You there. The guy in the gladiator breast plate. I’ll let you ‘rescue’ me. I was always a sucker for a guy with a big cape.

And you there, the guy dressed in black leather. I’ll let you ‘rescue’ me, too. I love a man who knows how to handle his sword.

And yes, you there, the guy dressed oh-so-dapperly, but holding a huge gun. I dig a man who knows how to dress for dinner. I’ll let you ‘rescue’ me, too.

Easy, boys! Don’t fight! There’s plenty of danger out there for you all to ‘rescue’ me! Besides, if you take too long, I might decide to ‘rescue’ myself. After all, I am a goddess.

This fantasy moment was brought to you by FROS (For Refreshment Only Sunday) straight from Mt. Olympus, where ALLLLL the Powerful Goddesses love to hang.

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I was chatting with some friends about romance and, to my surprise, the discussion turned into a debate. The eight of us were split into three camps about which type of ‘romance’ was more important; service, romantic gesture, or connection.

Just to make things easy, here’s an example of service: He drove my car to the store and decided it needed new brakes. He had them fixed during his lunch hour the very next day. Things like that let me know he cares about my well being. I did the same for him last week when I installed a spam protector on his gaming computer.

Here’s an example of romantic gesture: He came home from work yesterday with a dozen roses ‘just because.’ Things like that let me know he values our special relationship and keeps a little ‘zip’ in all we do. I do the same for him when I write ‘love notes’ and pack them in his lunch.

And here’s an example of connection: He knows when I need a hug and can always make me laugh. That lets me know he cares about how I feel. I do the same for him by encouraging him to go golfing when his work gets crazy or by giving him a special back rub when he seems down or stressed out.

What do you think? Which type of romance MOST represents the kind you have now or want in your next relationship – service, romantic gesture, or connection? Which do you think is most important? Do you think any of these ‘types’ of romance are over-rated? Under-valued?

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One of the few common experiences we share is school.  Nearly everyone you meet has been to school at one time or another.  We’ve all had a teacher or two.  By the time we graduate high school we may have had as many as fifty different teachers.

A good teacher is worth the earth.  He or she motivates, fascinates, and educates.  Note the order.  I meant it that way.

My favorite teacher?  Doc H, my organic chemistry teacher in the eleventh grade.  (that pic’s not him, btw)  He made science come alive for me, and I was privileged to be his aide in my senior year.  He was dispensing chemicals one day for a lab, and I caught a whiff of one and said, “That’s xyz.”  He smiled and said, “Wow.  You’re good.”  And my pride swelled so big, I could barely hold it in.  It was one of the moments that defined my life from that day forward.  Because of Doc I studied chemistry in college.  Because I was good (big smile!).  After all, he’d told me so!

Mrs. M – seventh grade English.  I’d written a short story, full of angst.  She said, “I was moved.  You have a gift.”  Thank you, Mrs. Marconi.  Wherever you are.

Teachers that could have turned my tide the other way?  Mrs. G, first grade, when she said, “You’re lousy at art.”  Well, I am – can’t draw a stick figure with a ruler - but still, what a thing to say to a little kid!

Or Miz C, seventh grade math when she said, “You’re not smart enough to take algebra next year.” I was crushed!  She’d placed me in the back of the class even though I’m very hard of hearing and had asked to be put up front.  I was able to go back and tell her of her folly – after I’d earned a scholarship to engineering school five years later.  How does the ad go?  Priceless!

I was a high school teacher.  It’s often a thankless job and here in FL, pays maybe less than a McDonald’s manager’s salary.  You have long hours where you’re “ON” every minute.  No downtime in the classroom! And then there are papers to grade and parent calls to make when you get home.  But most importantly, there are the kids to whom you can say, “Wow, you’re good.”  I hope I made a difference. 

Did a teacher make a difference in your life?  Who, and how?  Who was your favorite teacher and why?

PS – here’s a link to a video by Taylor Mali, called “What Teachers Make.”  I was moved.  He has a gift.  It does have a few raw words, just to warn you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU

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I’m about to leave town. In fact, I’m packing right now. As a certified perfectionist, I want to pack the perfect bag. I want to pack exactly what I need, not one unnecessary item, not one wrong item. Perfection in luggage packing, that’s the goal.

What I’m using is a red overnight bag slightly smaller than Mary Poppin’s carpet bag, without the magic bottom.

Here’s what I have so far: two pairs of pants, two sweaters, a shirt, two pairs of shoes, a jacket, and assorted under garments.

Doesn’t that sound simple? A simple little overnight bag for a 5 day road trip to see the fall color in New England.

Except that’s not all I’m bringing. Oh, that’s all the clothes I’m bringing, but then there are the toiletries. Blow dryer, hair products, special blow drying brush, skin care cleansing system, skin care daytime lotions, skin care night time lotions, sunscreen, hand cream, make-up, blush, lipstick, mascara (two kinds), eyeshadow, tweezers, nail clippers, emory board, floss, toothpaste, toothbrush. Did I forget anything?

Did I forget anything? You know how it is. If you forget even one thing, the trip is ruined. One thing and without it, you feel naked.

Did I mention that we’re dropping in to see the guy I went to the senior prom with? I’ll be posting from his house on Monday.

Did I forget anything? Check in Monday and I’ll let you know. Until then, what’s the one thing that, if you don’t have it with you on a trip, you feel naked without?

Oh my gosh, I just remembered that I forgot to list my reading glasses. Oh! And sunglasses. The list continues…

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Usually I love to read blogs that are fun or informative, but sometimes I’m in the mood for a sappy one – and this is definitely a sappy one.

If you’ve listened to the radio recently, you may have heard “Little Wonders,” the latest song by Rob Thomas, formerly the lead singer/songwriter for Matchbox Twenty. I sigh over the lyrics to that song, especially a couple of lines of the chorus: “Our lives are made/ In these small hours/ These little wonders.”

Hearing those lines started me thinking about what makes a great day for me. And I realized that it doesn’t have to be a fab vacation in the UK. It doesn’t have to be winning the lottery. It doesn’t even have to be making the New York Times bestseller list, although that is indeed terrific. A few “small hours” can make my day great.

Just give me my horse, a green field, a jump or two, and sunshine. Or wine and dinner with good friends. Or time to read a new book by a favorite author. Or a work session where the words just seem to flow from my fingertips to the keyboard and computer screen. Or a walk in a misty rain.

For my dh, who’s a rabid skier, a great day is a steep mountain, a foot of fresh powder, and blue sky. Or in summer, a hike in the mountains among all the gorgeous scenery.

So what makes a great day for you? Do you need special events or are you happy with small things? What little wonders do enjoy in your daily life? And do you like sappy blogs once in a while?

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I�ll never forget the day I gushed to my mother about finally not having a clinch cover (after six published historicals as Deborah Martin) and her saying, �What? You weren�t just choosing those covers to annoy me?�

I can�t blame Mom for thinking it, though. Plenty of readers think I get to pick the covers. Even booksellers think we authors have more of a say than we do–a bookseller once told me that authors need to realize they would broaden their market if they just made their print bigger. As if I could just haul out the gigantic printing press I apparently keep in my basement, and adjust the typeface. Ah, I wish it were that easy.

So here for anyone�s perusal (reader, aspiring author, man on the street) are a few myths about publishing debunked:

1) Authors decide what covers go on their books.
We don�t paint the covers, choose the models, or dictate how big our name is on the cover. If we did, there�d be no �nursing mother� covers, I�d be Jack Hartnett�s best friend (model for One Night with a Prince), and my name would be HUGE and sparkly with some holographic effect designed to imprint it on every passersby�s brain. Just sayin�. Most of the time, they don’t even tell us which artists painted our covers, much less what models they used.

2) Authors decide the titles of the book.
We SUGGEST titles. Occasionally our publishers even use them. But once a book leaves our hands, the marketing professionals make the decisions. If we�re lucky, they choose a title that is both clever and exactly appropriate for the book. If we�re unlucky, they slap a picture of a pregnant chimp playing the piano on the front and title it �Monkeying Around.” Unlucky is bad. Very, very bad.

3) Most of the book’s price goes to the author.
Uh, no. We get anywhere from 4% to 10% of the retail cost of the book. But before you start screaming that the publisher doesn�t deserve such a huge cut, you should know that the bookseller/retailer gets anywhere from 40% to 50% (they�ve got all that overhead, you know). Lots of people have their hands in the pie�we�re just one of them. It takes a village to make a book. Or something like that.

I could go on and on. Did you know that foiling costs extra money? That publishers try to keep paperbacks to a similar size to save on shipping costs, so sometimes the font size is dictated by that? Do you know how to tell if a book is a reissue? And can anyone give me Jack Hartnett�s phone number � oh, sorry, thought I�d just slip that in. Seriously, though, what questions have you always had about book production? Don’t be shy–we goddesses LOVE to answer questions!

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The Goddesses welcome SHERRI ERWIN to Mount Olympus today!

Before we surrender the podium to Sherri, here’s a word from Goddess Julia… To the Goddesses: I am so bummed I can’t be here to welcome one of my best pals, Sherri Erwin, to the blog. I know you’re going to love her–she’s probably the wittiest woman I know (no pressure, Sherri), and her writing crackles with it. You will love her book, To Hell With Love, about a woman who falls in love with the devil. Who can’t love a book who serves up Lord Byron as the devil’s minion? Have fun with the goddesses, Sherri! xoxoxox, Julia

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Take it away, Sherri!

THE GIRL CRUSH

What I mean by “girl crush” is admiration for another woman so deep that we think about what it might be like to be her, or to be close friends with her. You know, like how we all feel about the goddesses. Girl Crush! I do want to be a goddess. I even made my own statue in case I was ever asked, and here I am for the day: dreams do come true.

But my first real girl crush was on Jodie Foster. Jodie caught my attention when she appeared on The Partridge Family as Danny’s tomboy gal pal. I wanted to be a Partridge! Though, more power to her, because I wasn’t ready to fake interest in Danny just to gain entry to the groovy family bus. I had standards– and a plan to kidnap and replace Tracy. Who would notice? I play a mean tambourine.

But anyway… Jodie seemed like a pretty cool girl and I paid attention when she popped up on the screen. What confidence! She lived through her awkward Freaky Friday phase in the public eye and she never seemed to mind the scrutiny. Plus, I thought I was pretty darn smart when I was a kid, but Jodie Foster? She went to exclusive prep schools where all classes were taught in French, and then she took an acting break to go to Yale. She weathered that whole stalker-willing-to-kill-for-attention crisis and bounced back to win an academy award with red-hot Julian Sands (Room with a View, hubba) at her side. Now she’s back in the limelight promoting her new movie, The Brave One, and I realize I still have that Girl Crush.

I imagine us meeting in a chic sidewalk cafe for a drink and an intellectual discussion. At some point, she’ll lean over and express interest in making To Hell with Love into a movie and taking the role of Kate. I can’t say I actually pictured Jodie as Kate, but Kate does share some of the qualities I admire in Jodie. Strong, smart women impress me. When I was writing To Hell with Love, I knew Kate had to be the kind of woman who could stand her ground against the ultimate temptation. I would have a bit of a girl crush on Kate, but I know her too well. She also shares my insecurities.

Who is your Girl Crush? And do you ever get girl crushes on fictional characters? Your own characters? What qualities do you admire most in other women?

Thank you for letting me join in the fun for a day. For more on TO HELL WITH LOVE, visit my website at http://www.sherribrowningerwin.com/, where signing up to join my mailing list automatically enters you in a drawing to win books.

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