Dear Fashionista

Dear Fashionista, According to Redbook, the styles for Fall are going to be more figure conscious than the summer was. They are accenting the waist and I don't have one! What do I do?
Signed, Fashion Victim

Dear Fashion Victim, Can I just call you Victim? I, too, am in the same boat as you. I haven't seen my waist since 1994 as its been covered by my breasts. That said, this little figure flaw doesn't have to sideline you in the Fashion Rat-Race.

One of the trends for fall is the wrap - wrap dresses, wrap tops, wrap skirts etc. Buy yourself a few wrap items and when you put them on, bind that wrap so tight that the twins are shoved up and out of the way and it will create a faux waist.

Doesn't everything sound better when you use the word 'faux'?

Now, some of you may end up smothered by the girls but if you don a scuba mask, you should be able to breathe just fine. Who knows, you might just start a trend of your own!

Signed, Fashionista

Sunny Sunday

On a day when one should take time to reflect upon their life, their week and how they're making a difference in the world around them, I bring you...sexy Mormons.

http://mormonsexposed.com/

I don't think anything else needs to be said.

Friday Funnies

No photo today! A friend sent this to me and it is hilarious. While I wasn't a virgin at 30, our stories are somewhat similar. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soFhO7cWGMw

Flowers

How beautiful is this? I took this photograph at Andrew Jackson's home, The Hermitage, outside of Nashville Tennesee. I dream of having a garden such as this - it was magnificent.

An Unpopular View

Six years ago today, the world trade centers were brought down and the Pentagon burned. Almost three thousand people died. I, like most Americans, remember where I was when I heard the news. I was sitting in the basement of a State office building, alone, when the first yahoo post came in a few minutes before nine a.m.. I didn't think much of it, the news post didn't specify what kind of plane had hit the first tower, so I was thinking it was a small one, maybe a two or four seater.

How wrong was I.

Today there are ceremonies in New York, Washington and Pennsylvannia to mark this tragic event. The media call the terrorist attacks a life-altering expereince for all Americans - my question is, was it really?

To those who lost their loved ones, I would say it is a yes. Has it changed the lives of Americans as a whole?

No.

The legacy of 911 doesn't have near the impact the bombing of Pearl Harbor did. Americans haven't had to change their lives over 911 while Pearl Harbor changed us as a nation. Yes, the security at airports is a pain in the butt, it is illegal to photograph bridges, (love to see them try and enforce this one) and packages that are over one pound must be handed to a postman rather than dumped in the mailbox. A portion of Americans will tell you they feel safer now than before 911, in my opinion that is an illusion. How can we be safer in the skies when our luggage and our bodies are searched but less than 1% of cargo is checked out?

Pearl Harbor ripped the mask of complacency from the nation. During a time when our allies were at war, we didn't want to get involved so we kept our blinders in place while we manufactered cars and refrigerators. Some of our armed forces joined in the battle long before Pearl Harbor was destroyed. These brave men became pilots and conducted raids with England's Royal Air Force. It wasn't until the destruction of Pearl Harbor that our government made the decision to get involved.

See any similarities?

War has been waged in the middle east for over six hundred years. From time to time we dip our toe into it but we've never made the commitment to jump in with both feet. Then, after we were attacked, we invade the wrong country at the cost of tens of thousands of lives.

I truly feel for the families who lost loved ones on 911. I feel for Americans in general as we were, for a brief moment, shaken out of our apathy toward the goings on in the world. Yes, there are people who hate us, who want to kill us - but it goes deeper than that.

The news keep saying how this is the day that changed America and I maintain that the opposite is true. This day is important to American history, it is important to those who lost their loved ones, it is important to those who were, for one brief moment, shaken from their slumber - but that time is gone. Most of us have returned to our lives with very little thought to 911, that is the sad reality of this days events, six years ago. What will it take to make us understand that the America we thought we inhabited is now only an illusion?

Flooding in Ohio

In the past three days we've received something like 8 inches of rain. Seeing that we haven't had hardly any all summer, this is a good thing. Of course the bad part is the ground can't handle it falling all at once.

For some reason the news channels are reporting the flooding in Ohio is near Cleveland...not even close. (Where in the heck do they get their info??) I live just north east of Columbus and the worst of the flooding is about an hour away. So when you see the clip from 'near Cleveland' where the man is being rescued via Coast Guard helicopter - no, that's Shelby, only two counties away.

Here in my town we've had extensive flooding as well as has Columbus. Luckily it has been property damage only. My neighbor's tree came down...right across his car and it missed his house by four or five feet. A small yet very important distance. :) It's supposed to rain for the rest of the week with many of the showers being pretty heavy. 'Okay Mother Nature, we got the memo!'

One of the ministers I work with through the Police Department called last night and he's organizing a caravan of food up to the Shelby High School to feed those whose houses are under water. So in about an hour my car will be loaded down and I'll be headed north. I can only hope I'm the macaroni and cheese car - I'm HUNGRY!!

Book Review: Blackmailed by Annmarie McKenna

BLACKMAILED
by Annmarie McKenna
ISBN: 1599982137
Samhain Publishing

Brianna Wyatt is being blackmailed by her father for an heir. If she doesn't follow through, her father threatens to put her handicapped brother into a home where she can no longer protect him. Her father wants her to get pregnant by Cole Masters, a very weathy and powerful man.

When Mr. Wyatt appears on his doorstep wanting to whore his own daughter, Cole is sure he's about to be blackmailed. Taking Brianna into his own, they concoct their own plan to thwart her father but he fails to take into account that he desires Brianna and he can only hope that Tyler Cannon, his best friend and fellow menage partner, will want her as well.

This is one HOT book. I'll be honest, I wasn't prepared to enjoy this book as much as I did. I've always been a one-guy kind of girl so the concept of menage was foreign to me. Now, I understand the allure. :)

Some of the plot points were a little contrived, but seeing that this book is about fantasy it more than fulfills on it's promise. So if you're looking for a spicy menage with two utterly yummy males, BLACKMAILED is for you.

Marrying for Love...or Money

Yesterday I happened to catch a few minutes of The View (I know, I couldn't run fast enough) and Joan Rivers was a guest host. Keeping in mind that she is a commedienne, she asked the question, "Would you rather marry for love, or money."

Of course the romantic in all of us want to scream, 'Love, of course' but, I'm afraid I have to hedge just a bit.

I'm forty-one (for twenty-nine more days at least) and I've been in love, serious, head over heels, I-want-to-breed-with-him love three times.

Guess what, I'm still single.

The first one - we grew apart. I was young and he was nine years older than I was. Trust me, a nineteen year old really doesn't give good conversation.

The second one - turned out to be gay. Hmm, I knew we got along just a little too well and he had fabulous taste in furniture. I caught him wearing my leopard print skirt early on in the relationship - I should've known then.

And the final one presented me with a pregnant mistress on Christmas Eve when I expected a diamond ring. "I love ya honey, but she's nineteen and a gymnist." (refer to number one)

Don't get me wrong - I'd love to marry for love but anymore I'll take the cash. Looking back, no matter how hard I wanted those relationships to work, I ended up paying for it in the end. Next time around, let him pick up the tab.

Book Review: First Kiss by Kylie Adams

FIRST KISS
by Kylie Adams
ISBN: 0-451-21581-8

Yes, this is an older title. What can I say, I'm a book-a-holic with very little time to read. :)

Kiki Sonntag is an out of work soap opera actress with the desire for an A-list lifestyle that wars with her lackluster paychecks. While shopping with money she doesn't have, she meets Tom and Kristen Brock, the 'IT' couple of the tabloids and someone Kiki would kill to be photographed with.

Only it didn't work quite as she'd hoped.

Caught on film in a so-called compromising position with Tom, Kiki is on the run from the paparazzi and she finds herself checking into the oh-so-exclusive Affair hotel. Run by the very hunky Fab Tomba, a notorious playboy, Kiki settles in to wait for the madness to die down. Instead of finding peace and quiet, she's drawn in by Fab's personality and sexy smile. Because of him she decides that hiding out in his arms might not be such a bad thing after all.

I was lucky enough to meet Kylie Adams before her first book, FLY ME TO THE MOON, was released. Fabulous person, funny and quirky, her personality is reflected on every page. FIRST KISS is packed with enough name dropping to make any fashionista swoon. With a fast paced story line and a chick-lit feel, FIRST KISS is a fabulous read and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, escapist read.

Foto Friday

I learned to paint many years ago when I met a wonderful man who showed me the colors. I continued painting, he did not.

That saddens me.

I now do 3D art in mixed media. This is done in acrylic with a photograph in the center and a variety of other objects such as sand and grass too.

If you are familiar with the musical, RENT, then you know what this is about.

I gave it to a friend for his twenty-seventh birthday and now we no longer speak. (and no, it has nothing to do with the painting - it has to do with deception and hiding things)

That makes me the saddest of all.

Car-gasms!

I spent the past week on the road which is something I just love to do. I cannot get enough traveling in each year and I can only wish someone would finally invent a teleport device. I'd be zipping everywhere!

As a passionate lover of American Heavy Metal, I have a big love for hot cars. When I was in high school I would date the boy with the hottest car rather than the best personality. Shallow? Yes, but a girl has to have her standards. :)

One of my current loves is the Ford Mustang. When I was a child my father had a midnight blue convertable with white interior. SUH-WEEEEET! I begged him to let me have the car when I turned sixteen and it didn't happen. He sold it. Later on he told me he would've kept it had he known how much of a collectors item it would become.

DOH!

My family had a long affair with the volkswagon. In the early seventies we had every model they made, the beetle, super beetle, hatchback and stationwagon. I was always fascinated by the fact they could float like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Another car I adore is the Thunderbird. I like the originals and the new ones though unfortunately they have stopped making them. (sniff) That was going to be my mid-life crisis car but I'm thinking I might swing back to the Mustang.

In the mid-ninties I purchased a Chevy pickup truck. I loved that truck - it was fab. I am big into gardening and having that truck bed to haul around my purchases is so incredibly handy. I'm thinking I may purchase a pickup for my next car.

Currently I have a Jeep and I adore that car. It is a Liberty 4x4 and its a tough little thing. I drove all around the Gulf Coast doing the Katrina thing and it never let me down. Seeing that I practically lived in the thing for several months, that is something. :)

So what is your fantasy car?

Foto Friday

Normally I post a photo on Fridays but today I'm going to do something a little different. A friend sent me this link and I'm going to share it with you. The images are painful to watch but as I've always said, the truth is the truth no matter how many times one tries to deny it.

It is past time to bring our troops home.

Crayons...

Did you know the average American child goes through 720 crayons before they turn 10? Sheesh - when I was a kid we received the customary box of 16 each year before school and if that didn't last the year we did without. I didn't even get a box of 64 until I was well into fifth grade. :)

As the stomach churns...

The latest controversy in the romance world has been a hot topic on the internet for the past week or so. It would seem that some upstart authors decided to dress in costume for the Romance Writers of America Literacy Signing.

The Shock...
The Horror...
How DARE they have fun...

First noted at the Smart Bitches site, it would seem that three authors dared to darken the RWA signing wearing costumes to promote themselves and their work. The interesting thing is one author, Sherrilyn Kenyon, has been wearing fabulous and outrageous clothing for years - she wears it everyday - that is how she dresses.

The other two authors wore manga inspired clothing to promote their manga-esque works from the new Dorchester Shomi line. Wow, sure glad they didn't show up dressed in period clothing, that would've really screwed up the readers.

The most amusing aspect, to me at least, is that Big-Wig authors like Nora Roberts, Jenny Crusie and a few others have actually spoken out against the costumes.

JC - I just don’t know how else to say, “This is not a good decision professionally,” when the counter argument seems to be “Lighten up.”

Hmm, maybe it isn't a good decision professionally for you Jenny, but I like it just fine. When did you become the voice of romance authors anyway? I remember you sending out an email to the Board of RWA with an extremely hostile reaction to a statement made by an epublisher back in 2002. Seeing that note caused you to have to step down from the PAN Chair position at RWA - I guess “This is not a good decision professionally,” for you but you did it anyway.

NR - If I’m a brand like Coke (and how could I object to the comparison?) it’s not because I wore costumes or lived something that came out of my books. This is NOT how you become a brand-name author.

Pray tell then Nora, what is the magic key? To write a hundred trilogies about magical sisters over and over again?

In short, I don't get it.

Both ladies along with many others have their panties in a bunch while they scream about a lack of professionalism. Because Sherrilyn Kenyon decided to wear a fabulously HUGE hat to a signing, that makes her unprofessional?? Wait, I'll alert the media...

Yes, I'm being sarcastic. The reason this gets my bra in a twist is since when did someone else set the bar of professionalism for writers?

In my opinion, being a professional means:
- turning in manuscripts on time
- working hard to improve your craft
- be courteious at all times
- maintain a good working relationship with your editor, agent etc
- don't talk badly about editors, agents and publishers...(and other writers)
- show up early for appointments / events
- Don't get drunk & shoot yourself in public

I could go on for days but I won't. I think ya'll get the picture here. I am a writer, I am creative and I like to have fun. If I dress in costume then I'm doing just that, having a good time. Would I show up in costume for a television interview? Probably not but I can also guarantee that I wouldn't be sporting a suit either. Writing is about expressing yourself and so is how you dress.

If writers want to get their skirts in a twirl, maybe they should take a stand on something that is really important like affordable health care for artists or the shrinking fiction market.

Road Signs

Ode to a Mentor

To Romance Authors, Kathleen Woodiwiss was a legend - the godmother of the modern romance novel.


Her first book, THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER was published in 1972 when I was only seven years old. While I didn't read this book until 1980 or 81, it truly changed my life. I knew, in that moment, I wanted to be a writer. To this day, two of my all time favorite novels are THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER and ASHES IN THE WIND.


While her earlier titles might seem dated now, at that time, her work set a new standard of excellence in the industry and the modern romance novel was born.


Kathleen didn't make many personal appearances during the 1990's though she continued to write bestsellers such as MARRIED AT MIDNIGHT and PETALS ON THE RIVER. Basically a shy woman, she was very nervous about attending conferences and this is how I met her.

A mutual friend was acting as her publicist and official hand-holder for Kathleen's return to public life in 2000. I received an email from Judy, our mutual friend, and she asked me to give her a hand in befriending Kathleen and easing her way into the circus that is the romance world.


Me and Kathleen Woodiwiss, one of the greatest romance writers of all time?!?!? Are you KIDDING me? I would've paid just to stand next to her let alone chat her up and put her at ease. I wasn't too sure *I* would be able to get a coherent sentence together as I'd be groveling at her feet.


Looking back now, I'm not sure what I expected from the first goddess of romance! Boas? Spike heels? Red Lipstick?


When Judy introduced me to Kathleen, it was one of the most exhilerating moments of my life. I can attribute my getting into writing to many things and this woman, this amazing creature, was such a huge inspiration for me. She was everything a role model should be. Intelligent, kind, humble and with a smile that immediately put people at ease. I'll never forget how completely out of touch she was with her standing in the literary world.


"Do you think some of these readers would like to meet me?" she whispered to me while sitting in the lobby of the Doubletree Hotel in Somerset, NJ.


It took everything I had to not start fawning and bowing at her feet. I can't imagine any romance writer NOT wanting to meet her. I mean - come on, the author of THE WOLF AND THE DOVE and SHANNA?? By the end of the conference Kathleen was much better able to circulate on her own and just kick back and enjoy herself. I ran into her a couple of years later at another conference and she was having the time of her life.


Kathleen Woodiwiss passed away today. She survived thirty years in the romance industry and that alone speaks to her talent and longevity. She was an amazing woman, an awesome writer and a legend in her comfy slip-on shoes. For the rest of my life I will treasure the time I was able to spend with her along with the many, many hours I spent losing myself in her work. Kathleen Woodiwiss changed my life with her work, and if reach one tenth of the people she did, I will consider my life a success.

To sum it all up, I will let KW have the last word - she would've loved that. :)


"Dear Readers, I'm delighted with the opportunity this website is affording me in being able to converse with such ease with my readers. Although The Flame and the Flower may have launched a whole new genre in the publishing world, I'm usually the one dragging my heels when trying something new and innovative in the area of communication, preferring all the bugs to be worked out before I venture forth. Although websites may not be as archaic as I'm getting to be, I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear comments like "Kathleen-come-lately" in reference to my emergence on the web, but here I am nevertheless, old as Methuselah and green as fresh corn stalks. Kathleen "

Giving Birth Only To Have Your Child Stab You In The Back

Yesterday I spent many hours (10), watching the History Channel. They were showing their series, THE REVOLUTION which covered the how, whys and when this country declared Independence from England.

In one word: Fascinating.

I've always had a passion for history. After I graduated from high school I took a hiatus from book learnin' and didn't go to college until I was 24 or 25. My major was computer programming (insert maniacal laughter here) and that lasted about a year. I became distracted by my history classes and never did get a degree.


All of the founding fathers went to extremes to give this country a solid foundation from which to live and govern. After being the Commanding Officer of the army and the chief architect of the war plan for eight years, without pay - he was called upon to head the constitutional congress and draft the first part of the constitution.

The men who wrote that document worked hard to come up with a form of government that couldn't go off the rails. The colonists had had it with England and their wild taxes and restrictions and these men were careful to line up a set of checks and balances to ensure the new government couldn't do the same thing later on.

But isn't that exactly what is happening now?

I admit I am fascinated with politics and seeing just how far men will go to debase themselves in pursuit of their own ambitions. The moment I think we've hit rock bottom, something new comes along to prove me wrong.

I'm not going to declare my political leanings as I don't feel it is necessary in the context of my next statement - Political Parties aside - what would the founding fathers think of Bush granting a pardon to Scooter Libby? Does this mean it is no longer illegal to lie to the court system? It is no longer illegal to deliberately impede an investigation into possible wrong doings of a political official? According to this latest move - it isn't illegal if you're covering up for someone else.

I think we all know that Libby had little to nothing to do with the un-masking of a CIA agent and that he was the fall guy for someone else. Who? Why? What else is this administration hiding from us?

And where does it stop?

I can't help but think that George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and all of the founding fathers are screaming for justice from their graves.

Crocheting...

is over for me. (sniff) When I hurt my right hand I lost some function along with it and repitive motions are out of the question for me. Bummer as I really enjoy crocheting when I watch tv - also, this was going to keep me busy in my golden years.

Hmm, now I'll have to take up bungie jumping...

Book Review: Passionate Ink by Angela Knight

Passionate Ink: A Guide to Writing Erotic RomancePassionate Ink by Angela Knight

Publisher: Loose Id

ISBN: 978-1-59632-390-2

Amazon.com description:

The forecast is in: the future of romance is hot and steamy. But riding the wave to success takes more than stringing together a couple of sex scenes or opening the bedroom door on your traditional romance. In her brand-new "how-to", USA Today bestselling author Angela Knight shares the down and dirty details on writing erotic romances that will keep your readers coming back for more. Passionate Ink (un)covers the erotic novel from conception to completion. Straight talk, no purple prose. First, Angela will show you her useful writing techniques that have made her a successful author. Then, she'll teach you what's hard (besides that!) about making your erotic romance erotic: action, both in and out of bed, the anatomy of a sex scene, eroticism and 'kink', and good dialogue, or talking dirty without sounding dumb. If you want to enjoy the heat, then strip off your inhibitions and take a dip.into Passionate Ink.

For a beginning or established writer looking to transition into the world of Erotic Romance, this book is an excellent stepping stone. Filled with straight-forward, no fluff tips, recommendations and techniques, I really enjoyed reading it and I will recommend that my writing groups buy a copy for their libraries.

Foto Friday

Look, it's not a photo of my dogs!! I thought this pond was absolutely beautiful - never seen lilies like this. I had to climb over a fence and dodge security cameras (the pond is on a bank compound and they have security everywhere) just for you...my beloved readers.

;)