HOLIDAY SHOPPING & HUNKY HELPER

Photo: muffet's photostream, flickr

Good Lord...it's time for the frenzy of holiday shopping! Actually, it's already started since many people begin early...like after last Christmas!

What's on your wish list? Clothes, money, new electrical gadgets, money, car, money... Hmm. there's a pattern here! Are you ready for the crowds, the music, the sales, the checkout lines... Sigh. But what fun you'll have choosing the right gifts for everyone on your list!

Of course, you'll want some romance books and have them on YOUR wish list! While you're at it, put an ebook reader on that list, and see if Santa thinks you've been REALLY good this year!

I've been debating about which model ebook reader to upgrade to. I have an old Sony reader and while it's still in good shape, I'm itching to either get a newer Sony, a Kindle, or a Nook. So many choices and features to consider. I'll make my decision soon and ask Santa for one!

I've done some of my Christmas shopping already. Still have more to go. Bad economy? I hope people can still have a wonderful holiday even if they have to scale down on their gift lists.

I can always use a couple of helping hands with my shopping at this time of year (and for other things and at other times, too!) So, here's a photo of my shopping helper. He got all dressed up for our trip to the stores...and don't you just love his hats????? HAPPY SHOPPING!

Photo: www.rockshots.com





Check out my "HUNKY" present at:
http://romancebooksrus.blogspot.com


http://www.mariannestephens.net
http://www.breathlesspress.com
“Anything You Can Do” release date TBA
http://www.aprilash.net

Saturday's Scribe is suffering from turkey withdrawals...

Too much turkey can put me under the table for three days...

Tonight I am ordering pizza.

The others have talked a bit about giving thanks, and what the recently past holiday means. To me, Thanksgiving is the beginning of the year end holidays; Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Yuletide. No matter what your faith or beliefs, this end of year gaiety and feeling of love is almost universal.

I feel thankful for another year of healthy life, and for the health of my kids and grandkids. Every day that passes with no major horror happening in the world is something to be thankful for. We are headed into the darkness before the light...the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year, and the longest night. The beauty of the yule logs, the Christmas hearth and tree, the candles of Hannukah and Kwanzaa...the symbols of returning light into a world of darkness, are all beautiful and welcome in my home.

I put the Nativity Scene beneath my Christmas Tree, the brass Menorah on my coffee table, the kinara candles on my sidebar...an antique handmade angel sits atop my tree that came from an old box of ornaments my family had for over 40 years before I was old enough to understand what was going on.

We give gold-wrapped chocolate coins or gelt and light one candle a night. We have had many Jewish friends over the years, and several neighbors who invited us to Kwanzaa celebrations. I find all the year end traditions and ceremonies so beautiful and warming. At Thanksgiving we eat turkey. But instead of a big ham on Christmas, we started celebrating with home made enchiladas because it involves everyone in the meal prep and feast!

So welcome to my wonderfully eclectic holiday season...and I hope you all enjoyed Thanksgiving in the USA!

Fran

The Joys and Benefits of Polar Tanning!

Yeah, That's Me!

So I've recently discovered the joy of polar tanning, i.e., lying naked in the sun in my backyard. It's easy for me, our property is rimmed by tall trees and shrubs and no one can see in unless they want to climb a ladder and risk breaking something. I do it for two reasons - all this hiking gives me a major uneven farmer's tan - arms, lower legs and neck. By gosh, I want an even tan! Second - everyone can use a little more Vitamin D - the new super vitamin! It's especially hard to absorb enough sunlight to manufacture enough Vitamin D in the winter.

So on sunny days, I head out around noon with my bathrobe on, spread out two towels and toss down a pillow and hit the pavement for my polar tan. Eight minutes on each side and I'm done - you need the equivalent of fifteen minutes of full sun exposure each day to increase your body's Vitamin D level.

It feels dang good! Go for it, ladies!

Talking Turkey

Here are some fun turkey facts for your holiday enjoyment!

1. Aztec Indians in Mexico were raising turkeys as early as 200 B.C.
2. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be America’s national bird
3. A turkey is actually a type of pheasant
4. The turkey is the only breed of poultry native to the Western Hemisphere
5. 45 million turkeys are eaten in the U.S. at Thanksgiving
6. When a turkey is scared, it makes a ‘turk’, ‘turk’, ‘turk’ noise
7. Turkeys have great hearing but no external ears and they can see in color
8. In the flavor department, older, large males are preferable to young males
9. The opposite is true for females; old hens are tougher birds
10. Turkeys can drop dead from a heart attack if shocked or scared

Have a wonderful and safe holiday!

Tessie
http://www.tessiebradford.com

I'm Thankful.

We need to be thankful for the all the good things in our lives but this week is especially important. Several of my sister Scribes have already written beautiful blogs and given thanks but I can’t resist joining them, so I’m going to do the same.

At this time last year I was un-contracted and unpublished author. I’m incredibly thankful for the learning experiences and the opportunities that have come my way during this year.

I am thankful my books make modest gains in sales each month instead of drop. So I must say I am very thankful to the kind fans who have written me with their encouraging words and recommended me to a friend. I am so thankful to them.

I am thankful to all the American men and women who selflessly leave their loved ones, to go overseas and work as medics, drive trucks, clean teeth and lay water pipes with the intention of making peace in the middle of a war. Thank you.

I am thankful I am older. I would not want to be the person I was when I was young.

I am thankful I have enough of every basic need and enough to share.

I am thankful I survived this year intact!

I am thankful for all the love that comes my way.

I am thankful my family is not a Norman Rockwell portrait. We are an oddly mixed assortment of people and I like it that way.

XXOO Kat

 

Home for the Holiday

This time of the year, I always reflect on the things I’m grateful for. This year is no different. Had anyone told me five years ago that I’d be remarried, living three hours away from my family and expecting a child I’d have laughed in their face.

When I left my abusive ex, I swore off relationships. Don’t get me wrong I wasn’t going to be celibate at the young age of 30, but I wasn’t going to live with another man either. I had it planned out perfectly. I’d have a lover or friend with benefits. Someone who lived in his own place and me in mine. I wouldn’t have the headaches of dealing with someone else (besides my children). Children were definitely out of the question. I had three – more than enough in my mind. I had them young and it was time to enjoy my life.

Not to sound like a bitch, but I broke up with a guy ten years my junior because I felt he was going to want more children in the future and I wasn’t going to be the one to give them to him. I also ended a few relationships because the guy wanted me to uproot my children and move twenty minutes from my home. Boy is doesn’t seem so far now! LOL

That all changed when I met my husband. I threw caution to the wind and moved three hours away from my family – for the virtually unknown. I had no friends in RI. I did manage to land a job before moving here, but that’s it. I uprooted my children to a strange new environment, leaving all their friends behind. It took a lot of adjusting and there were struggles along the way. My health took a turn for the worse due to stress. I spent five weeks in the hospital and they thought I was going to die, but they didn’t know me. I’d been through so much in my life I wasn’t going to let a disease like Crohn’s take my life. Shit, my ex could have killed me a few times.

Today as I sit here thinking back and I’m thankful we’re all healthy and happy. I couldn’t imagine my life any differently.

Tomorrow the DH and I leave for NY. We’re spending the holiday with my family. That means three days of visiting. Not that I mind. I’ll spend some time with my dad. We’ll have dinner at my aunt’s with all my cousins and my mom. In the three days we’re there I have to squeeze in time to see a couple of my friends too.

It’s nice because a group of us usually do lunch on Wednesday. When I left NY five years ago I hadn’t realized just how hard it would be to get back home and see family and friends. It seems the only time I get back is for holidays or if it’s something special for my goddaughter and Mother’s Day.

That’s why this trip at Thanksgiving is that much more special. I’m thankful for the friends still in my life. The ones who didn’t abandon me because I moved one hundred seventy miles away. Some did, but I realize they weren’t true friends.

And lastly I’m thankful for all my online friends and fellow authors, who made achieving my dream of being a published writer that much better. I feel like the luckiest person alive.

Today I want to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving!

LETTERS, WORDS, SENTENCES, STORIES

Before I start my blog, here's a reminder to vote 12-30 November in NIGHT OWL ROMANCE'S KISSING SCENE CONTEST! Go to:
http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/contests/authorcontests.aspx

MARIANNE STEPHENS' ENTRY IS #4


We all know the order in which we learn to read and write: letters, words, sentences, stories.

Letters. As a kindergarten and first grade teacher, I got plenty of experience in watching bright little faces light up as child after child progressed from one step to the next. This was a fun time in a child's life...the beginning of reading and writing communication skills. Phonics, however, can be troublesome, not only for children but for adults, especially those from foreign countries learning English. Why do some letters have more than one sound?

Words. Step two in the learning process is putting those letters together and forming words. Again, phonics can screw with your head. Laugh? Doubt? Breathe?

Sentences. We put words together to form coherent thoughts. There are short sentences like "She cried". Long sentences like, "She threw herself down on the bed, tossing the pillows to the ground and screaming words of disbelief as tears streamed down her cheeks and washed away any eye makeup she'd applied that morning". Phew. Too many words and thoughts there. But, how long should sentences be to convey what you want to say?

Writers go from letters to words to sentences before approaching the biggest challenge...putting all those together to create a story that makes sense and will entice a reader.

Stories. Just putting sentences on paper won't make a story readable. In romances, you need a hero, heroine (or whatever combination), plot, black moment, goal, motivation, conflict. And, it all has to sound like a logical, page-turning entry into a world of fictional love that emotionally involves the reader.

We can learn the letters. We can learn the words. We can learn how to write sentences. But learning how to write stories comes with lots of hard work, rejections, rewrites, editing, and a "try, try again" attitude.

Everyone's journey to selling that first book is different, but motivation to succeed remains the same. In my case, it took ten years of learning the ins and outs of the industry and nuances of romance writing.

If you're an aspiring author, don't give up. Put the letters, words, sentences together for your story and benefit from networking about the writing industry. If you're an author, how fast or easy was your journey to being published? If you're a reader, are there books you never finished because the letters, words, sentences, story, never could "pull" you into the action and hold your interest?

Thanksgiving is almost here. Click on the link below for a Thanksgiving Alphabet message.

http://www.flowgo.com/funny/3119_thanksgiving-alphabet.html

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

http://www.aprilash.net
"Sexy Games", 5 HEARTS, TOP REVIEWER PICK, Diana Coyle, Night Own Romance
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-7393-sexy-games.aspx

http://www.mariannestephens.net
Cerridwen Press:
http://www.jasminejade.com/default.aspx?skinid=13
Breathless Press:
http://www.breathlesspress.com
“Anything You Can Do”, release date TBA