A Brazilian model, that is, by the name of Bruno Santos.

Just check out this yummy guy in some of his famous ads:

Armani . . . niiiiiice.

I’d like to guess how he’d look working on my dude ranch. I don’t HAVE a Dude Ranch at the moment, but this dude makes me want one.

I’m not sure what this ad is for, but I’ll take two dozen, please. Er, make that three. No, four. Oh heck, just give me ALL YOU HAVE.

Yup, we all just had a Brazilian. Happy FROS, m’dears!

8 Comments »

Hot Cop and I had our one year anniversary yesterday. It was a hectic day for us as my kids were down for spring break, I’m on deadline and was writing like a fiend, and (worse of all) he had to work the midnight shift.

Bowing to the fates, we decided to wait until next month to enjoy our special day, which made me VERY happy because, frankly, I have no idea what to get the man.

He doesn’t need clothes or books on his favorite topics (he has a stack waiting for him now and says he’s not going to buy any more until he’s finished them). He has way too many watches and a plethora of dinner rings. He has his own toys — a motorcycle, an assortment of Lionel train sets, and more flight memorabilia than we have wall space. And I can’t plan a surprise travel adventure because he’s enrolled in a PhD program and has two classes a week, which he can’t miss . . .

You see my problem.

So, I humbly come to you, my goddess peeps, and ask for your assistance. What can I get the-man-who-has-everything?

57 Comments »

J. D. Salinger died recently.  J. D. Salinger, for those who don’t know, wrote The Catcher in The Rye. Most school kids are given the opportunity (talk about diplomatic speech–it’s assigned reading!) to read The Catcher in The Rye sometime during their education. It was assigned reading for me when I was in the 8th grade; I had just turned 13. I remember being shocked by it, confused by it, and depressed by it. Not great reactions when reading one of the Big Books of 20th Century American Literature.

When I read that Salinger had died at the ripe old age of 91, I decided to read Catcher again, just to honor his memory.

Was I in for a surprise.

This book is fantastic! No wonder everyone is “supposed” to read it. The voice is fresh, the POV is right on the money, and the story is heart-breaking, but in a good way. The main character, the only POV character, is a teen-aged boy in a prep school on the east coast. He’s in trouble. He’s a very sensitive, thoughtful boy and he’s seen some bad things that he can’t process and can’t make peace with. But he’s trying. He’s trying really, really hard. He loves his family devotedly. He’s soft-hearted, observant, and gentle. The story takes place over two or three days and we care desperately about this lost boy. The book ends on a hopeful note. We know that he’s going to be okay now, that Holden Caulfield is going to be fine.

My whole double experience of this book has made me ponder the question of timing when we read a book. Sometimes the timing is right–the book hits us the way it’s “supposed” to. Other times, we’re too young or too old, too happily married or too happily single, too healthy or too sick. For whatever reason, we’re not in the right place of readiness for that particular book. I think more attention should be paid to this when choosing a book to read, to being honest enough to admit that this might be a great book, but it’s not a great book for me right now.

Has my The Catcher in The Rye experience ever happened to you? Have you ever read a book twice and had a totally different experience with it each time? Have you ever read a book you were too young to appreciate?

76 Comments »

I love to play the lottery. I don’t do it often and I never spend more than one dollar, but when I do, I spend DAYS dreaming of all the things I’d buy/have/get if I won.

I get a lot of happiness out of that dollar! So, for grins, let’s play my favorite game — the LOTTERY QUIZ GAME!

If money and time WASN’T AN ISSUE, what would be your …

1) PERFECT PET: (the sky’s the limit!)

2) PERFECT HOUSE: (size, location, etc — What would the kitchen look like? The bathroom(s) Would you have a pool? Hot tub? Stables? Fourteen car garage? Two-story library?)

3) PERFECT HOBBY:

4) PERFECT VACATION: (time, place(s), type of housing, people you’d take, and more!)

5) PERFECT AUTOMOBILE/RIDE:

6) PERFECT CHARITY TO SHARE YOUR BOUNTY:

7) And what PERFECT GIFTS would you give the ONES YOU LOVE?

Come out, my peeps, and play the LOTTERY QUIZ GAME!

68 Comments »

Last December, I was browsing craigslist and came across an ad that made my heart swoon. It was for a Quaker parrot. Immediately I told everyone (with a link, natch) “this is what I want for Christmas!”  Gil and I talked about it, we did research, and I emailed back and forth with the owner. We learned what to feed her, what sort of cage would be best, how much out-of-cage time she’d need a day, and how to keep her healthy.

Finally, I was sure I had an excellent idea of what a small parrot would need and what she would be like. We drove up to meet Riley. She was a dear! A little standoffish but I was sure it was because she didn’t know me. A few days later we brought Riley home.

Do you know what none of our research or the previous owner told us? We’d just adopted a toddler.

My empty nest is no longer empty. Every morning I awake to “squawk!” which means “Mom, let me out!” Morning is Riley and mom time. She rubs against my face and hair, grooms me and chitters to me. I’m not sure what it means but I think she’s telling me all about her day. She walks across my desk stealing anything her beak can lift. She perches on my wrist while I type and gives herself a bath.

Our road to morning bliss was not so smooth. Riley had to train me so we could find our groove. When we first brought her home she wouldn’t step up for me. Each time I gave her my finger, she’d clamp down on it, which infuriated me. In return, she’d tear up anything and everything. She was one ticked off bird.

Or she was until Poppa learned that Riley needed more than one hour out of her cage a day, which all of the books and websites recommended. If she wasn’t sleeping, then she wanted out. Now she gets the run of the house from wake up to bedtime. When the lights go off, she flaps back to her cage, crawls in her bed and goes night night.

Her previous owner also assured us that she never ate people food. Ha Ha HA! The first time she was out of her cage while I ate, she landed on my plate and took a bite of my chicken. Yes, my little feathered baby is a cannibal. Her favorite foods are chicken, egg and pasta. She also has a thing for McDonald’s french fries. Now at dinner she gets her little bites and eats with us. She also loves cherry ice cream.

*ahem*

As of yet, she hasn’t talked but she does laugh. Only when she bites you, though. Honestly, it’s hilarious unless you’re the one who was bitten. Right now, she’s over on Poppa’s desk shredding all of his papers. Occasionally she takes a break to rub her beak against his hand.

That was another unexpected find. Everything told us she’d bond with only one of us. Not Riley. She has times when she wants to be with each of us and she shares her affection equally.

If a year ago someone had told me that a 4 inch bird would be ruling my house, I’d have laughed in their face. But now our days and home revolve around her. She and our cat, Precious, chase each other even though we scold them both. Sometimes, Riley crawls in bed with us, snuggles down and takes a nap. She gives kisses and she definitely gives love.

The other day Gil and I were talking about her; about how our expectations were that she’d be a neat bird who might mimic our words and that we’d get to take her out for a bit every day and enjoy her company, but that was all. Then my big, tough husband said the sweetest words. “It’s been only three months, but I can’t believe how much…how much I love her already. She’s a people, not a pet, and I can’t imagine life without her.”

Have you ever found love and a happily ever after unexpectedly? Tell me all about your pets!

47 Comments »

Like millions of other people, I’m a fan of American Idol, although I don’t usually tune in until the screechers have been banished from public view and the cream of the crop has been chosen to compete for the TV audience as well as the judges. Besides the singing, I enjoy getting to know the contestants from the short interview segments they do.

One of my favorite interview topics is “Tell us something most people don’t know about you.” Confiding secrets, I suppose, gives the performers a chance to appear likeable and to win our votes with their personalities in addition to their voices and singing styles.

So this is your chance, goddesses, to surprise your fellow inhabitants of Mt. Oly. I’ll start by confessing a few things most people don’t know about me:

– I earn my living as a romance writer now, but until my late 20’s, I never wrote a word of fiction except for a poem about the Easter Bunny in elementary school and a short story in high school (to which my mother added the final two sentences since I didn’t have an ending.)

– My great, great, great grandfather was a Principle Chief of the Cherokee Nation, but I’m only 1/16th Cherokee.

– When it comes to fashion – clothes, shoes, hair, etc. – I would much, much rather be comfortable than stylish. Sacrificing for beauty is not my idea of fun. But then if you’ve hung around Mt. Oly long enough, you probably already know that about me!

So, goddesses, tell us something we don’t know about you!

71 Comments »

I’m one of those who prefers a physical book with paper I can touch and smell.  I’ve never read a book on my computer (unless you count my own) and the single book I placed on my iphone in case I was somewhere and didn’t have a book, has never been opened. (Because, really, when am I EVER without a book?)

But when I went to Florida a few weeks ago, I found myself wishing I had a Kindle.  I wanted to read 3 books on vacation, but to make sure I had 3 books to read, I needed to bring 5 or 6, just in case one, or more, didn’t work out.  Several I really wanted to read I didn’t want to bring because they were trade or hardcover and where was I going to fit THOSE in my bag?  A reading device would have solved this problem handily.

As my out of print backlist reverted to me book by book, steadily growing to a list of nearly 20 books that would continue to be unavailable to readers unless I did something about it, I decided to do something about it.

So last week I became a seller of ebooks with the launch of A Writers Work (www.awriterswork.com)  a new e-book publisher owned and operated by multi-published authors. Right now three of my backlist titles (Mother of the Year, Dreams of an Eagle, When You Wish) are available there, with many more to follow as soon as I can get them ready.

How many of you have read an ebook?  Was it an original book or a reprint of a previously published book by a beloved author?  Do you read ebooks on a specific device (Sony reader, Kindle) or your computer or phone?  Do you like reading ebooks?  If you have tried one, will you continue to read ebooks?

I’m giving away an ARC (advanced reading copy) of my June release SHAKESPEARE UNDEAD.  Winner will be chosen at random from the posters on today’s blog.

86 Comments »