Feb 29th 2008Karen RoseGuest Goddesses
Next Thursday, 3/6 we welcome the lovely and talented Sophia Nash to the Mount! Sophia first three novels won eight national awards, including Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award, Romantic Times’ Best Regency Award, and a spot on Booklist’s “Top Ten Romances of the Year.” Her most current novel, THE KISS, was released by HarperCollins just last week!
Feb 29th 2008Suzanne EnochMy Life As A Plebe
The junk in the drawer.
But is it junk?
Without it I would be lost.
Tape. Scissors. A nail clipper. A red stamp pad in case I need to stamp something with red ink.
Other drawers are segregated – hot pads, baggies, tupperware lids. Are they afraid to mingle?
The junk drawer is not afraid. Brave junk drawer.
I wonder, is there a house without a junk drawer?
Where, or where, do they put their old birthday candles?
Wait! Someone says I should organize my junk drawer.
All of the paperclips together. A holder only for rubber bands.
A neat junk drawer? Oxymoron.
The thrill of the hunt would vanish. The breathless worry as the postman approaches the house – I know I have another stamp.
Okay, ‘fess up. Who has a junk drawer? Are they a necessary part of a house? What do you keep in your junk drawer?
Feb 28th 2008RachelGOn Writing!
Since I’m probably going to hell in a handbasket anyway, I’ve decided to come out of the closet and freely admit:
1.) I look at mug shots. Especially mug shots of drunk people. Even better if the drunk person has resisted arrest.
2.) I listen to Tom Jones. And yeah, I sing along too. Hey, what’s not to love about Sex Bomb?
3.) I’m hooked on reality television. Love love love Project Runway. And while I’m telling secrets, I watch Flavor of Love.
4.) Cheesy horror flicks. SAW 1, 2, 3 and 4. Oh, and I love me some Chucky.
5.) I have been known to eat a pound of peanut M&M’s, but my favorite indulgence is Nerds. The theater size.
6.) I buy the National Enquirer. I don’t always read and the believe the articles, mostly because I don’t care about Hollywood, but I do love seeing all the celebrity cellulite.
What are you secrets? I won’t tell anyone.
Feb 27th 2008Claudia DainWhen Goddesses Fall To Earth
My microwave broke.
Panic ensued. Immediately.
Now, I’m of an age (ahem) where I can remember without any trouble at all getting my first microwave. I was married with children. I was not a kid. I learned how to do all the cooking stuff without a microwave. But then I got a microwave and
it…owns me.
Boil water for a hot drink? Is anything worth that amount of time and effort? The answer is obviously NO.
Eating leftovers. Without a microwave. Two choices: you can either eat them cold or you can heat them in the oven on a low temperature. I’m eating them cold. Hey, cold string beans aren’t that bad.
Naturally, the second the microwave broke, I shattered every speed limit getting to the closest store that could provide me with a new one. I found one I wanted, in the color I wanted, at the price I wanted, and smiled in giddy delight at the salesman, transaction complete.
It wasn’t in stock. It would be ready for pick-up in five days.
I almost beat him to death with my bare hands. If it doesn’t come in five days from now, I still might.
Do you remember your first microwave? Is it your favorite kitchen appliance, after the refrigerator? Would your cooking routine stumble without one?
Feb 26th 2008Nicole JordanGoddess Readers Speak Out
Have you heard there’s a new book out about training husbands to do what you want? According to Newsweek Magazine, WHAT SHAMU TAUGHT ME ABOUT LIFE, LOVE AND MARRIAGE recounts how author Amy Sutherland used animal training techniques to get the specific behavior she wanted from her husband.
The article goes on to share Sutherland’s key animal training techniques: reward positive behavior, avoid reacting to negative behavior, and don’t take negative stuff personally. And I know all that works on horses at 
least, since I have a young mare in training and I’ve watched her trainer work magic with those consistently applied principles.
But do they work on men?
When I was growing up, I was told that girls needed to act like “clinging vines” in order to appeal to boys and that I had to develop my feminine wiles if I wanted to be popular with the male sex. I never could quite master the art of feminine wiling, but the premise that we women can coax specific behavior out of men fascinates me.
In fact, I unconsciously explored that question in my latest romance, TO BED A BEAUTY. In my book, my brainy heroine convinces a cynical duke to teach her what appeals to him in a mistress so she can use the same methods to persuade a neighboring earl to fall in love with her. (Of course, her best laid plans go astray when her noble tutor finds himself annoyingly attracted to his beautiful pupil.)
In Sutherland’s book, she reportedly points to Pavlov’s experiments with dogs and Skinner’s with rats to bolster 
her theory that men can be trained like animals. She also claims that animal training techniques work on both genders.
Frankly, the idea of my dh willingly obeying my commands to “sit” and “stay” or to jump through hoops boggles my imagination. But Sutherland may have a point. And I do admit to using on Mr. J some of the successful management techniques that I learned in my early career as an engineering manager.
Do you see value in treating the men in your life like dogs and whales? Do you ever use any special techniques (manipulative feminine wiles or not) to get the behavior you want from spouses, kids, your mother, coworkers, friends, enemies?
Feb 25th 2008Julia LondonWhen Goddesses Fall To Earth
Last April, I agreed to write a tie-in to a soap opera. The publication was aggressive and I had to write it very quickly—in 45 days. I know there are authors who do that, but I am not one of them. But it was a good deal, so I cleared the decks and did nothing but write that book…for about 40 days.
He is my stepson’s son, and I won’t burden you with the ugly details because you’re smart women and can probably guess why a baby would end up living with his grandparents. And I do love my stepson and am hopeful things will turn around for him, so I guess I am protective.
Anyway, I was stunned—my husband works for Fed Ex freight at night, so it was just me and the baby. He wasn’t on any sort of schedule, so he didn’t sleep at nights, which meant I didn’t sleep at night. I obviously didn’t have day care, didn’t know how to get daycare, and I didn’t know what to do with him from hour to hour. And he would watch me, like he was waiting for me to do something, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do.
A few more months went by, and my speech was peppered with his name. I began to cite facts about the importance of baby schedules like I was a pro. People eyed me suspiciously, and with good reason. But by then it had become apparent to us and to the state that this would not be a short term gig. Now, he’s been with us 10 months, and I have a different perspective. I know he will be with us many more months. I also know that whatever happens, this child and I have bonded and he will always be a part of my life.
Life came at me fast. But it added missing dimensions to my life and plumped up my soul. Granted, this isn’t the best way to go about having a baby, and it certainly hasn’t been without heartache—I suspect there is more to come—but it has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I am glad life came at me–I wouldn’t have missed him for the world. And oh yeah–I don’t know how I did it, but I got the book in on time and it performed better than anyone had hoped. Funny how those things work out.
Have you had a life-altering experience? How did it impact your life? And seriously, is he not the Cutest Baby Ever? :-).
Feb 24th 2008Karen HawkinsGoddess Eye Candy
I love decorating shows. I watch them all of the time and, occasionally, I see things and think, “Ohhh! I’d like one of those!” Lately, they’ve been showing lots of ‘water features’ which is where they have rocks or glass beads or some sort of object reclining in a splashing fountain.
They say this creates ‘ambiance.’ I like ‘ambiance.’
Better yet, it gave me a great idea for today’s FROS . . . men and water.
And . . . this, too!
So do you want a Water Feature in your house? Would you like some ‘ambiance?’
Feb 23rd 2008Sabrina JeffriesGoddess Grins
Jane gets some competition!
So tell me, should Will continue in his doomed love? Should Jane try to mend his broken heart (if she can find it in that tiny body)? Should Half-Lady ever speak?
Feb 22nd 2008Karen RoseOn Writing!
As I sat down to write, one phrase kept circling my mind - “It’s like riding a bike,” because with all my traveling and our Mt. Oly birthday-ing it’s been about a month since I’ve written a blog. I was hoping I remembered how! Of course you never forget how to ride a bike, and that idiom sent me sliding back into blog-dom easier than falling off a log.
I love idioms - those phrases that don’t mean what they say. If you’ve studied a foreign language, you know that you’re never really fluent until you understand a culture’s idioms. I remember teaching my youngest daughter to read years ago. She’s deaf and as such, English isn’t her first language - Sign Language is. 
I remember reading her one of the Curious George books, in which he does something bad and all heck breaks loose (which is the way of all Curious George books, LOL). The story said they “had their hands full” chasing George, but the picture showed a man chasing George with his hands outstretched and empty. My daughter shook her head and said, “His hands aren’t full, they’re empty.”
So we realized that idioms were a big part of her education - they are the phrases that make our language rich and full and fun. Some idioms we all know and grew up with, while many are regional or even unique to a family.
I remember my mother saying something was ”ugly as homemade sin.” I always wondered what homemade sin was, and was it different from manufactured sin? LOL. I always thought she’d mixed it up - that she meant “homemade soap.” But it turns out “homemade sin” is used by a lot of people - especially in the South, where she was raised. I still wonder what constitutes homemade sin…
I also love learning new idioms - especially if they make me laugh. Years ago I was traveling to the UK on business and my host asked what time he should “knock me up in the morning.” My mouth dropped open in shock and he looked Britishly concerned. He meant to ask what time he should call for me the next day, i.e. “knock on my door.” I told him that in American English it meant to “get someone pregnant” and he turned fourteen shades of purple (another idiom I like).
Of course, that sword cuts both ways - I was in the UK visiting friends and asked if they knew where I’d left my fanny pack. This drew horrified gasps from my friend’s sons and I was clueless as to what I’d done wrong. My friend told me that “fanny” there refers to female genitalia and was not a word nice people used, especially in front of children. Who knew?
Do you have any favorite idioms? Any your family used that meant something special? Any from other cultures that made you do a double-take? Any that made you put your foot in your mouth? I want the stories, people!
Feb 21st 2008Claudia DainOn Writing!
I use my dining room. Shocking, isn’t it? When the kids still lived at home, we ate in the dining room every night. Wait, there’s more. This will really shock you. We ate off nice china with damask napkins and candlelight. Every night.
Why not? The dining is just sitting there, a room with a table, chairs, and lighting. It’s not doing anything. It might as well be used for what it was designed to do. I mean, what am I saving it for? If the chairs get dinged, oh well. If the tablecloth gets dirty, off to the dry cleaners. If the napkins get stained, it’s back to Ross to get $6 worth of napkins.
Who am I saving it for?
The result of this use of a room in my house that rarely gets any use in most houses is that we linger over dinner. We talk, share stories, discuss movies, laugh about silly memories. We linger. Who lingers over a meal anymore? We do. Because we’re in the dining room and there are no tasks staring us in the face. I can’t see the dishes on the kitchen counter. The mail is sprawled on the kitchen table. The dining room has one purpose: eat here! And we do. And it’s nice. And my kids are comfortable using cloth napkins and nice china and the silver candlesticks from grandma.
My kids have moved out now, but they come home every Sunday and we sit around the dining room table just like we used to do every night. This room hold memories for them. I’m glad we made those memories.
Of course, I grew up eating in the dining room. It was an ingrained practice and I just slid it onto my children.
When I got married, my mother made me a gorgeous tablecloth upon which she’d creweled tiny white daisies with yellow centers in a delicate design. She said, “Use this! Don’t store it, use it! It’s a pointless, empty gift if you don’t use it. Don’t be afraid to stain it, to tear it. I made it for you to use!” She was adamant about it because my dad’s mother had given her a beautiful crochetted tablecloth on her wedding day and said, “Use it! I made it for you to use!”
My mother never used her crochetted tablecloth. She gave it to me. It had yellowed to a beautiful pale beige. I use my grandmother’s gift to my mother, but I’ve never used the daisy tablecloth. I can’t. It feels too precious to me. My mother would be so upset with me and she’d be right.
What good are saving the things we cherish in boxes or up on high shelves? What good is it to have something that feels too precious, too special to use? Use everything. Enjoy your stuff. Who or what are we saving it for? Is anything more wonderful, more precious than these people, in this moment?
But I’m all talk. I still can’t imagine using the daisy tablecloth. Maybe someday.
What do you have that you’re afraid to use? What special memories do you have of special, precious to you, things?
