Turkey Day...Are we Ready?

Well, erm...almost Happy Thanksgiving anyway!
Admittedly, this holiday is my very favorite of the whole year but it kinda sneaked up on me this year. Maybe it was the whole I'm-going-to-be-crazy-and-remodel thing I had going on. That whole business, fortunately, is winding down a bit. The new bathroom is finished and absolutely beautiful. Yesterday, I went out and bought new, fluffy white towels and some small decorative things and it's DONE, DONE, DONE. Today an army of painters will arrive to hang cabinets and install drawers in the new kitchen. Granted the kitchen isn't totally there yet because I still need to install new granite countertops but that will have to wait until the holidays are over. My teeny brain just can't handle much more.

So I'll spend the rest of the week getting things back in order and making my Thanksgiving grocery list. I've been cooking this meal, the very same one, for my family for years and years now so I've become an 'old hand' at this. Some of the recipes have been passed down through generations and they are favorites on Thanksgiving Day. On Sunday, I went out and picked up the turkeys. Yes, turkeys! As in more than one.Mr. Regina smokes three huge turkey breasts every Thanksgiving and I do the rest. I'll start this coming weekend by fixing cornbread for my dressing/stuffing. I always do this in advance, add celery and onion and bag it all up and keep in the fridge until ready to assemble on Thanksgiving morning. I'll spend Tuesday and Wednesday baking pies, cakes and putting together other dishes that can be prepared in advance. My daughter and son are coming in with their boyfriend/girlfriend and I expect the kitchen to be rockin' and rollin' because everyone likes to help. Sounds like I need to crank up some tunes for the event and break out the wine. Bring it on! I'm ready!

Do you have any particular dishes you ALWAYS without fail prepare for this holiday? Any family traditions?

I'm Late. I'm Late. I'm Late!

Have no clue what demon possessed me! Yes, I started a major remodel right before Thanksgiving and I deserve to be SHOT. Yes, SHOT! Now before you say...awww, no, Reg, it's okay. You are totally sane...let me admit here and now that I've done this before. A few years ago we had that icky popcorn junk scraped from our ceilings. Oh yeah...a mess. I told the painters then that I fully expected they would be here for Thanksgiving Dinner and they laughed at me. Of course, I was serious! In the end, all was done on time and the painters ended up having dinner with their own families. I swore to myself then, that I'd never do this again.

Fast forward to now! GAHHHHH. Every bit of kitchen junk is currently occupying space in the dining room and living room (and some stuff is on the floor). We've had sandwiches for the past few nights and figure I'll be running out for fast food (which is almost always fattening as hell and unhealthy to boot) tonight. My daughter's bathroom is also in a state of disrepair but I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with this tedious job. Finally! This explains why I'm late, late, late in blogging today. So far this morning, electricians and painters have arrived and tomorrow the wallpaper lady and again...the painters. Friday is the plumber. While those folks are hanging out at my place, I'm running back and forth to Lowe's where I'm making friends with the sales staff. They love me there!

Yes, I know, in the end, everything will be beautiful so I'll quit bitching now. Eventually everything will be shining and sparkly and new. Think I can take a nap after that? I WISH. Nope, I'm looking the holiday season dead in the eye. Pass the whiskey and say a little prayer for me.

OVERHEARD...and MUSINGS

Let’s start with MUSINGS.

You know how news articles on the Internet have comment sections, right? Right. Well, I like to read those comments because I guess I just like getting pissed off. Keeps the brain firing on all cylinders. LOL

So this morning I was reading the article about the former Penn State assistant coach who has been charged with child sex abuse. It seems that someone allegedly saw an incident between this former assistant coach and a boy about ten years old in a locker room facility at the college.

Now the guy was no longer working there, he’d retired, but had access to the buildings or something like that. So the person who saw this supposedly reported it to the head coach. And this is what I’m wondering about. The head coach then turned it over to the athletic director. Now I know all about chain of command and damage control, etc. Penn State is a big place and has a reputation to protect.

But now the athletic director and another guy have had to step down from their positions because they have been charged with perjury to a grand jury. Uh huh….so why didn’t the head coach report the situation to the police? Did his responsibility as a citizen of the world end when he reported it to the athletic director? Evidently, if these allegations are indeed true, nothing was done other than to ban the former assistant coach from bringing young boys on campus.

Like I said, I understand chain of command and damage control. I even understand the need to simply NOT want to get involved. But at some point in time you gotta have a freaking backbone, too!

NEXT!

I’ve been offline a few days due to family illness. So I missed the big hoopla with regard to the m/m writer who is really a woman but telling everyone she’s a gay man. What’s your take on all that? Do you care? Everyone knows there are male writers out there writing with female pen names. Some of us even know who a few of them are. So why is it such a big deal with this author?

Is it because this is something happening in the m/m writing community? Is it the community of gay men writing as gay men who are up in the air? Or is it the fans? Does it go deeper?

Online relationships are tricky things for sure. You never know who you are talking to. And this is a bright, shining example of just that. Did the author go too far by letting someone pose for her at a book signing? Did the author go too far by developing a complete gay male persona and using it online as a way to cultivate relationships with readers?  What say YOU?

Backbone, people. Let’s all get some.

And now it’s time for OVERHEARD.

I’m standing in line at a grocery store and there is a group of young dudes ahead of me. I’d say they were in their early to mid-twenties. Nice looking guys. I was admiring their butts when I heard one dude say:

“So what are you up to tonight, man?”

The other dude replied: “I don’t know. Only here for the weekend.”

Dude One: “Hey you should meet us and we’ll go raise some hell!”

Dude Two: “Shit. Go to some bar and get wasted while I’m trying to get some slut wasted so she’ll fuck me? No thanks. Much easier to just get a hooker and lay up for the weekend. No games. I like that.”

Dude One: “I hear ya.”

UH? UH? UH? HUH?

What the hell do you say to that? LOL

Backbone. I needed one at that moment. But what good would it have done me? I'm not sure how I feel about what he said. It just felt odd. Maybe true...but odd. LOL

Toys 4 Us...Available NOW

Well, I have to say it has been a helluva journey but the Toys4Us series is available today. It all began with a real sex toys party, a couple dozen bottles of chocolate wine and a group of crazy, fun friends and now, today, we're looking at the results of that one insane weekend and a friendship that seems to grow stronger with each day that passes. Our ages, backgrounds, etc don't matter a bit because, yes, we simply adore each other. The Sassy Seven, as we've come to call ourselves, are already tossing around ideas for another joint venture...will let you know details soon.

But for now, we're just basking in the moment as our seven books hit the cyber shelves today. As of now, you can find all the stories at Smashwords, Kindle and All Romance E-Books. If you check out the Toys 4 Us blog, we've provided some purchase links so I hope everyone will head over and pick these up!

http://toys4ustales.blogspot.com/2011/10/toys-4-us-available-now.html

In addition to hitting the shelves today we are doing a Book A Day Giveaway at The Romance Studio. What could be better than winning a copy of one of these stories?

Also, you might want to check out our gorgeous website. I have to say that Nicole Austin goes some kickass stuff  and she not only did all the ultra hot covers but built the website and blog, too. YAY, Nic! 
Here is the link to our website, where you can learn more about the Sassy Seven and the Toys 4 Us series. We are having a contest, too, where we'll give away a Kindle Fire. While over at the site, please check that out and get entered!

http://toys4usbooks.wordpress.com/

In other news: We've bought a lake house! Mr. Reg headed out this morning to spend a few days and I'll be joining him tomorrow. GAH. The place is pretty much empty at the moment but I've been on a 'furniture buying' spree lately. I suspect that while we are there enjoying this beautiful new place, I'll be making list after list of things we need. Will post pics when things start coming together.

Boo! Bah Humbug!

Okay. I don’t like Valentine’s Day. Why should I? No love on the horizon. Thanksgiving just means I have to spend several days in the kitchen. Christmas means I have to spend lots of money. And several days in the kitchen. Actually, all holidays require lots of money these days.

And apparently kitchen time.

July 4^th? Well, that means I have to go out into the crowd of people in order to watch the fireworks display. And on a hot Carolina night, that’s just not fun. At least not anymore. Easter? Now that used to be a cute holiday because of the kids. I loved to dress them up and hide eggs for them and watch as they toddled around with their baskets to find them. Loved the expression on their faces when they discovered their Easter baskets. Then they got wise to the BUNNY and suddenly baskets became jewelry and video games. AND I spent a lot of time in the kitchen. We don’t do Easter anymore except for chocolate bunnies.

The only holidays I really celebrate are Christmas, Thanksgiving, and HALLOWEEN.

So what about Halloween? Today is the day, of course. I have a pumpkin. We carved it last night and roasted the seeds. I have autumn leaf garlands displayed at my front gate. Tonight I’ll have a few candles lit outside along with the pumpkin.

And the doorbell will ring. And ring. And ring. And ring. And ring.

Maybe.

It’s cold and rainy here. Not sure how much of a damper that will put on trick or treating. I noticed lots of churches this past weekend held fall festivals. Some had trunk or treating. When my kids were younger they went to the school festivals. I was in charge of creating many many fall festivals complete with haunted house or maze.

Halloween used to be a fun holiday for me. My absolute favorite. I went all out with decorating—just like I did for Christmas. But I’m cynical these days. You’d think that Halloween would be a great holiday for cynicism but it’s not. My kids want me to go to a haunted thing with them tonight. NOPE.

So what’s up with me and holidays in general? They used to be fun and now they all just seem like work. Except for Valentine’s Day. That just seems like the waste of a good day to me. LOL

Toys 4 Us....Coming Soon

If you are a follower of Facebook, Twitter, and the blogs out there, you might already know about the upcoming Toys 4 Us series. These ebooks (seven total) will be coming to ebook stores everywhere on November 1. Must admit that trying something new is often scary and this foray into self-publishing is exactly that for me. Dipping toes into uncharted waters here.

Toys 4 Us came to fruition during a long weekend retreat at Desiree Holt's place in the Texas Hill Country. Seven great friends got together and after bottle after bottle of chocolate wine and a rowdy sex toy party we hatched the idea to write Toys 4 Us. The series revolves around seven best friends of all ages and backgrounds who attend a 'toy' party and leave with their purchases stuffed into a pretty pink bag with the Toys 4 Us logo emblazoned on it. For each woman, finding just the right guy and just the right scenario to USE these toys becomes the goal.

Authors of the series, including myself, are Nicole Austin, Desiree Holt, Allie Standifer, Brenna Zinn, Samantha Cayto and Cerise Deland. Each book is hotter than a Texas summer and priced right at .99 each (for the first month only). I have to say it has been challenging. No, not the writing of the books. That was easy when compared to launching a project like this. Coordinating advertising, cover art, a website, promotional ads, finding very good editors, etc. has proved to be the real 'trick' but somehow we managed it all nicely. Maybe it is coming together so smoothly because we're all such great friends to begin with. Can't imagine doing a project like this where personalities rubbed the wrong way. Nope, I couldn't and wouldn't deal with that. We smilingly move through every project with loud agreement all the way around. Hmm. Think we should do this again sometime? I sure do.

Want to learn more about the series and the fabulous contest to win a Kindle Fire? Head over to our beautiful website and learn more.
http://toys4usbooks.wordpress.com/

Ain't Life A Beach?

Well, not exactly. LOL Yeah, I followed my dream—finally—and I am here on the beach. I don’t know what the eff I was thinking when I moved. Really—I don’t. Somehow I think I got so caught up in it all that I believed life would become magical and perfect.

It didn’t.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not homesick. I LOVE being here. I’m happy here. Happier. And I know things are going to fall into place the way I want them to. See??? A positive attitude is half the battle, isn’t it? And I’m positive things are going to work out.

So what am I griping about? A whole bunch of things. My sister told me that she is going to buy up the rabbit’s foot market and give all those little bunny feet to me to me. LOL

First up? We arrived at our new home late afternoon. I’d never seen the house with the power on. It’s a rental. I had decided I didn’t want to own anything anymore. I want to be able to pick up the phone when something leaks or shorts out and call someone to fix it. I’ve been too responsible all my life. Time to become a slacker. HA!

So we walk into the house and I immediately notice stains on the freshly cleaned carpet—was too dark to see them before. The refrigerator was dirty. The bathrooms had not been thoroughly cleaned—pubic hair in the downstairs shower. Yeah, that’s what I said. The sliding glass door was filthy—hand prints all over it and something sticky, too! Basically, the house was a bit dirty. So we had to break out the bleach and smell good products before we even unloaded. When you pay a $1,500.00 security deposit, you expect to encounter a very clean property. At least I did. Sighhhhh

So after two hours of four women cleaning, we started unloading the moving truck. We got about a third of it completed before it was simply too dark to continue. I made a beer run and the pizza arrived. And we were all exhausted. We slept on air mattresses that night. The beds were still in the truck. No problem.

The next day is when I discovered the garbage disposal didn’t work and there were dripping faucets. Nothing to worry about right away for sure. Eventually, a new disposal was installed and the drips were repaired. Next, the dryer stopped working. I reported that right away to be informed that the washer and dryer were not a part of the lease. HUH? I didn’t argue. Didn’t scream. Didn’t tell anyone off. When I got home, I checked my lease. The washer and dryer are most certainly included in my lease. I called the realtor and was still denied a repair. They forgot to check the box that indicated the washer and dryer were not included and their mistake still costs me.

Well, it’s like this…I would never have signed the lease without the washer/dryer being included. I HAD a perfectly good washer/dryer. But I sold them because there was already a set in the house. So I have pretty much demanded the repair but nothing is happening. Which means I will have to play hard ball. I was so hoping I could just live quiet and easy once I moved. No stress. HA! Am I crazy or what?

Then I broke my ankle. Slipped down the stairs while carrying a laundry basket. Yep, I’m washing clothes here and hauling them to the place up the street to dry them. Inconvenient, but I was still maintaining my cool—until I had a broken ankle that is. Now stress is my middle name. My girls don’t like dealing with laundry and argue like crazy when I tell them it has got to be done. And that brings me to another story.

My girls. They’ve both lost their minds. There is something about this place that has shifted them into a higher level of lack of maturity. They have both become very lazy. Now they were never perfect. Not by any means. But now they just don’t think they are supposed to do anything. My old house was one level. This house is two. I’m downstairs. The kids all sleep upstairs. I have NO reason to go upstairs—except for the day I figured I’d look for extra dirty laundry. Yeah…and broke my ankle.

The boy’s room is in pretty good shape. He vacuums daily. I hear him doing it. I see him bringing down his trash. Room looks okay except he is not the best at making his bed. But the girls’ rooms? Oh God! Big messes.

The weekend before I broke my ankle, the boy had a friend come down from NC to spend the weekend. No problem. His friend is polite and a good kid. That same weekend, the oldest girl’s best friend and four of HER friends came down for a visit. PANDEMONIUM. Beer pong table. Vodka stored in my freezer. And I found out that two of the guys that were in my house were Facebook friends of the best friend. She’d never even met them before. I HAD STRANGERS SLEEPING IN MY HOME!!!!!!!

Needless to say---no sleep for me. And it will NEVER happen again.

The latest thing to happen? The AC went out. I had NO AC for two days. It was NOT fun and I ended up with a really bad rash due to the boot I’m wearing for my ankle.

So, do I like where I’m living? Did I make the right decision? HELL YEAH!!!! I love it here.  Am I writing? Not yet. I am editing some, though. Because of my ankle, my time at the desktop is limited. My foot hurts if I don’t keep it up above hip level and I can’t do that because it hurts my back. Sighhh…

And I can’t walk on the beach because of the ankle either. But that’s okay. The ankle will heal and I’ll be on the beach soon enough. Unless I break the other ankle, that is.

Wish me luck. I think I need it.

EC Romanticon Report

What can I say about Ellora's Cave Romanticon 2011 except that it was funner than a barrel of Cavemen and one event I would never, ever miss. I arrived at the Cleveland airport and stepped outside to meet the other ladies who would be sharing a ride to our hotel in Akron. My first thought upon arriving straight from the Texas heat was AHHHHHH. I got a serious 'head rush' over that and immediately wanted to dance around all over the place. NIIIIIICE. Then Del Dryden arrived along with Laura and Tina from Two Lips Reviews (such awesome women).

Arrived without a hitch to the hotel (thanks to Greg from Western Reserve Transportation) and immediatly ran onto a group of readers and friends...namely Elece, Cassandra, and Margie. Later I met AJ, Michelle and Jordan who are also part of the crazy crew. We danced around and hugged for a bit then I headed to my room before checking in. I swear, it's always this way...HOMECOMING. I think my HUGGER got all HUGGED OUT because I just love these people. I saw, and got a hug, from Caveman Angelo on the elevator...lucky me and headed out to set up my goodies (and Desiree Holt's) on the swag tables. Lordy! So much stuff. Table after table was filled with more cool things than you can imagine and I could only wish that I had half of the other writers' imaginations regarding promo items.  My pens, bookmarks, magnets, etc. looked rather pitiful in comparison but thankfully my stuff was mostly gone by the end of the convention. Beyond the swag room was an area where vendors sold everything imaginable and OMG...some of the jewerly was amazing. Best bud, Nicole Austin, bought the most gorgeous dragon bracelet. Color me envious!

Speaking of Nicole...yes, I certainly hooked up and hung out constantly with the Sassy Seven (yes, we're a group...lol). Throughout the convention, I ran about the place with my roomie, Desiree Holt, and Cerise Deland, Allie Standifer, Sam Cayto, Brenna Zinn (don't let the beautiful, sweet face fool you...she is a WILD WOMAN) and of course, Nic, who is the coolest woman on the planet. And let me not forget my new, fabulous friend, Eve Savage (who puts the C in Crazy). Lordy...do I EVER love these women!!!! And guess who else I saw???? Mia Watts. Now Mia and I have been the best of friends for YEARS and I adore her. Witty, fun, beautiful (inside and out). I also met one of the queens of BDSM...Brynn Paulin. I got to hang out with Jaid Black and met the adorably, precious Cindy Jacks (I see another new bestie on my horizon because I totally clicked with her). And Kaenar Langford...what can I say? The woman keeps me in stitches and I adore chatting with her.  I talked with editors whom I'd never met and you know who you are (the nicest ladies anywhere) and some editors whom I'd met and LOVED from Romanticons past. And the Cavemen...what can I say? There was a whole new crop this year. These guys were not only the best eye candy in the hemisphere but gentlemen, fun-loving, and eager to entertain. And readers...oh boy was it ever nice meeting them, too. So sweet, friendly and huge EC fans! I loved meeting each and every one.

Night one featured a Meet and Greet. Beautiful set-up with wine bottles featuring specially made EC labels on each bottle. We were invited to swill as much as we wanted while catching up with friends we hadn't seen for a year. Fun. Fun. The next day began with workshops. I was a part of several of them and have to say, very nervous, but they went off without a hitch and I believe everyone attending had fun and maybe learned a little bit. Friday night's party was a 'prehistoric' theme with partiers wearing their best "Pebbles and Bam Bam" fashions. Saturday's party zipped straight to the future and sci fi/steampunk and futuristic stuff took center stage. Awards were handed out that night. My buds, Nicole, Desiree and Mia all were honored with statuettes. YAY THEM!!!!! Bet they could hear me screaming.

Speaking of screaming, I returned home with my voice GONE...just GONE! Have I told ya'll I'm a big talker? Well, yes, I am. To me, it always seems that when I go to Romanticon I have a gazillion things to talk with friends about and not nearly enough time in which to do it. Boo Hiss. Needless to say, I loved every minute of Romanticon 2011 and I'm eagerly awaiting sign up date so I can do it all again in 2012.

Desiree Holt, Cerise Deland and Regina at Saturday night's dinner. Awwwww. I'm feeling the love.

Isn't Cindy Jacks a cutie? Talented, too. We became fast friends at Romanticon. Note she wore a costume and I didn't quite 'get there'. LOL

I have a few more pics but they really aren't that good. Yes, I suck with a camera and I'm surprised mine doesn't just explode when I touch it. I'm still in the process of stealing pics from others though...bwahahahaha. I have an entire album that Nic made and I'll have to find some to share with you.

Anyway, it's back to real life now. siiiiigh. What is it they say? All good things must come to an end? So until next year, I'll have to cool my heels and keep writing while waiting for the next Romanticon to roll around.

More Romanticon Stuff from Elece

Note: Our Lil' Ninja, Elece Faberov, is blogging for Allie today. Allie is busy stuffing sparkley stuff into her suitcase. See everyone at Romanticon 2011!

You may know Allie Standifer as Allie Standifer. I do, too, but I also know her as BAPS (Beauteousness of All things Pink and Sparkly). I have never met The Royal Sparkly Princess, and seriously, this lady in waiting is giddy to do so. I may actually bow down before her, but I draw the line at kissing feet, even pretty ones with shiny toe rings.
I don’t remember exactly the first time our paths crossed. I do however remember the first time she called me out, here on this very blog, and then again here, even on Facebook. I’ll admit, embarrassment was my initial reaction then honestly, I felt a little honored. As cheesy as that may sound, I couldn’t believe she not only remembered my name (and spelled it right), but knew enough about me to even call me out on what she did (if that was unintentional, Allie, don’t tell me and take my thunder!!).

I’m going to backtrack here for a moment. I joined the Romanticon and EC loop, and then some time later, the TWW loop. More recently, I joined the RHB loop. I have met some of the nicest women since the day I dipped my toes into the writing world. I was overwhelmed at the warm welcomes and open arms, and that’s without having met one of them in person. Needless to say, the fact I will be meeting these special ladies face to face in a few days is amazing. Oh, who am I kidding, I’m nervous as hell! I am actually a very shy person. I am! All of you stop laughing at me!!

All I know is that the months, weeks, and now days leading up to Romanticon have collectively been one of the best journeys in my life. To date, I have made friends I know I’ll have for a lifetime. Everything about these months is new to me, and stepping out of my comfort zone to attend Romanticon will be a life-altering event.



FYI...for any of you who read yesterday’s blog, depending on what time you’re reading this, I’m either frantically packing, prancing toward a plane, trying my damnedest not to puke my ever-lovin’ brains out, riding in my limo, or safe and sound at the hotel in Akron with a stiff drink in hand and a shit-eating grin!!!

Countdown to Romanticon

Note: Please welcome my guest Elece Faberov. She's an aspiring author, a super ROCKIN' friend, and a first time attendee of Ellora's Cave's Romanticon 2011. She has kindly volunteered to blog for me today since I have a short road trip planned today. I'll be back next week with my report of the comings and goings of Romanticon. Will definitely be ready to DISH! Big love...Reg.

Countdown to Romanticon
By Elece Faberov

Can you feel the excitement? The Romanticon countdown is almost over. Only one or two more days depending on which day you’re arriving. Needless to say, the explosion of women ready to take a load off will be quite the event.

For a green behind the ears convention virgin like myself, the anticipation has been killing me. I discovered this jewel of a gathering while trolling the Ellora’s Cave site for submission guidelines. I joined the yahoo group immediately and posted an email about my fear of coming alone. The first reply came moments later, encouraging me to attend. Since this is a Tuesday, and we all know whose post this should be...you guessed it, the ever-charming Texan and sweet as pie Regina Carlysle.

As they say, the rest is history. Oh hell, more like we’re going to make history! For those of you who know me, you’ll understand the quick change in gears of this post.

I can’t wait until tomorrow to prance my happy ass onto an airplane then fly with gritted teeth, clutching the gag bag through the friendly skies until it dumps me safely in Akron, Ohio. Five-inch heels and all, I’ll race to get my oversized luggage, find my limo (I’m not that pretentious ladies, that’s what they’re calling car service these days) and ride through unfamiliar territory to the hotel. Don’t worry, I have my meds lined up and will be fine by the time most of you arrive on Thursday. I apologize now to Valerie Tibbs whom I’m having dinner with shortly after my plane lands.

Thursday will be a blur of registration and meeting every one of you fine ladies I have come to know online. I have pictures of most of you, so there will be no escaping the mohawked ninja’s hugs and kisses. Yes, there will be many, but I promise no slobbering in my excitement.

Friday, not the day, but what I’ll be doing that day, is why I’ll have a drink glued to my hand from the moment I walk through the hotel days prior. Well, that, and St. Germain, club soda and orange slices in a tall glass and I are quite friendly. I’ll be pitching my story at 12:30 and haven’t a clue of what to say. Many offers of help have been offered, and I plan on taking each of you up on them. A drink in exchange for babbling...no promise to not spittle in my stammering, but I’ll try to keep my umms and likes to a minimum.

From the moment I walk out of that pitch session, my mind will be officially free and clear. Who, what, why, or how anything happens will no longer be any of my concern. For those of you near and dear to me, please have your cameras ready. No, really, I take horrible pictures myself!!!!

FANGIRL ALERT and a Dedication of sorts.....

Note from Allie: Her IT guys have been hijacked by ladies of her court. Who KNOWS what they are up to with these guys so Allie is without internet. In the meantime, the fabulous and super sweet Marika Weber is blogging in her place.  Please make her welcome to our little spot on the planet!

FANGIRL ALERT and a Dedication of sorts…

By Marika Weber

I want to thank the Shiny Princess for allowing me to write her blog today. It truly is an honor, my liege….I hope that I do you proud. Here goes…

What to say about the 5 Wicked Writers? When I offered to blog today, I’m sure Allie wanted me to talk about her but I feel like I need to talk about all five of the most super women I know. I know all of them on different levels so I’ll talk about each of them separately and then as a whole.

Tess MacKall is a true southern belle. Just remind me never to get her mad. I wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alley. She is the ULTIMATE Momma Bear. Miss with her kids or her friends and she can and will pull the trigger. Trust me, she knows a gun and rifle. Any good southern belle knows that. All that said, when I needed someone to read my first ever piece of crap, she graciously agreed and within minutes, I got page after page of nothing but red marks. Hell, I didn’t even know the difference between “show and tell” and trust me, I still have all those pages printed out as a reference. She will never know how much that meant to me and still does to this day. The first book I ever read of Tess’ was “Blame It on the Mistletoe” and it was a free read somewhere. I still have it on my Nook and re-read about once a month. “Strip Down” is her latest and you must rush out and buy this book! Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Regina Carlysle is my sister from another mother. I’ve never met anyone like her and probably will not in my lifetime. She is a true friend, mentor and all around wonderful person. She makes me laugh; think outside the box and the best thing about her…she truly listens to me. Without her getting me off the ledge at times, I might not have any hair left. The first book I read of Regina’s was “Drilled” from the Cougar Challenge and I just re-read it last week. Nothing like oil, Texas and the men that live and work in our great state. I am impatiently waiting for Ransom’s book but I might have to wait awhile. She has been gracious with her time in reading my writing and I promise to dedicate my first book to her…if I get the call next month, since she read it already.

Allie Standifer is my shiny Princess friend. I really don’t know what to say about the Princess. She’s funny, she really is a Princess and she’s open and honest to a fault. I was introduced to the Princess through Regina and I’m so glad that I know her. Her blogs on going to a BDSM club in Los Angeles is a classic and I envy her. I read a lot of BDSM books and I want to go and observe. I’ve been told that they have the best cookies. Her recent release “Naughty Nature” was featured on my review blog with the links back to this blog for those that missed the original postings. To say that I still laugh out loud at them would be an understatement. She has assured that one-day, she will let me tag along with her the next time she goes to a club.

Mia Watts is an enigma to me, but in a good way. I admit that I have never read any Mia books, but I have read her Katie Blu books. And the two are as completely different as night and day. Katie’s “Surprised by Desire” is still a long time favorite of mine, and her latest, “Bet Me“ had me laughing and sighing at the same time. I have come to know her through this blog as someone that is caring, compassionate and hilarious. You must keep up with her blog posts on her girls and her dating adventures. Plus, I’ve been out of the dating game so long that reading about hers, makes me not EVER want to date again.

Cari, Cari, Cari…I knew Cari from another loop and was thrilled when she came over her to share her wisdom and humor. Cari never ceases to amaze with her time management skills, her books and her wisdom that she has dispensed to me. The first book that I read of her’s was “Full Disclosure” and yes, its still on the Nook and its re-read a lot. The follow up “Ex Appeal” is a perennially re-read, too. Impatiently waiting on the third one…”Provoke Me” is her latest release and I reviewed it for my blog and I truly didn’t know what to think of it the first time I read it. Knowing Cari’s writing, I sat down and read it again and rushed to write the review. I know that some people don’t think that erotic can be thought provoking featuring intelligent characters with real problems; well, they’ve never read a Cari Quinn book. I suggest that you do.

As I wrap up this blog post about the Wicked Writers, I just to thank them for the opportunity to blog here today and I hope that I didn’t bore everyone to death with my ramblings. I am truly blessed to know these women and I am proud to call them friends. I have reviews on some the books that I have mentioned here on my blog http://harliebooks.blogspot.com.


Feel free to agree or disagree with me…

Just Random Stuff

Note: My sincere apologies everyone. I scheduled this to post this morning and it DIDN'T. Oops. So here it is, better late than never I guess.

I'm posting random stuff today for a variety of reasons. Mainly...there are times when the brain simply isn't quite functioning on all cylanders because of overload. Yep. Definitely suffering from that. So I'll apologize in advance for my lack of wit and cleverness.

For roughly a week I've been buried in my cave trying to finish a book before I head off to EC Wonderland (or more commonly known as Elloras Cave Romanticon). It has been a tough job finishing this primarily because I'm angry. Yes, I'm angry with myself for procrastinating (my numero uno big time fault) and now I'm kinda under the gun here. Again, my own dang fault. The good thing is that I'm only about 5K away from typing the end on this hot little story. Actually I'm really liking this one and really hope my readers to do.

Another bit of randomness is that Mr. Regina and I are buying a lake house. He has wanted a great fishing spot for many years and recently we've come to the conclusion (now that our kids are grown) that life is too damn short. It's time for us to do something new, have an exciting adventure so we are closing on a spectacular place on October 14. The view over Lake Amistad from our big deck is incredible and we're looking forward to having lots of great times there and who knows? Maybe at some point in the future our kids will come with spouses and grandchildren. Not too soon, I hope, but one day. I suspect we will make a gazillion memories in this beautiful spot on the planet.

Yet more randomness coming....sometimes we must plan for the unexpected and that is just what has happened. I'm writing this post on Monday evening because we must take an unplanned trip out of town first thing in the morning. Sooooo. I'm up with the chickens and heading to Dallas with Mr. Reg. It will no doubt be a very long day. He will, as he always does, thrust the damn directions at me and then tell me my directions are WHACK as I read them. If it gets too bad, you'll see him hitchhiking home.I'm taking a stand here. He will navigate himself and if we get lost AGAIN, it's not my fault. :-)

All comments today on my burst of randomness are quite welcome. Suspect I'll be home tomorrow (Tuesday) evening and will answer all comments. Love Love.

Oh Hell No! Reading turn-offs

Scenario One:

Seductive Sally races through the Brazilian Rain Forest, bullets flying as Ripped Rob follows protectively behind. The bad guys are close, too close for comfort. Breath heaving and bellowing from her lungs, she plows through the jungle, trying hard to ignore the scratches that appear on her long, shapely legs as the rush ensues. She hasn't bathed in days. Her hair is a nasty, tangled mess and she knows no amount of laundry soap will restore her skimpy  running-from-bad- guys attire to its former glory. Panties? Yes, the lacy undergarments she'd donned three days ago were history and her ladies 24-hour deodorant protection long gone.

 Finally! Yes, finally the shooting stops. Ms. Seductive and Ripped Rob have lost them. Bosom heaving she drops down at the base of a massive tree. Valiantly, she ignores the bugs squirming beneath her as she gives Ripped Rob a seductive look. Sweat has effectively glued her thin tee shirt to her body and her heart races. But this time it's not from the wild dash through the Brazilian foliage. No sirree. Ripped Rob's eyes narrow to focus heatedly on her perky nipples as they press against her sweat-soaked shirt.
"You're hot, babe," Rob says, his voice rough with desire.Sweat streaks through the grime on his face totally turn her on. Well, yes she was hot. She has been racing through the jungle for the better part of several days but he wants her. He really wants her. "I think I'll strip those rank clothes from your body and kiss every inch of your sweaty skin. How does that sound?"
"Yummy," she breathes. "Come and give it to me, Big Boy."

Another little tale:
Victim Victoria is chained. She is a slave. Oh hells nooooo. Striped naked before a throng of hungry looking men, she squirms against her bonds knowing one of them, or many, all want to do the nasty with her. Whatever will she doooooo???? Wait! The crowds part as one of the lusty dudes pushes his way through the throng to claim her. Violence swims in his strangly sexy eyes.
"You are mine," he growls
Terror fills her mind. What will he dooooo???? What will he dooooo????
Scary-man carries her off to the nearest dirt floor, throws her down and looks mighty damn sexy while doing so. But still she is scared. Or is she? Victim Vickie's eyes widen in horror. Yes, horror. He will force her to have sex. He will force his massive, yes massive, THING in her. OWWWW. The pain. The degradation.
So yes, Scary-man wastes no time in 'doing it' to her as screams of 'don't hurt me' fill the room but suddenly Victim Vickie isn't scared any more.
"I think I love you," she whispers five minutes later. "By the way, what is your name?"

The scenarios above are my feeble attempt to illustrate two of my biggest pet peeves in erotic or romance fiction. Rape fantasy stories are a huge turn off for me and I won't read them. Violence against women is not my idea of entertainment and a heroine who is too stupid to live? Forget about it. My other pet peeve? Well, having sex while utterly filthy is just...well...nasty. What about you? What are some of your biggest reading turn offs?

Erotica For Men

***My apologies for missing last week’s blog post. I was sick with a horrible chest cold. 

AND...

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!

Right now I have a dozen writing projects on the table. All in various stages of completion. I haven’t been writing for a few weeks now because I’m in the process of moving, and therefore I’ve had to travel right much in order to find a house. Plus the packing has been a much bigger job than I ever believed possible. But once I’m moved and settled in, I’ll be back to writing and whittling down the work in progress pile for sure!

As we all know, ninety percent of all romance readers---from sweet to erotic—are female. One of my unfinished works is aimed for the male audience—the straight male audience. I’ve been told that I do male POV quite well. And I honestly think I do. However, I’m still a female writing for men. So there is always room for improvement, isn’t there?

Just as we crawl into the heads of our female characters in order to portray them accurately, we must do the same with male characters. And that’s a big job. It’s more than giving the dude a swagger and having him spit on the sidewalk. LOL It’s a completely different way of thinking.

The story I’m working on is erotica—not erotic romance. You see, even though I write romance and sometimes have my heroes do incredibly romantic things, I don’t really envision men as being all that romantic. But that’s how I see them in MY head. When all is said and done, the way I write this story will be based on MY perception of men. And that’s not to say that erotica can’t be romantic or have romantic elements. It can. But when I write it, the tone tends to be very edgy—gritty.

The top ten sexual fantasies for men and women really aren’t that different. Men want to involve anal in their fantasies while women list forced seduction. But that’s pretty much the only difference, although men do fantasize about giving up control.

Since Ellora’s Cave announced the launch a male erotica line, I’ve been reading blogs here and there and paying close attention to what the male commenters have to say. I’m seeing everything from men who want lots of description to men who say they want more sensuality. Then there are a whole lot of guys who just want to read hard-driving sex.

There’s a fine line between erotica and porn. I’ve read all kinds of books claiming to be erotica and just shake my head because they’re really nothing more than porn. So what IS that fine line? And is the line for men different than the line for women?

Yes, I think that the lines for men and women are different. Emotion and characterization seem to be the line in general. Not so much storyline/plot (although there can be), but simply making your characters real and giving them emotions. And yes, I think the lines for men and women are different. What do I mean by that? Hmmm…good question.

Well…here it is…

I think women have a much bigger ICK FACTOR. We’re not as forgiving when it comes to certain taboos. But that doesn’t mean we women are prudes and don’t embrace our sexuality. Not at all. Think about it. Women writers put the erotic romance/erotica industry on the map!

So I think with male-targeted erotica, we can expect to see more taboo sex, dialogue that is harder—grittier, and maybe, just maybe, we women will learn something from these books. I’ve always said that if men read romance they’d have a much better understanding of the wants and needs of women. And the same holds true of any book that a man reads, of course. 

I'm looking forward to reading male erotica from my fellow EC authors. Nobody can do it the way Ellora's Cave can! Woot!!!

A Small Miracle

When Gypsy first came into our lives she weighed about 8 ounces and fit neatly into the palm of my hand. Sure, she was our daughter's puppy but the whole family quickly accepted her as 'ours'. Playful and fun, Gypsy is the expressive kind of dog that makes it almost seem as if she's always smiling or maybe even asking a question. She doesn't walk...she prances and at night she must curl up against SOMEONE to be able to sleep. She never got very big and remains to this day, a two-pound bundle of sweetness who loves to cuddle, loves to play.When my daughter headed off to college, she naturally took her baby with her. Gypsy has been her constant companion for many years so it only made sense that she accompany my daughter on her college adventures.

A week ago we almost lost her. Got a frantic phone call last Monday. Gypsy was sick. I urged my daughter to get her to the vet ASAP and she was immediately put into the doggie hospital. Worried sick about her, my daughter and I kept up communication throughout the week. The verdict? It wasn't looking good for our baby. I can't express the cloud of grief that washed over our home. I cried until my eyes were swollen (and bless you Allie for calling to listen). My husband was unusually quiet and withdrawn. My son called to talk about the situation. Through it all, my daughter continued to visit and the vet re-iterated there 'wasn't much hope'. Yes, we were looking at saying goodbye to our darling and I swear, I couldn't bear it.

So last Thursday night we talked with our daughter who said she had to do the right thing. That's a tough decision at twenty but she was determined to be strong. According to the doctors, Gypsy was just not responding to treatment.  Now, I'll say straight off that I pray but I often wonder if it's an act of futility. Was my faith strong enough? Don't know. Let's just say I doubted the strength of any prayers I might offer but that Thursday night, I sat outside for the longest time and prayed.

By Friday morning, I woke up with the feeling that Gypsy was GONE...just GONE. There weren't any tears. Just a sad, terrible acceptance that I would never feel her tiny body curled against mine or cuddle her in my lap as I watched tv at night. Sad. Just so very sad and empty. I talked with my daughter that morning never mentioning what would occur later in the day. I knew she couldn't take it and figured I wouldn't handle it well either.

Hours later, the strangest, oddest thing happened. My daughter called from her car. She was crying. She went on to tell me that when she showed up at the vet she was led into a room to say her goodbyes. Gypsy got UP from the table, walked to her and licked her hand. The vet was stunned and said this was the first response they'd seen from her. The decision was made. Gyspy was coming home. Yes, she is still sick but getting better every day. She is held, cuddled and responding to her meds and my daughter believes she is going to make it.

In the end I don't know if it was the power of prayer or the touch of someone she loves that brought her back. Whatever did it, whatever accomplished this miracle, I'm going to go with it. And I think I'll keep on saying those prayers.

Yummy Goodness

Admittedly, I've had a bit of a hard time waking up this morning and getting my brain to fully function so I've decided that rather than sit here and babble, I'd post some pics (courtesy of my bestie Nicole Austin). The woman has a helluva hottie collection.

So grab a cuppa joe and enjoy!

 Oh, Joe! My favorite alpha wolfman. Alcide from True Blood.

Ooooh. My favorite kinda hottie. Wouldn't you love to run your hands over those pecs????

 Hmmm. Wonder what HE'S thinkin' about???? I'd love to know that.

 How about a last minute vacation on the beach? Sounds good to me.

What can I say? Wow, just WOW!

Anybody have a favorite? I've always been kind of partial to the look of a man's back and chest (hairless or not). So lets name our favorite body part (besides the obvious...snicker)

Is Chivalry Really Dead?

First of all, I’m not here. Nope. I’m just a fig newton of your imagination. My post is here. And, of course, I promoted it before I left town this morning. But I am physically away from my computer today. I’m driving down to the coast to take some measurements at my new house and get the utilities turned on. So carry on without me. I’ll be around tonight and jump right in!

So what’s my gripe today?

To all of those head doctors who seem to think that reading romance novels is rotting my brain: “Up Yours!” Reading romance novels is a helluva lot better than what I deal with in reality. Thank GOD we have the imagination to give a woman something to hope for! If I had to live with some of the NEANDERTHALS I encounter on a daily basis while innocently running my errands, I’d be in prison.

When did men stop holding the door for a lady? And it’s worse than that. They don’t even wait for the lady to enter first. They go into a building and if you’re lucky, they will hold the door open just long enough to keep it from cold-cocking your ass! Just two days ago I had to literally do a little hop backwards to keep from getting a knot on my head. NO JOKE!

And all that just so he could get to the register first? PUHLEEEEZE!!!! So I said to the dude—who was looking right smug about having gotten in line before me—“HEY! Raised by wolves?”

Yeah, I did. The look I gave him was intended to make him sweat. Instead, he simply shrugged. No guilt whatsoever. Yep, he was raised by wolves all right.

C’mon MAMAs of the world! Do something. Teach these boys some manners!

Am I the only one who has noticed a total lack of manners when it comes to men vs. women? Is chivalry really dead?