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!

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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?

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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.

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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?

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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?

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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.

On May 15, with only days left before I had to turn in that book, life came at me fast and walloped me with a two-by-four: an eight-month old baby was deposited on my doorstep—that would be the doorstep of a woman in her 40s who had never had children of her own. To say I was freaked out was an understatement.

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. 

I cried buckets in those first two weeks. How would I ever do this? How long would it last? I didn’t tell anyone–least of all, my editor or my agent, because that book was on such a short time line and I didn’t need them freaking out, too. I told a few very close friends because I needed help. I was so stupid, I didn’t know he might be crying because he had a dirty diaper. He and I learned through trial and error, and I  got him on a routine, and I got some day help. After a couple of months, I still hadn’t told anyone because by then I was afraid if I did, someone would come and get him, and I would have to share my devastation with the world.

Ohmigod, I fell so hard for this little boy! I went from thinking my life was over to wondering how I could ever live without him. I finally told the goddesses because I couldn’t live up to my end of the blog bargain—weekends were out of the question. They were all very cool about it, because they’re just cool, and they even indulged me by telling me he really is the Cutest Baby Ever.

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? .

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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?’

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