CELEBRATE OUR MILITARY ...

Memorial Day

A Tribute to Our Veterans

Today our veterans are in the public eye. Not a day goes by that we don’t hear some story or another about a local hero injured or dying in battle. With our service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of our loved ones are fighting for freedom and the American way. This is a tribute to those men and women and the loved ones praying for their safe return. 

When I was growing up, my Dad would constantly talk about the Korean and Vietnam wars and his ten years as a sergeant in the army. My brother’s and I would cringe and exclaim,”But that was years ago!”

He narrowed his eyes and said with a gentle curve to his lips, “Not that long ago.” Then he would continue to tell us how lucky we were to live in a country where a man was free to make his own choices in life, and that we should be proud to be Americans. Sometimes Dad got a little carried away and his face beamed like a lighthouse in a dense fog.

Back then I was too young to understand, and by the time I became an adult the world calmed for a while, that was until the Gulf war. Dad was older then and didn’t spout about his life in the service nearly as much. Memorial Day, without fail,  he would put out the American flag. I can see him doing it now as I am writing. It meant a great deal to him and he took great pride and pleasure in honoring our military.

At some point today, if you would, in between the festive BBQS and fun, say a little prayer or make a toast to the honorable men and woman of the military ... they keep us safe.

GOD BLESS THEM 

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Also today, a good friend of mine and phenomenal fellow blogger, Roland Yeomans, is featuring an incredible give away ...

THE RIVAL, a companion book to his amazing Victor Standish series, is free for today! So please drop by Roland's blog ... AND for those blogger who do not know Roland, if there are any out there, you need to discover the extreme writing talent of this man. Of ALL the bloggers I know, no one can turn a phrase or set a scene like he can. And if you do know Roland and haven't yet read any of his exceptional work, then now is the time!

EVERYONE, have a safe and pleasant Memorial Day. And PLEASE take care on the roads if you are driving.

WHAT INSPIRED ME THIS WEEK

Hi, All,

Well if feels GREAT to be back within the community again. You can't even imagine how much I have missed commented and posting on a regular basis. I feel connected again. These past few days visiting old and new friends has really inspired me to rev up the old engine and jump back into writing again.

I have a wonderful new idea. I have figured out a way to regenerate my first novel by changing the format completely. Once I work out the bugs I will definitely share it with all of you.

In answer to several of your questions about my current design project, YES, I will be posting pics as soon as I get the befores from the contractor. I made the mistake of not taking any myself, because I had been away for my birthday week at that time and missed my opportunity before they began demoing the place.

By Saturday the newly plastered walls with be painted in my colors of choice and by the end of next week the new hardwood floors should be installed as well as the new fireplace hearth ... YAY! I can't wait.


There has also been another very important inspiration in my world these past few months visiting central Florida... I do manage to take a power walk on the beach at the first light of day. The incredible vistas and nature that most people sleep through, I have managed to retain in my brain as well as in my iPhone.


Today's pic is extraordinary. Sea birds are a constant affinity for me as you can certainly see why.





Take flight my friends and live everyday to the fullest ...

What has inspired you lately? I'd really like to know....

HAVE a safe and wonderful weekend everyone.

I'M BACK ... I HOPE!

Hi, all,

Well, I have spent all evening dropping by my wonderful blogger friends. If I haven't gotten to you, please be patient, I WILL...

While waiting for the custom drapes, furnishings, blinds, pillows, etc, for my current design project, I should have more time to visit all of you. That's the plan anyway.

I am looking forward to catching up on what you are all up to in your writing and lives. So far I have been amazed at how many of you have new books out or are on final drafts of your current novels.

Man does the time fly ... Doesn't it?

I did miss out on some very cool blogfests, that I am sorry to say, but I plan to be entering future ones. I will also be doing a full weekend shout out and interview on June 10th-12th for Elana Johnson's new book, SURRENDER, the sequel to POSSESSION. Do please drop by for that.

I have also seen many book tour hops, Heather McCorkle's new book, TO RIDE A PUCA ... she is on day 3 of her book tour, so drop over to visit Heather.

Laura Bambrey of the Daily DoDo wrote 100 BLOG PROMPTS... Something you should all check out... what fun...

I am sure that I might have missed a few and if I have PLEASE leave it in the comments so our fellow blogger friends can be informed.

Also if you have a moment drop by  MOOD at MOODY WRITING, his last post was AMAZING and very helpful for descriptive writing.

One other great post I read tonight was from EJ at THE OPEN VEIN... A terrific and passionate guy who really "nails" his subject. Please drop by and say hi. You'll really enjoy his refreshing wit.

Thanks again everyone for being so patient and supportive of me during my very infrequent posts and visits. I hope to be around more regularly now and enjoy all of your posts and information.

Have a great few days and I will see you all on Friday....

SLIPSTREAM BLOG HOP! WELCOME FRIENDS OF MICHAEL OFFUTT ...

Hi Everyone,

Well today is the day I have the pleasure of hosting Michael Offutt, author of SLIPSTREAM ... Many of you know Michael from his edgy blog, but if you don't, please drop in on Michael and tell him I sent you. You will certainly enjoy his wit, writing style, and honesty.

Since I am an Interior Designer by trade, Michael thought incorporating design into today's post would be quite appropriate, and I whole heartily agree.

Take it away Michael ...

The houses and apartments of television bombarding our eyes portray the top 1% of our country as the normal America.  When I write, I go along with this illusion by using appliances made by industry kings Sub-Zero and Wolf to give a level of authenticity to the Yuppie/bourgeoisie lifestyle of 2012. Sub-Zero and Wolf make arguably the best refrigeration and cooking units on the planet.  I’ve included some pictures of kitchens you can design around these kinds of appliances so you can see what I’m talking about.  One look screams “Modern Family” or the Cullens in “Twilight” or anything really with stuck up white teenagers trying to attend high school as werewolves or vampires with perfect bodies but somehow, not fitting in.  My book doesn’t have this in it…but you get the picture.

I’ve heard more than once that the kitchen is the heart of the home.  So many conversations and scenes in my books take place in the kitchen while people are preparing food.  This may also have something to do with the fact that I like to eat, and I like describing Italian sausages covered in black mission fig sauce.

So, I mention quartz countertops (because granite is so out now), steam ovens, and Sub-Zero cooling units. Keep in mind that many of these kitchens can cost $100,000 or more just to get them and that’s not even counting the rest of the house.  But Hollywood doesn’t talk about that and neither do I.  It’s all an illusion of wealth, an illusion of youth, and of being pretty and sexy, right?

It’s like the header on Sub-Zero’s webpage says “Freshness Above All”.  Taken literally, this means that stuff goes out of style really quick.  It also means that price is no object when freshness is on the line.

So yeah…when writing about the Hamptons, I like to drop brand names.

Do you ever use a kitchen as a setting in your book? If so, how do you go about describing appliances?

I have a contest for the release of my book.  I will pick one random person who comments on this post to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card and a SLIPSTREAM jeweled spider (the same person wins both prizes). The jeweled spider really sparkles in the sunlight. I hope whoever wins it really likes it. Also, please make sure that your email is linked to your signature in some way . And yes, the crystal spiders play an important role in my book.

Rules:

Mark my book “To Read” on Goodreads. 

Comment on this post.

Tweet this post if you have twitter. You don’t have to sign-up for twitter. It’s the “honor” system. 

That’s it. I will choose a winner on Saturday, May 19^th.  And thank you, Michael, for having me on your fine blog.

http://www.amazon.com/Slipstream-ebook/dp/B007R5DN8W/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1333585536&sr=1-1-catcorr

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1109954378?ean=9781554049493

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13003318-slipstream

NOW these are some AWESOME kitchens .... worthy of my design talents. ... LOL.

SLIDE INTO SLIPSTREAM ....

Hi everyone,

Time has certainly slipped away for me these past few weeks. I can't believe it has been this long since my last post, but that will change this week...

I am featuring blogger and novelist Michael Offutt. You all know him from his blog ....

Slipstream by Michael Offutt 

Several months ago Michael had asked me to be part of his blog tour for his new novel SLIPSTREAM. Of course I agreed. I enjoy helping out fellow authors and I try to do as many reviews as I can prior to the actual post. 

Today I am pleased to post my review. On Wednesday, the 16th, Michael’s post will be aired, so please stop back and show him some blog love. 

SLIPSTREAM is an amazing conglomeration of high fashion, suspense, mystery, science fiction, and young adult trials and tribulations.

Michael’s keen descriptions add layers and layers to this intriguing story of a boy named Jordan. Not the usual hero, he is blond, buffed, and sensitive ... and ... did I mention gay? What a great role model of young gay teens. 

Jordan is a jock, a scholar, and the boy next door all rolled up in one. What I really loved about this novel is the dynamic between Jordan and his sister, Kat. They live alone, and apparently very well, with no means of parental support. However, Jordan’s best friend Rob, and his parents, seem to have adopted Jordan into their family. This adds a nice balance to Jordan’s unsupervised living situation.

Another very interesting aspect to this novel is the way Michael weaves Einstein theories, physics, and a host of other subjects quite foreign to me, into the story. Of course, as a former fashion model, I identified with that aspect, but I learned quite a bit of the sciences, a subject of no interest to me, but .... Michael made it interesting and fun for me and will for other readers not familiar with this subject.

For those of you who know Michael and his blog, you are aware of his passion for right and wrong; this is woven through the novel as well. I see much of Michael in Jordan, their spirit is one in the same.

I hope you will all have an opportunity to read his novel, it is time well spent.

Have a great day ALL and GOOD LUCK MICHAEL!

HADN'T PLANNED ON POSTING, BUT ... IT'S TIME TO VOICE OUR INSECURITIES!

Hi, all,

Well, after an INSANE month of the A-Z challenge I thought I had a breather coming to me... HA! Once again our good friend and THE best blogger buddy, Alex Cavanaugh has zapped us again: Insecure Writers ...

This is by far one of THE best creations by Alex. How wonderful is it to voice our insecurities publicly with no judgment. The sound advice and inspiration we get from our other blogger friends is PRICELESS.

So for today, as always, my goal is to voice a positive and inspirational piece of wisdom to pass onto all of you ...

The main thing I have learned, especially this month, is loyalty. We all know what it means, but do we act upon it? We all have good intentions, but many of us fall short, including me! However, don't beat yourself up. Knowing you screwed up and feeling the pangs of guilt shows true loyalty. We are all human after all, we make mistakes and hopefully learn from them.

Now heres the truest of questions ... Are you loyal to you and your craft? Do you REALLY put the time in needed to succeed with your story? Does it evoke the emotion, passion, honestly, and grit of life? If you are not loyal to your writing, how can you be loyal in other areas of your life? One must always be loyal and true to oneself! That is the first step, the rest will come with practice.

I hope this helps. One thing I strive so hard to be is loyal. I might fall short, but in the end I am always around. Never give up on you, no matter how hard life beats on you. Stay true friends.

Our Ninja Captain Alex, is probably the most loyal person I know in the blogosphere. He's never let me down. There's always forgiveness and an encouraging word.

Our community scores high ... let's continue to be there for each other in the happiness and sadness that life can bring. Now doesn't that make you feel better knowing we have this support? I know it does for me...

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone...

WE'VE MADE IT!

Hi everyone,

I am sure we are ALL breathing a sigh of relief over completing the A-Z challenge! But I just wanted to give you all the a big hug and congrats on completing and visiting...

Also, Alex was correct with yesterday's answer. Yes, it was Zanzibar...

I must say this really was a challenge and I sadly missed out on the main objective, visiting new friends. BUT, the beauty of this challenge is that we can still visit. I have all your sites and In Time .... pardon the pun, lol, I will visit and get to know more you my new friends.

Thanks again for sharing with me and dropping by with your wonderful comments. I did enjoy writing the posts and I do hope you enjoyed them.

Next week I will be doing a review of Michael Offutt's new novel, SLIPSTREAM... so please drop by for that ...

In the coming month I will also be posting on my new DESIGN project. Many have showed interest, so I will be giving updates on that with pics!

Today the demo begins, so we are in for a bumpy and LOUD ride...

Have a great day everyone!