Monthly Archive for January, 2009

Turning a corner

Published on January 30, 2009 in Life, The Bond That Saves Us and Writing. 3 Comments

Its funny how you can be going along in one direction and then, all of a sudden, something changes. This morning when I woke up, I felt fantastic. I’m still a bit sleepy due to lack of coffee, but I feel so relaxed. I’m not sure if that is a result of the detox, or because I’ve managed to get some good sleep this week, but I’m not complaining.

I’ve also been writing up a storm! This is such a wonderful feeling for me, seeing as I’d been suffering from writers block for the past several months. The Bond That Saves Us is just about done. .I have less than one chapter to go in my first draft, and then it goes into clean-up mode and off to my critique partners. I’m very excited about this one, but am sad to see the end of the series.

Never fear though, I have another series started an I’m bouncing to get to this one. Book one is finished, and book two is started. I hope to sell this one soon, and will keep you all posted. :D

This weekend should be busy. I plan on cleaning my house and doing some things that I’ve been putting off for a while. My youngest daughter will be at Brownie camp, so that means my oldest becomes my helper. There is also a big Superbowl party this weekend. My team didn’t make it, but I think it will be entertaining none the less.

Anyone else have a party planned?

Four Cups for All Bottled Up!

Published on January 28, 2009 in All Bottled Up and Review. 3 Comments

I just found out that All Bottled Up received four cups from Coffee Time Romance! I’m doing a major snoopy dance over this one. Thanks to Lototy for the fantastic review. :D

This is a fabulously fun and playfully erotic love story. Jerod and Viola are vivacious, full of life, and refreshingly normal. I especially love how the author develops Viola’s transformation in a purely natural way. She is someone we can all relate to, and her story is a real pleasure to read.

You can read the rest of the review here!

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Why do I do these things to myself

Published on January 28, 2009 in Health and Life. 5 Comments

So on Saturday, I got the bright idea that I wanted to do one of those herbal cleanse things. Friends of mine have done them, and are always raving about how great they make you feel. I’m going to be starting a new exercise routine (as soon as it gets here in the mail), and I thought it would make sense to do something like this.

Off I go to the health food store. The wonderful young woman behind the counter asked if I’ve ever done one of these before. No, I say. She smiled at me and responded, “Well, I’ll start you on one of the easy ones.”

That should have been my first warning.

We looked at a few kits, and she sold me a seven day one. I also got this super duper fiber that is supposed to make me all healthy and stuff. When I asked her if they had directions  on what I can and can’t eat in the box, she told me that this was an easy one. “Only thing you should avoid are foods with chemicals in it.”

No problem! It’s only seven days.

So I started on Sunday. The first thing I realized as I got up to make my double shot Americano was the fact I CAN’T HAVE COFFEE!!! I almost stopped the whole thing right there. But no, I’d paid my $30, so I might as well do this. I mean come on, it’s only seven days…

The headaches started that afternoon…they haven’t stopped.

If you’ve ever have met me in person, or heck, read my blog for any length of time, you know I love my coffee. Love… I’m a sad, pathetic mess these days. But I’m holding strong! I haven’t broken down yet, and have been sucking back caffeine-free tea instead.

Four days and counting…

And Sometimes I Like A Good Scare

Published on January 26, 2009 in Movies and The Bond That Saves Us. 2 Comments

So if you know me, or have been reading my blog for a bit, you know I’ve recently falling deep into the world of Supernatural. I love the show. The writing, the acting, the way it’s filmed–everything. As a result, I’ve tried to find other shows that the actors have been in.

That led me to going to see My Bloody Valentine in 3D this weekend.

Now, I was a horror movie fan from a very early age. I saw Friday the 13th when I was seven. A babysitter of a friend of mine had it and played it. Freaked the hell out of me. The same babysitter a few months later showed me A Nightmare on Elm St. Yes, I lived on the corner of Elm St., so it TOTALLY freaked me out. But I also got hooked. I started watching every horror film I could around 12, and have only really ever been scared a few times.

In recent years, I haven’t liked the movies that have been coming out. The torture films don’t really do it for me. I like  a scare, but I like to see it coming, I don’t mind a certain amount of cheese factor, and I love it when the bad guy has a gimmick.

After all that, what did I think of My Bloody Valentine? OMG IT ROCKED!!! Here are the things I loved about it in order:

  • Jensen Ackles. Really, the guy is a fantastic actor.
  • 3D effects. LOL This was awesome! They were well done, and I even jumped a few times.
  • The plot. I know this seems odd to say about a horror movie, but it had a great story. More along the line of a murder mystery than a straight up, “Hey he’s going to slice everyone to bits” idea.
  • Jensen Ackles
  • The character of Irene. She’s naked for most of her screen time. But do you know what, she was the funniest character in the movie. Loved her!
  • Jensen Ackles

I think that just about wraps it up! The bonus of the whole film, was we got to see a preview of the Friday the 13th remake, staring Jensen’s Supernatural co-star, Jared Padalecki. I’ll be going to that one too. :D

On the writing front, I managed to write just over 16k last week, bringing me up to over 55k for The Bond That Saves Us. I’m in the home stretch now!

Two Reviews!!

Published on January 23, 2009 in Primal Elements, Review and The Bond That Consumes Us. 5 Comments

Oh wow! I’ve had the most amazing Friday. I just received two reviews from Joyfully Reviewed.

The Bond That Consumes Us

Ms D’Abo has come up with a fantastic working group of people in a futuristic setting that is believable.  I enjoy how Ms. D’Abo writes characters that are believable and she definitely has a way with writing super sexy and erotic scenes.  The murder mystery that is intertwined along with the internal struggles Taber and Fallon face makes this book a winner.  I enjoyed The Bound that Consumes Us so much that I had to read it in one setting, no matter that it was long past my bedtime.


And, I’ve gotten a Recommened Read from Joyfully Reviewed for Primal Elements!

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Primal Elements is sexy, gripping, and wholly delightful. Ben and Jenna are a classic case of seemingly opposite people attracting, only to find out they’re not very different at all.  What’s engaging about this story is that the energy between Ben and Jenna just comes off the page.  Jenna is prejudiced against Ben because of his actions years ago and Ben is too prideful to correct her misconceptions about him.  Nevertheless, the two are so physically drawn to one another that their desire overcomes their reservations and the resulting passion leads to their romantic realizations.

Thank you so much to Tanya and Shayna for the amazing reviews! HUGS!

*does a snoopy dance*

I have a girl crush on Pink

Published on January 22, 2009 in Fun, Music and The Bond That Saves Us. 4 Comments

So one of my Christmas presents this year from my daughters was Pink’s new CD Funhouse. I SQUEED! I love Pink. Love everything about this woman, to be honest.

She’s beautiful, without looking manufactured. Honestly, she eats real food from the look of her. Healthy, not a twig.  She’s true to herself and what she wants out of life. And her music kicks ass.

I love the messages in her songs, and I would play them for my girls if I could. But there’s swearing, and while I have no problem with it, I don’t want my seven year old to be the one teaching all her friends the “f word”.

So I was singing my little heart out this morning in the car going to work. I think everyone thought I was insane at the red lights. I really get into my music when I’m into it (ask Amy). If you like music with a bit of a message, a good beat, and a lot of fun, grab Funhouse.

You can check out Pink’s site here.

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Writing update: I crossed the 50k word mark last night on The Bond That Saves Us. I’m in line to get this first draft done in a week and a half. :)

Musings

Published on January 20, 2009 in Life, TV, The Bond That Saves Us and Writing. 2 Comments

My mind is scattered today. Nothing abnormal in a way, and I’m not sure why. I’m starting to notice the oddest things about myself recently.

I woke up this morning and realized all of my beauty/health products are Dove brand. Soap, shampoo, face cream (day and night), and deodorant. I honestly didn’t plan that.

I’m cold all the time. Not only in the winter (when I’m freezing), but in the summer too. It’s one of the reasons I like to take scalding baths. They get so hot, my husband thinks I’m cooking.

I’m getting very particular in my older age about the TV shows I watch. It has to have interesting character, and a good story arc. I’m at the point now where I need to be hooked to come back the following week to see what’s happening. I also have to have a sarcastic main character somewhere in there to keep me amused.

I like snoopy. Seriously, I don’t know when this happened.

When I set my mind on something, I tend to jump in and do it with both feet. Case in point, I just bought Power 90X from BeachBody.com. I did the original Power 90 a few years ago and lost an obscene amount of weight. In the six years since I stopped the program, I’ve gained back only 10 lbs, but I’ve lost my muscle tone. Hubby and I are going to do an intensive workout with the X program. I’m determined there will be less of me by the time I go to RT in April.

I’m in the home stretch of writing The Bond That Saves Us. This is huge for me on a number of fronts. It’s the last book in that series. When I started, I had no idea that there would be another book, let alone a series. The fact that I’m wrapping up the lives of characters who I’ve known for three years, is a bit sad. This also has been important to me because of the major writer’s block I’d been going through. I finally feel like I’m past it, and I have to thank Sean and Amy for that.

Anyway, that’s it for me today. As you can see, my mind is bouncing all over. I hope that just means my creative muses are jazzed and are looking for an outlet. I better get writing! :D

I swear, only to me

Published on January 18, 2009 in Life and The Bond That Saves Us. 6 Comments

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. I had an interesting one to say the least. We packed our family up for a weekend getaway. Well…it was a free weekend where someone wanted to sell us a time share. We almost bought, but said no in the end. But let me tell you, some of the things that had happened to us while we were there…crazy.

First, the hotel where they put us up was a bit of a dive. I know they didn’t want to spend a pile of money on people who are most likely going to say no to what they were selling, but still. The room didn’t inspire me to part with any of my hard earned cash either.

The second issue had to do with the length of time of the sales pitch. They told us an hour and a half. They had my kids off somewhere playing, while we were pitched to for THREE HOURS!! People, I have the patient of a flea with ADHD, and I hate being sold. I had to friggin sit there and smile the whole time. *groan*

The final issue of the weekend was the TV. Oh let me tell you about this TV. It was broken. Not broken is doesn’t work and my kids have nothing to do, broken. This was broken, my kids hit the TV button and HARDCOREPORN came up!! Now, I’m not a prude. I have no problem with porn. I do have a problem with my seven and nine year olds seeing it. And oh no, it couldn’t be one of the sexy talking/kissing scenes. It had to be a woman riding a man…

Me: Okay kids, put the TV on and we’ll wait for Dad to get back.

Daughter 1: Sure mom. *hits menu button*

*naked woman butt bouncing on screen* AH YES! YES!!

Me, Daughter 1, Daughter 2: OMG!!

*drives in front of the screen* Look away girls!

Daughter 1, Daughter 2: OMG!! Gross! That was her butt.

Me: *praying children don’t end up with a scewed mind set of the size of a man’s penis* Yes, that was her butt. Just hang on and I’ll put a kids show on.

Me: *unable to get the porn off the TV* I’m turning this off. The TV’s broken.

Daughter 1: Mom?

Me: Yes?

Daughter 1: Why did that man have his arm between that woman’s legs?

Me: *dies trying not to laugh* Ask me when you’re eighteen.

On a positive note, we saw Adam Sandler’s Bedtime Stories. It was cute and the girls liked it. (No, Adam Sandler didn’t show his penis in it.) I’ve also managed to write pretty consistently this past week. I’ve just crossed the 40k work mark for The Bond That Saves Us. With any luck, I’ll be done that first draft in a few weeks. :)

Supernatural!

Published on January 15, 2009 in TV. 3 Comments

Supernatural is back on TV tonight! *does a snoopy dance*

I’m so excited that I’m all caught up on this show, and will now be able to watch it as it airs. Mind you, that will probably also drive me insane because I’ll actually have to WAIT to see what happens next. On second thought…AWWWWW!!! Still, I’m in love with this show and am excited. :D

To make me even happier, BSG will be starting up again this weekend. It’s the last 13 episodes, which sucks, but I’m glad they will be going out on a high note.

Now if we could only get the air date for series three of Torchwood…

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Brrr….

Published on January 14, 2009 in Life, TV and The Bond That Saves Us. 3 Comments

Why do I live in Canada? No, really. It’s freaking cold! *sigh* I’m such a wimp when it comes to these things, I wonder how I survive most of the time.

The only good side, is that I’m more likely to stay inside and write. Can I do that tonight, though? No. I have to take my youngest out to her Brownie meeting, and then get groceries. The cat is mad and starting to chew at my toes. So are my kids, for that matter. A clear sign that we need food.

I am pleased that I’ve managed to write for the past three days in a row. I’m not up to my normal word output, but it’s better than he nothing that has been happening recently. I’m getting back into the swing of things, and with any luck, I’ll be finished the first draft of The Bond That Saves Us very soon.

On another (more embarrassing) note, I just updated my author picture on the About page of my website. The one that was up there, quite frankly, sucked. I hate getting my picture taken. HATE! But last night my hubby managed to get a decent one, so up it goes.

How is everyone else making out this hump day? I’m excited that Supernatural starts back up tomorrow. And so far, 24 has been good. Is there any TV that you are excited about?