Check out Jennifer Apodaca's Contest

Hey, two posts in one day! Amaaazing. :-)

Just letting you know that my good friend, Jennifer Apodaca (the one who always gets me in trouble at board meetings by making me laugh), has a contest over at Murder She Writes. She's giving away a signed copy of her newest Brava release, Extremely Hot, and a $10 Barnes and Noble G.C. to 2 different commenters who answer her fun question on today's blog (But you have all week to comment! So be sure to hop on over there).

I loved the mystery, the suspense, the romance, and of course, the strong, sexy characters--Luke and Ivy. Don't miss Extremely Hot.

Book Description From AMAZON:

The Rules According To Ivy York:

1. Never Trust A Bad Boy.
2. Never Make Decisions With Your Libido.
3. Disregard Rules #1 And 2.

Ivy York became an accountant because numbers don't lie and cheat. Too bad the same can't be said of the men she's met. Now, as the wildly successful host of the radio show, "The Economic Sex Hex," she advises women to take control of their money and to spot the bad boys before they get too close. And the ultimate bad boy Sex Hex is the Urban Legend, a man known for lovin' women (exquisitely) and leavin' while chasing down stolen property for a hefty fee. No one knows who he really is...but every woman he's ever pleasured would happily take him back for more...

Luke Sterling likes being the Urban Legend almost as much as he likes bringing thieves to justice. And right now, he's on the trail of two stolen figurines famous for conferring sexual prowess--and the trail leads straight to Ivy. Posing as her personal assistant should be a piece of cake, but Luke didn't count on Ivy's own brand of Sex Hex. That good girl game coupled with fierce smarts wrapped around one luscious, curvy body is making him want to prove to Ivy that the Urban Legend more than lives up to his top billing. Suddenly, the hottest show in town isn't on the air--it's between the sheets...

Good luck for the Red Sox?

So, my family and I have been to Boston twice now: once during baseball season in 2004 and once when the Red Sox opened at home this past April, 2007 (we just happened to be in Boston).

Both years they've won the World Series.

I'm just saying... ;-)

Hmm, maybe we should apologize to the Angels. Yikes.

How creative people view every day tasks

Yesterday, I told my husband I was going to go grocery shopping and asked him if he wanted to come along--fully expecting a "thanks, but no thanks" answer.

Instead, he grabbed my camera and said, "Let's go."

I glanced at the camera then back at him.

He shrugged. "It's got a time lapse feature."

"Okay. Just don't let me forget the iced tea this time."

This short video (I swear, it is) proves that creative people--writers, artists, photographers, or what have you--view every day tasks differently than non-creative types. As writers, we observe the various behaviors of the shoppers and employees at the store. And the shapes, colors, scents, and sounds jump out at us and demand our attention: seeing yellow margarine tubs, wishing you'd worn a sweater in the frozen food aisle, breathing in the scent of freshly baked bread, and listening to the announcements of sales over the P.A. system. Maybe a certain score from a soundtrack runs through your head as you meander through the produce department? Perhaps you create your own lines of dialog (in your head again) for the elderly couple over by the apples?

Of course, we store these away in our memories (or jot them down somewhere if your memory is as bad as mine), only to pull them out to use in a story later. At least, I do. :-)

So how about you? What do you do to see the world differently? Do you view every day tasks in a different light, from a different angle, than others?

Happy Writing,

Michele

MUSIC: "Flora/Fauna" by Anamanaguchi from the album Power Supply. (It's upbeat...It'll get you going! LOL)


Kaleidoscope of Consumerism from eric cwiertny on Vimeo.

It's official...

...I'm addicted to this soap.

And get this: It contains caffeine!

Yeah. So, for poor saps, like myself, who can't drink coffee to get their buzz going in the morning, here you go.

Caffeine Soap. You can pick it up at your nearest Basin or order it online. There might even be other stores that carry a similar product as well.

Of course, I have no idea how much caffeine is actually in the soap. Could be next to nothing. In fact, the employees at Basin could be tricking me into handing over my $5.99 plus tax and psyching me into a buzz.

Hmm. What does that say about me? Wait. Don't answer that.

Oh, well. It releases an invigorating scent and wakes me up so I can write!

Have you tried Caffeine Soap? Or are you one of those coffee drinkers? ;-)

Michele

Oh, Jane and Mr. Rochester...Sigh

Okay, this is my new favorite movie! Have you seen the 2006 PBS version of "Jane Eyre"? If you have...Why didn't you remind me to watch it sooner?! LOL

And for those of you who reminded me at dinner last month...Thank you! I can't believe it has taken me this long to see this movie. Sheesh.

As I hadn't been able to catch a replay of it on TV, I finally broke down and ordered it from Amazon a few weeks ago. And now that I've finally seen it, I'm just going to come out and say it...This version of "Jane Eyre" is up there with the 1996 A&E version of "Pride and Prejudice" (Colin!)...Is that sacrilege? I have a feeling it's not going to be leaving my DVD player for a while. It's definitely one of those movies I can play in the background while I write or work on the computer. There really aren't too many movies with which I can do that, as I tend to get distracted quite easily by bright lights and loud noises. ;-)

So have any of you seen this PBS version of "Jane Eyre" ? Do you ever get obsessive like this with movies, too? Or is it just me?

Michele

What are you reading?

Hi All,

So, despite the fact that I had pre-ordered J.R. Ward's Lover Unbound, I still haven't had a chance to read it. And yes, that's even after I tried to bribe an author who had read the ARC; however, she refused to give over any details--she was very good. Me? Not so much. I'm ashamed. ::shaking head:: ;-) (I owe her an apology for having to endure my teasing--LOL!)

Also, at the top of my TBR list: Demon Moon by Meljean Brook. I read Demon Angel and I'm definitely in the camp of the readers who loved the epic premise of the constant battle between Heaven and Below. I think this story spoke to me because I studied Milton's Paradise Lost for an entire semester during my senior year in college and Brook gives Milton a nod in her story.

But I also enjoyed every scene with the sexy vampire character, Colin, and Demon Moon is his story. So, I have the book...I just need to sit down and read it!

Oh, and if you haven't checked out Chris Marie Green's Vampire Babylon trilogy (it kicks ass)...Check out Book One: Night Rising. The Vampire Babylon trilogy is published under Ace, which is a Urban Fantasy imprint. I just thought you should know since the other books mentioned above are considered paranormal romance.

Anyway, I'm trying to make a dent in my TBR pile, but I've been writing, plotting, and working on an article. And did I mention I've been working on my stories? I'm really excited about that part. :-)

What have you guys been reading or writing?

Michele