no, no, no, and hell no?? If you want to copy the movie so badly, why not just re-release the movie? It stands the test of time, gaining new fans from newer generations, and you won’t need to go through the trouble of making those of us that love the original howl in outrage.

I can’t imagine anyone singing “She’s like the wind” but Patrick Swayze. I can’t imagine the “Mickey and Sylvia” scene without Patrick and Jennifer. And I surely do not want to see this movie Disneyed up.

Bad enough, we have a remake of “Footloose” coming out shortly, which I will also be avoiding. Blake Shelton, while I’m sure he is a fabulous singer, is no Kenny Loggins and I don’t personally care to hear him try to do “Footloose”. Hollywood, get original! The remakes are insulting and quite honestly, it is rare they top the original. Sucky movies are becoming too prevalent.

Read it forward coming soon!

2011-08-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

Because I don't happen to have something as awesome as this at home:

(nor do I have the room for something as awesome as that.)

I have decided to do a little read it forward soon and will be passing on some fabulous books that I have read this year. I just have to figure out how I want to do it. :)

The Art of Writing - A guest post by author Lennie Ross

2011-08-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

People always ask me what it’s like to write. I say it’s like playing with a Rubik’s cube the size of a house with tiny little squares the size of a postage stamp. We move words around until they make some sense, accurately reflect the images in our mind, and hopefully strike a chord of emotion in the reader.

I love to write. I started writing when I was fourteen. I wrote a book of poetry. I have no idea where that book is—probably in a tattered cardboard box in my mother’s attic collecting dust—but I would love to look at it again. The beautiful thing about all forms of writing is that they act like a time and date stamp of our thoughts and feelings at a certain moment in our lives. I guess that’s why so many people keep journals.

Like all artists, I have struggled to get paid for what I do. I have written copy for brochures selling everything from dental equipment to retirement living. I have written about local building projects, water contamination, and community fairs for small local newspapers. I have written TV movie projects inspired by real life stories of dying mothers looking for someone to care for their children and women who survived physical and sexual abuse, which I pitched from one network to the next until there was nowhere left to pitch. I have written erotica scripts where every ten pages there is a simulated sex/love scene. With all of these projects, I managed to get paid to some degree, but I have never made a living as a writer.

I know a few successful writers who make upwards of a million dollars a year doing what they love. I am not one of them, though I do hope that a little of their good fortune might rub off on me. A few years ago I became so disenchanted with writing due to my lack of financial success that I stopped writing for two whole years. It was the most foreign experience for me. I missed it. I craved it. I felt guilty for not writing, but I could not handle the disappointment and pain of not being financially successful at that which I loved.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I thought my mind was going to explode with ideas. Writers write; whether we are compensated financially or not, it is just something we have to do. So, I chose a new medium: the chicklit novel. With a new medium to explore, I was faced with endless new challenges: How long should it be? What voice should I use? Where do I find an editor? How do I find an agent? How do I self-publish? Throughout the process I found myself asking, “what do I do now?” Nobody was answering, so I just figured it out on my own. It was just another piece of the puzzle that is writing.

Two years later, after endless challenges, I have my first published chicklit novel, “Blow Me”. It’s a tale of three women’s struggle with sex and love in the City of Angels and one women’s struggle with being a writer.

Lennie Ross can be found on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads

Review: Blow Me by Lennie Ross

2011-08-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

Blow Me is the story of three single women—each close to forty and living a life they have long outgrown. Aware that the women’s magazines of their youth sold them a false bill of goods about having it all—the amazing career, the baby, the house, the husband—each woman is desperate to achieve some sense of stability. Skylar, a hairdresser/executive assistant who lost her job and burned down her apartment after a fondue party, is living out of her car; Chloe, a struggling actress/real estate agent with a French Canadian accent who has never sold a house and doesn’t have her SAG card, struggles to get a Green Card; and Dawn, an MBA-educated dating matchmaker, is hedging her bets against the ticking clock by freezing embryos. Their lives are in chaos and their only hope is to be rescued through marriage or by a Hairy Godfather. Situated in the shallow world of Los Angeles, this provocative novel in the style of Sex and the City provides a humorous look at aging, dating, and being single in the new millennium.

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Let me just say, Lennie Ross, you wrote one entertaining book!! I was fascinated with the lives of Skylar, Dawn, and Chloe. Set in the glitzy setting of Los Angeles, three very different women have forged a life for themselves and a tight friendship. (At least two of them did anyway.) Skylar's journey to finding herself and her purpose in life was rocky. Losing your job to two Barbie dolls and then burning your apartment down (hey, it was in the proverbial heat of the moment) is definitely rough. Living in her car, she had to work out where she could park for a night, where to find free food, where to grab a quick shower, all the while avoiding letting anyone know that she was, in fact homeless. Enter a man that seemed very unlikely to catch Skylar's eye, but helped her grow and find her dream job. Dawn's path was filled with an overbearing mother that just wants to see her married with children and possessing a hesitance to live her life. Her mother finally takes matters into her own hands and signs up, posing as Dawn, for a dating service and arranges a date for her daughter. Enter Jake. Dawn, as much as she likes Jake, is privately going through the process to freeze her embryos to keep up with the biological clock that is ticking away. And then we have Chloe. Honestly, I didn't find her likable. She felt fake and too materialistic. As she schemed to find herself a husband to stay in the country, I couldn't get behind her character and root for her.

Lennie's debut novel is full of heart and fun characters. The supporting cast is made up of some incredible men, some downright sleazy men, a mother that makes you want to yell at her in Dawn's defense, and a couple of cute kitties. If you've been to LA, you can envision clearly a lot of the places that are described, which helps bring it to life. I have to agree that if you love "Sex and the City", you are going to enjoy "Blow Me", a great debut from Lennie Ross.

If you want to learn more about Lennie, please check out her website, you won't regret it!

You say it's your birthday?

2011-08-04T12:01:00.001-07:00

It’s my birthday, too!!

I am never overly thrilled with the prospect of my birthday. However this year I have decided that I am going to be celebrating my birthday from this weekend through next weekend.

What do I have planned? Nothing yet. Other than my birthday (the 9th) I did ask for my mom’s homemade lasagna for dinner. No other plans are made yet, but I think I deserve a week long celebration! I’d go for a month, but even I’d get sick of myself and my birthday by that time.

Party On!

I want to go here!!!

2011-08-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

Chef creates Star Wars replica treats for diners at his sushi restaurant.

Han Solo! <3

Master Yoda. Eat or eat not, there is no wasting

And my favorite little bad attitude in a can, R2-D2 (with bonus Ewok!)

Review: Scotland by Starlight by Nancy Volkers

2011-07-31T18:11:00.000-07:00

Back in May I did a review for A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers and the book was just perfect. It was the right blend of romance that appealed to me and had me wanting more of the story of Cassie and Ralph. I was so excited that not only was there a sequel but the fabulous author asked if I would like to review it.

From Goodreads:

Cassie Wrentham is on her way to Scotland again... but this time it's not vacation. She's moving in with Ralph Macnair, the charismatic Scotsman who stole her heart. But Cassie wouldn't be Cassie without doubts. Will she find a job in a tight U.K. economy? Would marrying Ralph now be only for convenience's sake? Will she fit in, make friends, make a life there? Or will it all fall apart? Bursting with a lively cast of characters, all with their own stories and challenges, Scotland By Starlight follows Cassie and Ralph from the new beginnings of their intense relationship to a conclusion like no other.

First off, I have to thank Nancy Volkers for not only asking me to read and review this book, but for giving such delightful characters. Cassie continued to exasperate me here and there with her indecisiveness and her putting up roadblocks, but the character of Ralph was wrote with so much love for Cassie that even when he became unsure it was evident that they loved each other. As the issue of age came up again and again, I started to have a sense of dread fill me. But the relationship continued to grow and the inevitable wedding takes place. However, there is an epilogue to this book and while I won't spoil it for you, my heart broke and I cried through the remaining pages of the book. So much emotion in this book and one that you will not want to put down when you start reading it. Nancy has proven to be a remarkable storyteller and hopefully we get something new from her soon, carrying on in this tradition.

I highly recommend this book, but please be sure to read the first one to get the whole magical love story.

Riddle me this, Batman

2011-07-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

I hate clowns.

They skeeve me out. There is nothing fun or cheerful about them. I really want to just sock them in those big ugly red noses.

So explain to me why I love The Joker? He is one of my favorite comic book villains. And I *had* to have this print while I was at San Diego Comic Con this year.

Isn’t it fabulous? I need to find an awesome frame for it so I can hang it up! Joker and Harley Quinn are my favorite bad couple and this picture was too cool to pass up.

Aye, I'm a bad blogger!

2011-07-17T13:16:00.001-07:00

I really do intend to update more than I have lately, but I just get so busy with other things...or truthfully just get lazy. Currently I am procrastinating in packing my suitcase for vacation this next week. (Comic Con, I can't wait to get there!) So you get an update! Ha! See how my procrastinating mind works?

I went to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt 2" on Friday night after work. I love, love the books. And contrary to a friend's opinion that if you love the books, you won't be satisfied with the movie, I absolutely LOVED the movie. I think it wrapped everything up nicely. I mean, let's face it, of course things had to be cut out for time. Hell, there was stuff I wish they had included as well, but they didn't. I enjoyed the movie for exactly what it was and I can't recommend it enough.

We watched these kids grow up...it is sad to know this was the end. (And I cried in this movie, oy, I think my tear ducts dried up from it all.)

(look how cute they were! I always wanted to pinch Ron's cheeks!)

(And now they are such handsome adults! Emma Watson has the best style!)

It was a bit of a rough week. I went on this amazing job interview on Tuesday. I mean, seriously, it was the best and I was stupidly so positive that the job was mine. It was quite the knife in the heart when they called on Wednesday to say they gave the job to someone else. Mainly because they wanted someone that could start right then, I wanted to give my other job at least 48 hours notice as it feels so unprofessional to just walk in and quit. They said there is a possibility of another job in 2 weeks opening and they would love to offer that to me. We'll see. I guess I'm going back to the jaded outlook on it and don't believe it.

Also had some life lessons learned. It is sad when you realize that someone that you used to really admire and respect is so unworthy of those feelings. The day you see the total lack of class spew from their mouths is both eye opening and sad. As equally sad when you realize that the drama that a friend is bringing is going to forever be toxic and it is time to just cut the ties and let it go. But those are what life lessons are for - to teach you, help you grow, and move on. It is, after all, what it is.

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T08:33:00.001-07:00

Happy Fourth of July! I hope you have a beautifully explosive day! My friend Jo posted this on FB and it says it perfectly:

The American flag does not fly because the wind moves past it. It flies from the last breath of each military member who has paid the ultimate sacrifice protecting it. American SERVICE MEN & WOMEN don't fight because they hate what's in front of them, they fight because they love what's behind them. So while you're grilling this weekend & celebrating..remember to thank a service member.

Get on the floor and do the New Kids dance

2011-07-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

I am not going to deny (and most of you already know this anyway) that I am a big fan of New Kids on the Block so I was excited to get tickets to the NKOTBSB concert for June 30th. (I am not a fan of Backstreet Boys, by the way.) Originally my friend, Desi, was going with me but due to work had to cancel coming with me so I invited Tina to come along. Twenty years ago, Tina took me to my first NKOTB concert...I have repaid the favor.

(picture from nkotb.com)

About the last month leading up to the concert, I wasn't overly feeling it. I was sad that Desi wasn't coming. We had bought these tickets back in November of last year so we had a lot of planning into the weekend. But I found my interest in NKOTB waning due to the annoying obsessive babble out of a couple of crazed fangirls. It is the same obsessive behavior that deflated my General Hospital loving balloon as well. I am a fangirl, I get that you love your fandoms and you want to share that love with others. But come on, there is more to life than just talking about that fandom and when you can't do anything but talk about it, it wears me out. Anyway, all the way up until the day of the concert I was kind of in a bit of a meh state of mind over it, just putting on the happy face when asked about it.

I am happy to tell you, I got there and the first notes started and all the cuckoo birds were forgotten. We had a great night, dancing, singing, reliving some fun memories. Too bad my sister wasn't there with us. =\

Me and Tina...Twenty years of hangin' tough.

Placing an order:

2011-07-02T21:19:00.001-07:00

I want one of these:

Only if it turns into this:

And comes equipped with one of these:

In other words, I went to see "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" today and it was all sorts of awesome!

Getting our grump face on!

2011-06-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

I asked for treats.
Then I demanded treats.
And yet you still ignored me.
Now you must deal with the wrath of Tyson!

Review: Phone Kitten by Marika Christian

2011-06-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Shy, slightly overweight Emily would die if she had to talk dirty face-to-face—especially to her hot cop boy friend. She sure didn’t set out to do phone sex—she wanted to be a writer. But when her BFF framed her for plagiarism, she got in a tiny financial hole and saw this ad for “phone actresses”… Hey, it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. No pantyhose or pantsuits, no regular hours, you’re your own boss, and lots of people to talk to. Guys, that is. But here’s the odd thing—lots of them want to talk about more than Emily’s imagined attributes; they start to think of her as the best friend they’ll never have to meet. Next thing you know, one of her customers gets killed and Emily knows a lot more about it than she should. But she can’t tell the nearest cop, who’s also her own true love, because then he’ll find out about her secret life. What’s a phone kitten to do? Solve the murder herself, of course—because wouldn’t it be a great story for the newspaper that wrongly fired her? It’s her ticket back to her real life—if it doesn’t get her killed.

Marika Christian's debut novel was one of the most fun reads I have had this year. Sweet Emily taking a job as a "phone actress" has to be one of the funniest things ever. And after chatting with Marika and knowing these phone calls were real, amused me all the more. Emily's circle of friends and allies were all as lovable as her and the shady characters were perfectly despicable. (And there is a hot cop, Rick, that is just yummy!)Emily's investigation into her client, Jim's, murder is full of one zany misadventure after another with a long list of suspects. Along the way, Emily finds that her life is more interesting than she thought it was. It kept me guessing all the way until the end as to who was going to be the killer, I guessed wrong the entire way. Witty dialogue, charming characters, and a suspenseful who-dun-it makes this a fabulous read and one that comes highly recommended!

Wanna know what sucks?

2011-06-26T18:09:00.001-07:00

I don't have HBO!
So I have to wait for a site to upload "True Blood" so I can watch it!

My bed is calling me, it's nap time!

2011-06-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

The sad thing is no matter how much I do want to go nap, I know if I do, I will never sleep tonight. *sighs*

I knocked "Smokin' Seventeen" off of my "to be read" list, finishing it yesterday afternoon. I am so excited that there are going to be two books out this year (book eighteen in November) but I fear the end is coming soon. I am about 86 pages into "Just Friends with Benefits" by Meredith Schorr now. (And yes, I still need to finish the Sherilyn Kenyon book.)

I went to see "Bad Teacher" today. It was one of those movies that would either be hilarious or suck, there would be no in-betweens with it. While it was no "Hangover II", it was pretty dang funny. I will see Jason Segal in anything.

It is a three day work week for me and I couldn't be more excited for this!!

How has your weekend been?

Books, books, and more books!

2011-06-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love to read but my "to be read" pile is getting out of control. I need to buckle down and get these books read!

My To Be Read Pile consists of:

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
Good Enough to Eat by Stacey Ballis
A Pug's Tale by Alison Pace
The Taming of the Bastard by LA Dale
Just Friends with Benefits by Meredith Schorr
Do not lick the phones by Britney Bronte
Fantasy Lover by Sherilyn Kenyon (I am half way through that book.)

Those are just the books sitting in front of me. I have books on my book shelf that I have never read as well.

Plus I need to get two reviews up:
Phone Kitten by Marika Christian (YAY!)
Scotland by Starlight by Nancy Volkers.

So keep an eye out over here...hopefully I get some reading in soon and can cross these books off my list. :) For the record, I have done 11 of the 12 books for the Chick Lit Book Challenge. (I will participate through the whole year, I love the challenge.) I also put a personal goal of 24 books on myself for the year. I'm at book 28.

38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (pt 2)

2011-06-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

I love the daytime TV genre. I remember Luke and Laura's iconic wedding on "General Hospital" in 1981. I fell in love with that show because of Robert and Holly. I have watched "All My Children", "One Life to Live", "Port Charles", "Young and the Restless", "Santa Barbara", and "Days of our Lives" at some point or other in my life. Soap actors don't get a lot of respect. They work harder than most other actors as there is not a season break, there are not repeats. It is a fast paced, often changing atmosphere where you need talent to survive. But it is generally looked down on when someone says they got their break on a soap. Over the last few years the soap opera scene has started to crumble. A couple of months back it was announced that ABC would be cancelling "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" and replacing them with reality based TV talk shows. And I do understand the network point of view as it does take a lot of money to produce a daily soap opera and yes, the market has been on a steady decline for years now. However, instead of getting rid of the soap operas maybe they should look at what is not working and what is working and make some changes to them. That said, we had the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards telecast last night on CBS. The networks have been balking at hosting this awards ceremony for the last couple of years. Two years ago was a disastrous airing on the CW, last year and this year CBS agreed to air them with generous backing from Las Vegas. And when I say generous backing, I mean the promotion of all things Las Vegas swallowed the show. Somewhere it became an infomercial of why you should go to Vegas instead of to honor the daytime genre. Very sad to see it happen that way. Unfortunately, if this is what we have to look forward to next year, I hope they opt to not air the telecast, instead do a low key awards ceremony and save an already slighted genre further embarrassment.

That said, let me hop off of my soap box and give you my best dressed from the Emmys last night.

Melissa Archer - last year she went for the scandal. This year, she went simple elegance.

Lisa LoCicero is tied for my favorite dress from last night. Absolutely stunning!

Laura Wright - Big congratulations for winning Best Actress last night. 20 years in the daytime business and won her first Emmy on her first nomination.

Chrishell Stause and Melissa Claire Egan. Chrishell is my other favorite from last night.

Bree Williamson - beautiful!

Tamara Braun is my favorite daytime actress. I loved her dress, but wasn't crazy about her hair. Still adore that Tams!

38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (pt 1)

2011-06-20T17:29:00.001-07:00

This is going to image heavy so I'm breaking it up into two posts. Let's look at some fashion!

Let's start with some WTF dresses.

Jill Larson...the dress is overwhelming, the bows are ugly!

Jennifer Gareis...Too much ruffle.

Elizabeth Hendrickson - I haven't seen the front of the dress, but it looks like she just threw some material over her underwear.

Kate Linder - her face is plastic.

Ronn Moss - Quite honestly he just gives me the heebie jeebies! And he always has on a scarf.

Hello Hot Stuff!

Ricky Paull Goldin and his son are just adorable!

Nathan Parsons grew on me, he drove me bonkers when he first joined the show.

Christian LeBlanc always looks so dapper, but Jeff Branson looks like a massive creeper!

Brandon Barash, the shoes have got to go!!

Hot Duos

Sean Kanan and Kim Matula

Tamara Braun and Mark Hapka

Nathan Parsons and Lexi Ainsworth, quickly becoming my fave couple (to be) on General Hospital

Kelly Monaco and Heath Freeman

Brandon Beemer and Nadja Bjorlin, so ridiculously good looking.

Brandon Barash and Natalie Hall. Her dress is very pretty, she looks extremely uncomfortable.

Peter Reckell (channeling Ronn Moss) and Kristian Alfonso

Guest Post: Choices by Misa Rush

2011-06-20T05:50:00.001-07:00

What a way to start a Monday off, with a wonderful guest post from author, Misa Rush! Thank you so much to Samantha from Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours, as always, for introducing me to the words of a truly fabulous author and thank you to Misa for sharing her wisdom.

Choices

Choices are a major theme throughout Family Pieces, so what better topic to tackle here. Just like in the book, life sometimes throws us curve balls and how we choose to deal with those often defines us. We can be flexible and optimistic or all doom and gloom.

When I set out to write my first novel, I, too, had choices. I could’ve chosen to have gotten a LOT more sleep. I could’ve chosen to quit after a few anonymous reviewers criticized a rough draft. I could’ve quit when my infant was airlifted via helicopter three hours after birth. But, I chose to keep going. Sure there were days (okay – weeks) I didn’t write, but I did finish. So my advice to those reading and facing choices in their own lives, no matter what the choice, is as follows:

1. Make the best out of what you have been given.
2. Be flexible. It may not happen the way you plan, but only good can come out of trying.
3. Keep looking forward. When the roller coaster goes down, it has to go up sometime.
4. Count your blessings and be thankful for each and every day.
5. Make sure to thank those who help you along the way.

As long as I’m the author, I’ll always choose a happy ending.

--
You can find out more about Misa here:

Misa Rush's official website
Family Pieces on Facebook
Misa on Twitter

Happy Fathers Day!

2011-06-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day to all the wonderful fathers out there. Especially mine. I may test your patience frequently but trust me, it is done with love. (And a lot of inherited stubbornness.) And to all the beautiful single mothers out there, Happy Day to you as well for pulling double duty and raising those little people on your own. ♥ ♥

Review: Family Pieces by Misa Rush

2011-06-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

What do you do when your once charmed life falls to pieces?

Karsen Woods’ life seems charmed from her hunkalicious boyfriend to her picture-perfect midwestern roots. Away at college, even the necklace she wears serves as a constant connection home – a family tradition created when her grandfather handmade each immediate relative an interlinking charm. Each piece crafted in the shape of a puzzle piece, each one interlinking perfectly together. But when the unexpected death of her mother turns her world upside down, she discovers there is a missing piece of her treasured family tradition and her life as she once knew it may never be the same.

Addison Reynolds resides in her posh Manhattan condominium and wraps her personal identity around running Urbane, the magazine empire built by her father. In a moment of haste, Addison divulges her deepest secret to her closest friend Emily – a secret she never intended to disclose.

Could one choice, one secret, bond two unlikely women forever?

Misa Rush's debut novel was an emotional journey through the life of two women that are so different, but tied together with an unknown bond. Dealing with love, both loss and discovery of, the characters in this book tugged at my heart as they tried to piece the past together. The determination of Karsen to discover the truth and the equal determination of Addison to not acknowledge the truth was gripping. The story of emotionally distant Addison was the more fascinating of the two women. She seems to have the personal life, but the past has her hiding and willing to sacrifice love to keep from letting herself be hurt again. A couple of instances felt rushed to get to the point, but overall the book flowed smoothly and I couldn't believe how quick time flew before I was turning the last page. A big bonus to me was the fact Karsen's college life took place in Arizona. As a Phoenix girl, there were mentions of familiar places to me and that brought the book to life for me. I could easily imagine these characters at the Improv, at ASU, around town. Ms. Rush is a talented author and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Please join Misa and hostess Samantha from Chick Lit Plus for a Twitter party on Thursday, June 23rd, at 6PM CST. Use hashtag #CLPMisa and join in the fun!

You can find out more about Misa at the following:

Misa Rush's official website
Family Pieces on Facebook
Misa on Twitter

Guest Blog: How the written word affects my life by Kathleen Kole

2011-06-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

When Samantha with Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours asked me if I would be interested in not only reviewing Kathleen Kole's "Breaking Even" but in having her do a guest post, I was more than happy to agree. Kathleen's debut novel is a charming read (review is in the post below) and her guest post, my first hosted, is absolutely wonderful! Thank you, Kathleen, for such inspiring words.

How the written word affects my life.

I am by nature a fairly high energy person. Sitting and focusing for long periods of time is not my usual state of being. The only exceptions are when I am reading, or writing. Then, something in me shifts. I am transported away, I forget about my physical state and time can fly by me without the merest hint of notice.

I discovered the reading/stillness/transportation connection in grade school. I could launch myself into a “reading coma”, to the point that my Mother was often forced to bellow at me: “Put the book down and save some for later!” That mantra became the norm in our household for many years as I dove again and again, into story after story. Bless her for her willingness to repeatedly cajole me from the pages, so I didn’t miss out on the living end of things.

The awareness of the writing connection didn’t come until much later. It’s power to still me was strongly present, I just didn’t consciously realize it. I loved to write, took it for granted that I did, even set my course in college to learn more about it and, still, had no mindful grasp of how it affected me. If I am to be completely honest, I would hazard to guess I didn’t become cognizant of its power to still me until six years ago. And, the only reason I did so was, when I was forced to take long breaks as a result of parental obligations, I became cranky and unfocused. Something was missing and, suddenly, I put two and two together to get ... Ah-ha! Light bulb moment! When I write, I have an outlet. When I don’t, “Cranky-stein” shows up.

Simply put, I cannot imagine a life without writing, or reading, in it. For me, they both have magic and I feel everyone’s life needs a healthy dash of magic to keep it interesting. I sincerely hope you have some sort of magic in yours.

--
You can find more about Kathleen here:

Kathleen Kole's website
Kathleen on Twitter
Kathleen on Facebook

Review: Breaking Even by Kathleen Kole

2011-06-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

"Meet Penelope Whittaker, an accountant. A sensible, do things the right way, soon-to-be-married accountant. Penelope is engaged to the wonderful, kind and caring Ben Miller ... a man she has known forever.

Enter Single Dad.

While on a school run, Penelope accidentally locks her keys in her car. A seemingly boring event, until she is offered aid by a very handsome (hubba, hubba) and personable Single Dad. Shaken by the encounter, or, more to the point, shaken by her reaction to the encounter, Penelope tries to put it where it belongs: on a shelf marked "Chance Encounters".

Life has different plans.

Just when Penelope thinks she has blown the whole encounter out of proportion, and made much out of nothing, she is thrown together by chance (or fate?) with Single Dad. Suddenly, he’s a part of her life and, even though Penelope knows it can only cause trouble, she is helpless to stop it. Besides, she doesn’t want to. At least, not until she finds out the unsettling truth about Single Dad.

Penelope is confused. Her family, friends and, most importantly, her fiance, Ben, even more so. Will she be able to find her footing and go back to where she used to be, safe in her carefully structured world? Or, will she take the path of redefining herself, possibly leaving Ben behind?"

Kathleen Kole's debut novel was such a fun, fast read. Penelope is an average woman with an average life until a chance meeting leaves her questioning when life became so routine and why she wasn't having a more spontaneous side. When future sister-in-law, Kris, innocently suggests that Penelope try some retail therapy, little did she know that she set Penelope off on a journey to change her life. I cheered Penelope on as she started to make changes, found myself sad for her when she became conflicted, and ultimately thrilled that she figured out her happiness. The supporting characters came in the form of her future sister-in-law's and their husbands, her fiance's brothers. They all had their strengths and weaknesses, but the ripple effect of Penelope changing her life brought on their own changes as well, which was handled in a believable way. Ms. Kole definitely has a knack for storytelling and knows how to captivate her readers and keep them intrigued. Anyone that has ever wondered if the grass is greener on the other side is going to love this book that not only explores that option but answers the question. Put this on your must read list!

Please join
Kathleen and Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours (Hosted by the lovely Samantha) on Wednesday, June 29th at 8PM CST for a twitter party. Use hashtag #CLPKathleen to ask your questions and participate.

Fangirling

2011-06-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

Be warned…my geekiness is about to explode!

In 35 days I am going to be getting up before the sun and heading off to San Diego to go to the annual “nerdvana”…Comic Con! Now the mere fact that “The Big Bang Theory” is going to be there doing a panel and autograph signing was enough for me. Of course, I knew there was more to come. Most movie studios and TV networks have not actually released their full schedule of Comic Con attendees. Then it happened. On Sunday, Jon Favreau announced he was bringing the world premiere of “Cowboys & Aliens” to Comic Con. He is bringing his cast to Comic Con. He is bringing Harrison Ford to Comic Con!!

Okay, do I need to retell the story of the fact I snuck into see “Star Wars” when I was 5 years old and saw Han Solo and wanted to marry him? I have carried that crush since I was five years old. And he will be in the same vicinity as me! The chance of meeting him is slim, of course, but I am going to be focusing all energies on that happening. After I did a mini-freak out/happy dance (it resembles the Snoopy dance of glee), I instantly text two people that would get it. Jo replied that she thought of me as soon as she saw that and that she will be proud if she hears reports of someone molesting him at the premiere. Kent replied with a hilarious anecdote and request that I tell her immediately if I meet him.

I will either turn mute or word vomit is going to happen and I’m going to babble like a lunatic. Ya know, either telling him that I have loved him since I was 5 years old (why not make him feel old) or that I even sat through his crappy movies because he was in them. Good times are coming up!

(No, No, I am not calling the Indiana Jones series crappy movies...after I saw Indiana Jones, I decided I would marry him instead of Han Solo.)

My other favorite movies, Lord of the Rings, are currently going through a re-release for the next 3 weeks in select theaters. It is the extended cuts, all digitally remastered (for blu-ray release), and in all their epic glory! Last night was “Fellowship of the Rings” and it just renewed my love for these movies. The beautiful scenery, the imaginative story telling, the incredibly talented cast, the sweeping musical score…I could go on and on about it.

And an interesting side note…there were probably 40 nuns in the theater last night. I know they get out and do things, I think it was the sheer number of them that shocked me. As I said – maybe they were not really nuns, but came in costume? Did they misunderstand the request to dress as HOBBITS, not in HABITS? I had to go to the bathroom and left about 5 minutes before the movie ended so I missed them leaving or I would have been snapping pictures. If they are there next Tuesday for “The Two Towers”, I will get a picture of them.

80's Style

2011-06-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

My totally awesome friend, Kristie had a cool 80's quiz on her blog that I'm going to borrow! :)

1. What do you think is the cheesiest 80s song?
I love it, but let's face it, "Wake me up" by WHAM is total CHEESE!

2. Which 80s song do you hate the most?
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. (I have to agree with you, Kristie!)

3. Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary?
Both? I love Ramona and Fudge! (And "Are you there God? It's me Margaret" is one of my fave books!)

4. What is your favorite 80s cartoon?
Strawberry Shortcake or Jem

5. What is your favorite 80s sitcom?
Hard to pick just one. Facts of Life

6. Favorite 80s teen idol?
Rick Springfield!!! Still love the man to this day!

7. Favorite 80s movie?
Xanadu

8. Name 3 characters from Strawberry Shortcake and Friends...
Apple Dumplin', Huckleberry Pie, and The Peculiar Purple Pie Man of Porcupine Peak (ratta tatta ratta ta ta ta ta)

9. Favorite song from "Annie"?
"It's a hard knock life"

10. Favorite song from "Grease 2"?
I want a cool rider, a cool cool cool cool rider.

11. Favorite rock glam band from the 80s?
Poison

12. Favorite catch phrase from the 80s?
"Gag me with a spoon"

13. Debbie Gibson or Tiffany?
Debbie Gibson

14. Favorite Smurf?
Brainy

15. When you think of MTV, which video is the first one that pops in your head?
Duran Duran's "Girls on Film"

16. Did you watch Dallas with your parents on Friday nights?
HA! No, I wasn't supposed to watch Dallas...I did go check it at the neighbors house though. Thanks, Mandy!

17. Favorite girl from The Facts of Life?
Natalie or Jo

18. Favorite member of The Brat Pack?
Rob Lowe

19. Favorite 80s toy?
Barbies

20. What song are you listening to right now?
Thanks to Kristie, I have had to turn on the speakers and listen to Sly Fox's "Let's go all the way".

Can I get one more day in the weekend?

2011-06-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

It is so not fair how quickly the weekend passes by!

I went to see "X-MEN First Class" on Saturday.

I personally liked it, a lot. I'm not really up on the many cross stories for X-MEN so I don't know how well it sticks to the comic books, but I enjoyed it. There are a couple of cameos that are amusing. And Michael Fassbender is hot!

I had a really fun phone call with Marika Christian today. Just before she called Tyson had jumped up on the bed and started his usual annoying dance. He gets up close to me, head butts me for a scratch on the ears and then tries to swat me as he doesn't want to be touched. This is accompanied by that God awful loud meowing of his. I gave him food and treats in hopes that he would behave himself while I was on the phone and not try to crawl on me, meowing belligerently. I'm pleased to say he behaved himself. Thanks for the phone call, Marika! I had a great time hearing your stories and just chatting. :)

Tonight is the Tony Awards...Neil Patrick Harris is just brilliant!

Review: Confessions of a Call Center Gal

2011-06-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you so much to Lisa Lim for asking me if I would be interested in reviewing her book, "Confessions of a Call Center Gal".

A fun chick lit romance that will appeal to fans of Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes. Bridget Jones meets The Office. Madison Lee is a fresh college grad, ready to take on the world of print media. But she has zero luck landing a job. Unemployment is at ten percent and on the rise. Desperate and left with no other options, she accepts a position as a service rep at a call center in Pocatello, Idaho. At the Lightning Speed call center in Spudsville, Maddy plunges into the wild and dysfunctional world of customer service where Sales is prided over Service and an eight hour shift is equivalent to eight hours of callers bashing her over the phone. Oh sure, the calls are bad. But Maddy manages to find humor on the phone and off the phone. And with all the salacious drama behind the calls, there is never a dull moment at the Lightning Speed call center.
Lately . . . Maddy has been pining for her smolderingly gorgeous co-worker Mika Harket. Now things are heating up on the phone--and elsewhere. Don't hang up on this novel. Working at a call center has never been this garish . . . or this delightful.

A book about call centers, living in Idaho, and chick lit? Sign me up!

From the opening line of "How on earth did I wind up stuck here in Pocatello, Idaho?!?" to the very last line, I was entertained. Maddy, out of work and out of options, takes a job at a call center, along with her best friend, Karsynn. As someone that spent years in the trenches at a call center, this book spoke loudly to me. Crazy drama from co-workers and callers ensues as Maddy tries to get Mika to notice her. The characters were likable and easy to relate to. The only real issue I had was the relationship between Maddy and her mother. The fact it was strained and left unresolved bothered me, but didn't change how much I enjoyed the book. At times, I felt that the author was in my head. Self diagnosing with WebMD? Yup, do it frequently. Rude thoughts about ignorant callers? That was a daily occurrence. Little pop culture references made me laugh and the co-workers at the call center were fabulous!

Definitely do yourself a favor and check out Lisa's book! You won't regret it!!

I'm a guitar hero!!!

2011-06-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

Google has done it again!
Today to celebrate Les Paul's birthday they have an interactive guitar on the header page. You can play guitar and record it to play back.

I'm a bad ass!

Rock on!!

I'm feeling lucky!

2011-06-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Bring on the lottery!!

It was a rough start to the day. I didn't think I was going to last the full work day for a while there before I was heading home to crawl back in my bed.

However, then I won the Chick Lit Central book contest for LA Dale's "The Taming of the Bastard".

The day started to look up!

Then I won a phone call with Marika Christian, author of "Phone Kitten".

YAY ME!! Seriously, I never win and this is the one contest that I was hoping to win. (Come on, I want to hear the stories of the research for the book!) I can't wait!

Now if I pull the winning lotto numbers for tomorrow...

And I have to include this picture.

How freakin' cute are these platypus babies? Platypi? Did you know that baby platypus are called puggles? Of course, they also have venomous claws, but they are still cute!!

New blog and book recommendation!

2011-06-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned in the past, I worked at an answering service/call center for a past career choice. I lasted there more years than I ever should have and as a result have a great respect for anyone that can hang in there at a service center without wanting to commit a violent crime every night.

So imagine my delight to find out about this book:

"Confessions of a Call Center Gal" by debut author, Lisa Lim. Then imagine my surprise when Lisa asked if I would like to read and review her book. A book about the insanity of a call center? I'm in!

You can find out more about the book (and where to order it) here:
About Confessions of a Call Center Gal, the book.

And check out Lisa's blog: Author Lisa Lim's blog

Stay tuned for my review, folks! I can't wait to read this.

Book Nook: If you were here

2011-06-05T20:03:00.000-07:00

There are only a small handful of authors that I anxiously await all new releases from, one of them without a doubt is Jen Lancaster, whom I find to be absolutely hysterical and brilliant. So I pre-ordered her new book, “If You Were Here” as soon as it was available on Amazon and then anxiously awaited the arrival.

Her first foray into fiction and Jen proved she is just as witty in fiction as she is with her much loved memoirs. “If You Were Here” follows Mia and Mac McNamara as they buy their first house, a fixer upper that they figure they can handle easily. The fixer upper in question? The famed house where Jake Ryan lived. If you are asking who Jake Ryan is, I am shaking my head at you. Jake is the dream guy from John Hughes’ classic film, “Sixteen Candles”. The fact it is Jake Ryan’s house is what appeals to Mia, the fact that there are plenty of do-it-yourself opportunities attracts Mac. Unfortunately, they aren’t prepared for the overwhelming money pit that they have moved in to.

Told with Jen’s familiar tone (complete with the foot notes that I adore) and filled with references to all things John Hughes, this book was a fabulous read. While it is fiction there are plenty of instances where you just know that something similar has happened to Jen and husband, Fletch, in real life.

I absolutely loved this book - from the zombie Amish teenagers in love to all the 80's references, I highly recommend this book!

(Reviewed for the Chick Lit Plus 2011 Challenge.)

Book Giveaway contest!

2011-06-05T19:24:00.001-07:00

The fabulous ladies over at Chick Lit Central are having a giveaway that ends tomorrow (I procrastinated, I'm sorry) for author LA Dale's book, "The taming of the bastard".

Hurry over and enter the contest! :)

Chick Lit Central interview with LA Dale and book giveaway.

Be sure to read the interview with LA Dale that they did, it is a lot of fun!

Hello Sunday!

2011-06-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

I was sitting at work, minding my own business, on Friday when it happened. The coughing, the sneezing, the watery eyes, runny nose. I popped a sinus/allergy pill and hoped that would cure it all, but no dice. I had to admit defeat on Friday night and accept that I had a crazy mix of allergy/sinus issues and a bit of a flu bug. This means that I did nothing with my weekend except mope around that I am sick.

"X-Men: First Class" has not been seen yet! Woe!! Laundry, however, did get done.

And now for two random comments from me. First off, I always state that I want a Hello Kitty cake for my birthday and never get it. So I am going to change the request for this year. I want this Jem cake or this Strawberry Shortcake cake. *smiles sweetly*

And maybe I am the only one, since I am big fan of google, but I do love when they change the Google header to celebrate something. Today is in honor Richard Scary's 92nd birthday. (Article on the Google Doodle)

A couple of jobs back in my past, I sat down to watch some TV before getting ready to leave for work. Richard Scary's Busy Town was on and to this day I don't know why I stopped flipping channels and started to watch it. All I know is the phone rang TWO HOURS later, wondering where I was, because I was still sitting there watching that stupid TV show. Subliminal messages, yo!! That is the only excuse I have ever had for it.

Birthday Shout Out Time!

2011-06-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

So maybe a little known fact to some of you, but I was a big fan of professional wrestling in the late 80’s through the 90’s. One of the first things I did when I got online was join a wrestling chat room. It was there that I met the person that is not so fondly referred to as “Psycho Hose Beast”, a truly insane wrestling fan girl that seemed normal at first. After months of chatting online and eventually on the phone, we discovered we were both heading to the City of Sin, Las Vegas, for the annual WCW Halloween Havoc PPV and decided we would meet up. She kept telling me that I had to meet her roommate, Tracy, and that she had another friend from New York meeting her there and I had to meet her as well. That New York friend would eventually become one of my dearest and best friends, truly my sister, Rose.

(One year after we met...I can't find the pictures from the first year in Vegas due to my pack rat packed closet.)

From the day we met through today, I have been beyond blessed to have Rose in my life. We have shared many laughs, tears, and experiences. (I even would have covered for her the day she tried to burn a hotel down in Baltimore, blaming it on the faulty microwave and popcorn. It really was her fault, no matter what she will try to say.) She has the biggest heart of anyone you will meet and while she may not always believe it, incredible strength and determination.

Ro is the mo to my mo (private joke) and the best there is. Even if she becomes a crazy cat lady down the line, I promise to not judge. (I do, however, reserve the right to mock!) Happy Birthday Rose! I hope that the sun shines brightly all day today and that every wish you wish for comes true. Enjoy your day for all it is worth and know how blessed you are. xoxo

Today I am thinking about running away.

2011-06-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

I am having one of those “I think I should run away” type of days.

It isn’t that anything is going bad, it just isn’t *going* in general.

I don’t want to run away and join the circus. Because this is not what a clown truly is:

(At this point I really had planned to put a picture of what I envision when I think of a clown. But when I googled and their ugly faces popped up, I got the heebies and the jeebies. Even the cute clowns had me twitching.)

I could go to the South Pole and study penguins.

I could move to Mongolia and live in a yurt (because that word is fun to say) and breed yaks.

Maybe I could go live in Cinderella’s castle at Disney World?

Or maybe I should convince Dwayne Johnson that we are soul mates?

Maybe I just need a road trip…

(Or maybe I just need a nap so Miss Cranky Pants can stop sulking around.)

Is it really June First??

2011-06-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

May? Where did you go? I swear it feels like it was just May 1st and now I have to flip the calendar to a fresh new month. The year is half over and it is going by a little too fast for me. Slow down, already! I don’t want to have to start thinking about Christmas already.

I left the building for lunch today and had an unexpected surprise standing in front of my car.

I wanted to get a better picture of it, preferably with tail feathers up, but didn’t want to scare him. And by the time I got my actual camera out of my purse, he had moved up against the wall in between cars. But still – peacock in the parking lot. No one believed me until I showed them the picture. (I think they thought I snuck over to the bar during lunch and had a tequila fueled fiesta.) My sister knows all about how friendly peacocks are. She was chased by one at the zoo, they are not very personable. The security guard told me later that one of the other employees complained about the "large rooster" that was roaming the parking lot. The employee argued that it was NOT a peacock, but a rooster. Rocket scientist right there!

Today would have been Marilyn Monroe’s 85th birthday. In honor of that, I think I’m going to pop in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, which is my favorite Marilyn movie.

Yabba Dabbo Doo!

2011-05-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

In a previous career, I used to work for an answering service. It kind of sucked. I worked for a scrooge that never cared what your problem was, you didn't call out. I had walking pneumonia with no voice and she still refused to let me call out. It took a doctor's orders that I do not go in to work or go in to the hospital to finally get a day off. And I had to cover another operators shift in order to get that time off.

We had some interesting clients. We had doctors that were so unbelievably rude it always shocked us to hear how the patients loved them. We answered for a cable company that never seemed to have service. We answered for a large air conditioning company that routinely ignored the complaints of a/c being out. (And in Arizona, it is pretty miserable without a/c.) We answered phones for the ATF and I will never forget during the Waco standoff how crazy the phones were. And we answered the phones for the devil himself. Actually I never knew WHAT exactly Nick did, but he did send us a goat's head for Christmas and he was creepy when he would call in for something.

And we worked in the "Flintstones Building". It was actually a former 900 number sex line operation's building that was bought out and we were moved in. It swayed when it was windy and it creaked non-stop. I worked there for four years and I think my sister, Liz, worked there for one year. (Or was it two, Liz?) I had to drive by the old building today to see what was up with it. The answering service moved out and it was a consulting firm, but it is abandoned now and up for sale. Still looks unstable and still makes me hum the Flintstones theme song when I drive by it.

YES!!

2011-05-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

I won!!
My blog is back!

What the heck, Blogger!!

2011-05-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

I am about to go form a protest at Blogger!

I can't log in to my blog if I am using Firefox. It just takes me to the log in screen over and over. And I hate using Internet Explorer.

It isn't like I have anything earth shattering to blog about, but you never know.

I could meet Mr. Right and elope to Vegas and only have two minutes to blog to you all about it.

I could decide to run away and study penguins in the South Pole. (Yes, I know there are not penguins in the South Pole. However, I fear clowns so I can't join the circus. My running away story, my rules!)

I could win the lottery and want to share with you, but would have to pull up IE in order to blog.

In other words, big news could happen and I am being denied from happily telling you!

Hurry up, Blogger, fix the issue!!

Mirror Balls, Dancing Shoes, and Terrible Towels

2011-05-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

What do those three have in common?

HINES WARD WON “DANCING WITH THE STARS”!!!

This girl is happy!

It was an interesting season of DWTS. I personally favored Hines from the get go and rooted for him to win the entire contest. He was the only contestant this season to have never been in the bottom two and was the odds on favorite to win. Hines and Kym Johnson came out each week with determination to do the dance justice and they took the constructive criticism with grace. Kym’s injury (which made me ill to see) really drew more fans to their side, but they did not keep harping on it. Hines wanted to not see it aired as it made him just as sick to realize he could have crippled Kym and Kym just wanted to dance.

They were rightfully crowned champions last night.

I did feel bad for Maks as it was his tenth season and still he hasn’t won. And I do think that Kirstie Alley did an AMAZING job! She lost 38 inches off of her waist and at 60 years old; she went out there and danced her butt off each week. (And let’s be shallow for a moment, Maks with no shirt on was not a shabby sight to see.)

Chelsea Kane, who came in third, maybe should have been in second place. I think that the theatrics of her partner Mark Ballas did her more harm than good. Oh Mark’s hips are a thing of beauty, but his sullen attitude when judged was too souring for me to cheer for them.

(More shallowness because seriously check out Mark's hip action!)

Last night Kendra Wilkinson and Chris Jericho came back to dance and they both looked so relaxed and danced so wonderfully it is sad that they didn’t have that to show during the competition. (I still think Kendra is a crybaby.)

And Ralph Macchio…he has seriously found the fountain of youth! I can’t believe he is 50 years old. I think he should have been in the finals! I wanted to see him do the crane, dangit!! (Yup, “The Karate Kid’s” finest moment.)

It was a great season. Now what am I going to watch for the summer?

(And let me say how bummed I am that I am having to post via IE instead of Firefox since there is some stinkin' issue going on with Blogger and Firefox!)

What's your blogging style?

2011-05-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

I frequently look at my blog and think about what kind of presence I want to have on the internet through it. Originally when I started this blog, I ran out of steam after the first couple of posts. Then I picked it back up and updated more frequently. The goal was to provide updates to family and friends and it was light and fluffy. I tried to put a theme to my posting so I would have something on topic to post about each day; however I am not a daily posting type of gal. I’m trying to figure out the balance of how much of me to put into my sweet blog. I have a very private blog as well that I use for my “diary” of sorts so I have no intention of bringing all those kinds of posts over here, but I question if light and fluffy is a little too mindless? Does the real me shine through or are you just seeing glimpses? For me, writing is like therapy, it solves problems and issues.

What kind of blogging style do you have? Do you use your blog for a specific reason? Is there anything in particular you want to see me incorporate into the blogging on this blog?

2011-05-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

So the world was supposed to end yesterday. I had my rapture quote ready to go and then nada. Sheesh!! (And I am only joking! I didn't believe in the rapture business as one of my friends did text me to find out if I was serious in my posting of the world ending. Sarcasm, my friends, is a staple of my life.)

But I have to share my quote anyway because it is one of my favorites.

I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things.

Frodo Baggins, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

And I am also very geektastically (that is so a word) excited that I have my tickets to the Lord of the Rings extended edition showings for June! So the quote is even more fitting.

On Tuesday, I met my mom across town after work for dinner and the Jen Lancaster "If you were here" book signing. If you ever have the chance to see Jen in person, you must go! We saw her for the first time three years ago and she was a tad bit nervous. This year, she was in high spirits, laughing and joking, telling stories and 100% in her element.

*Me and Jen Lancaster, Barnes & Noble 5/17/11*

On Thursday I was very sad to hear about the passing of wrestling legend, "Macho Man" Randy Savage. I used to be really in to the wrestling scene and it was the whole relationship of Macho Man and his manager, Miss Elizabeth, that sucked me in. It was a beauty and the beast/bad boy that can't be tamed thing for me and I was reeled in hook, line, and sinker. I had the pleasure of meeting them both a couple times over the years of my wrestling travels and Macho Man was always a class act.

RIP, Macho!

Yesterday I took in a showing of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides". I am a big fan of Johnny Depp, I am a big fan of Captain Jack Sparrow. While I did enjoy the movie, I am not sure how I would feel about another one being made unless they brought back Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly. Orlando's Will was the perfect sidekick/antagonist for Johnny's Jack. But I did like the movie, was entertained and did not regret spending my money on it. I do wish they had done more with the mermaid.

(Oh and stay through the end of the credits, there is an additional scene. That has become the norm with movies anymore, you have to stay through for bonus scenes.)

And in closing...how stinkin' cute are these cupcakes? I want some Beaker cupcakes!!

Ahoy matey, I needs this!

2011-05-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

I need my own Captain Jack to play with...take that any way you want. Johnny Depp as Cap'n Jack is sexy to me. I don't know why because you know that he must smell horrible and his teeth are ghastly. But the swagger...hello pirate!!

Barbie presents Captain Jack Sparrow

And if you need it, there is an accompanying Angelica doll as well.

Book Review: Love Struck by Chantel Simmons

2011-05-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

Finding out your husband of three years is cheating on you is shock enough, but before you have time to react to that devastating news, you find out he has been in a freak accident. That is the way Poppy Ross finds her day going. Rushing to the hospital, while still reeling from the affair news, Poppy finds out that her husband, Parker, has not only been hit by lightening while in the company of his mistress, but he has lost his short term memory. With it unclear as to how long before Parker regains his memory, Poppy goes about reinventing herself. The model for her reinvention? Sienna Somers, who just happens to be the woman her husband was cheating on her with.

Chantel Simmon's latest book, "Love Struck" is a definitive "what would you do" as Poppy frantically tries to make herself over into what she imagines is the woman that Parker wants. Her career as an image consultant starts to suffer and her relationship with her best friend is strained as Poppy struggles with her makeover. Add ex-boyfriend, Colin, to the fray and Poppy's life is spinning out of control. As I read the book I went from feeling sympathy for Poppy to needing to see her get knocked down a few pegs to cheering for her to come out on top again. What I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that all the characters, though definitely flawed, were extremely likable. Even Sienna, knowing she was the other woman, was interesting. I loved the book and have added Chantel Simmons to my list of must reads.

I was also lucky enough, thanks to the gracious Samantha Robey of CLP Blog tours, to get to interview Chantel. I hope you enjoy it! She is a lot of fun.

Who inspired you to become a writer? And who continues to inspire you to this day?

In the first grade, I wrote a mashup story in which the Care Bears and My Little Pony meet up and save the world. I illustrated it, made a cardboard cover for it, bound the spine and even splatter-painted the endsheets inside the cover. I learned three things in the process.

A) I'm a terrible artist.

B) Writing about famous bears and ponies is probably considered plagiarism and grounds for being sued.

C) I loved to write.

So I started making up original stories, and that was that.

My parents were (and still are) hugely supportive of following my dreams. Both of them are not really that artsy at all (my mom was a pharmacist and my dad in business) so it meant even more to me that they would fully support a not-exactly-stable career.

"Love Struck" was such a fun read, was there any part of yourself in any of the characters?

I think there is always a part of me in my main characters -- what I loved about Poppy was how neurotic she is. I am always letting my imagination cause me to have insomnia, stress and anxiety, so it was nice to actual put my rather unflattering quality to good use by channeling it into creating a fun character!

Since Poppy was all about reinventing herself, if you could reinvent yourself what would you do?

It would be fun to reinvent myself as the complete opposite of who I actually am. Outgoing, sexy, super tall and skinny, with blond hair and big boobs. OK maybe just for a day.

Who would you like to see cast if "Love Struck" was made into a movie?

Poppy: Rachel McAdams
Parker: Josh Duhamel
Colin: Jim Sturgess...swoon!
Sienna: Scarlett Johansson could totally pull it off.

I found Colin to be absolutely charming, any thoughts of telling his story? Or even Sienna's?

Ooh, I love that idea! Can you get started on the synopsis? :)

Can you talk about what you are working on next?

I have a few projects in the works, but I'm too superstitious to talk about any of them...but you can keep checking my blog/website/Facebook/Twitter for updates!

Chantel's website

And a note from Samantha:
Please join me and Chantel on Tuesday, May 31st at 7 pm CST for a TwitParty! Use the hashtag #CLPChantel to ask your questions and participate!

Why I hate doing Customer Service

2011-05-18T20:58:00.001-07:00

aka Michelle tries really hard not to tell vendors to kick bricks

I wasn't asked if I was interested in doing customer service at work, I was informed this is what I would be doing. It was a promotion that didn't come with a raise so I am even more cranky about it. But the vendors? They are a special brand of stupid some days. These are my examples from today:

Me: Company, this is Michelle.
Vendor: I'm calling from a collection agency, what was your name?
M: Michelle. And who am I speaking with?
V: A collection agency, I need to have payment made today for a vendor of yours.
M: And who am I speaking with?
V: I told you, a collection agency. The invoice number is 1094930
M: And what company is this for?
V: Are you going to pay by check or credit card?
M: *gritting teeth* Which company is this invoice for? I can not authorize payment, someone from the project will have to get back to you.
V: *snippy tone* I will be calling back tomorrow to collect your payment, have it ready. Good day.

What the Eff was that?!?! And the invoice number she gave was a popular invoice number so the system had 9 different invoices, I have no idea what vendor she was calling on behalf of.

M: Company, this is Michelle.
V: This is Keith with Company X. I talked to you the other day and you gave me an AFT confirmation number. You sent it to the wrong account.
**research the situation, yes we made a mistake**
M: I need to send you a Lost Check/Misapplied Funds Form and have you fill it out.
V: No, I am not.
M: It just covers us both for future reference. I just need you to sign that you did not receive the payment.
V: And I told you no I am not. Why should I fill out a form when you paid the wrong account? I am not taking any responsibility for your failure to do your job.

Oh, great, this is how today is going to go.

Let's go check the emails from the vendors.

First one is actually courtesy of a processor within the company, lecturing me on something I did not do and had no way to access to see what the problem was. He ends his email with "In the future, please correct your actions so we are not having this situation arise again. It is too time consuming for me." Guess what? It was time consuming for me to read your email, decipher what most of it said and then forward it to my manager so she could in return tell you that you were wasting MY time.

Next up is the vendor that informs me she has requested a follow up "at least seventy five times". Uh, once. You have requested a follow up ONCE. And as I was cc'd on the reply I know for a fact you received your follow up.

Then I get the phone call that resulted in an afternoon lost.

V: I need to get payment status on invoice 123.
M: I don't have this invoice in the system, will you please forward to me.

She does, I get it. It is not made out to our company. I call her back.
M: I received invoice 123 but it says Company B, not Company. I don't know who this company is.

She apologizes and fifteen minutes later, I get another email with the same invoice atached. Only this time it says it is billed to Company B care of Company. Seriously? *sighs*

I call her back, explain this is not doable. We are not Company B, I have no idea who Company B is. She is huffy but says fine. Next thing I know another email comes in. Now it says Company B / Company.

I forward it to a processor so they can see what is going on, I am told to tell the vendor that we are not responsible for this invoice, we are NOT Company B. But the processor also says to email it to her manager to see what he thinks. I call the vendor back, she is pissed at this point. "Oh you are responsible, I invoiced it to your company, you have to pay it." That is the calmest part of the phone call.

As I'm leaving this afternoon the manager has emailed her and cc'd all involved inquiring why this invoice is being sent to us, clearly any one can see that we are not Company B. I can hardly wait for the response.

Kick bricks, vendors, kick bricks. I loathe them all!