May I share a moment?

Wow, another Memorial Day has come and gone. Weather
wasn't the best, but neither was it the worst. Hope yours was fine,

Went to Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. Even went up via the
Cog Railway. What an experience! Did you know they burn
1 ton of coal per trip? The coal dust that rains down on the car
makes you glad that the windows enclose you in. There was
still snow!! Couldn't count it in feet, but in parts , definitely in inches.
Another thing I didn't count on was what I discovered; another reason
to appreciate the 21st century. After smelling the coal fumes, I thought
back to the days when coal and wood were all one had to heat a home or power a factory.
The air quality had to have been the pits.!! I have a greater respect for the air
that we breathe now.

Next, I want to share one of my favorite B movies from the 50's. The Crawling Eye.
Starred Forrest Tucker. He was such a hunk back then. (uh, before F-troop *grin*)
Why , do you ask, do I go from Memorial Day to a monster movie? Ambiance!!!!
If you've had the thrill of seeing the movie, you'd remember that the "fog" or
cloud seemed to move eerily back and forth on the Mattahorn (spelling oops?).
Well, the day I traveled to the Top of Mt. Washington had a spectacular view
of just such an occurance. It was thrillingly creepy to see the mountains in a
mist that seems to curl and undulate upon itself ; to darken and lighten as though
to a mood. In living color, before my eyes, I could envision the scene depicted in one of
my favorite B movies. Is that cool or what??
My question to you...... Has something happened to YOU that mirrored a moment in one of
your favorite shows/movies/books??? If so, care to share????? I have another one, but I'll
save that for another day ...... to be continued... *grin*

Why Question why?

I am just curious..... I Just finished Wicked Nights, Loved it. Got me
to thinking....bad thing to do when I should be getting ready for the
sand man instead of being on the computer.

Remember the Reeses peanut butter cup commercial regarding how a vampire
would eat it? How could he liquify peanut butter to slurp it out? Doesn't PB stay
tacky and thick? If a Vamp ate peanut butter, could he even bite? And if he Could
eat PB, would he prefer crunchy or smooth?

Remember the commercial when the owl ate a tootsie roll pop in 3 licks?
Shouldn't a vampire be able to beat that? Logically you could say "Why should he want
to?", but then that would take all the fun out of the question....
Maybe being a vamp, he could suck the tootsie right out of the pop???

If a vampire took one of those cute little pink tablets that schools give out to kids
to show all the plaque and tartar that gets missed with brushing, what would
happen? I mean, you never read about them having to brush their teeth ....
Maybe it wouldn't look all that different from right after they "ate", just a little
more foamy???

Remember in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, that part when the little elf that
wants to be a dentist pulls all the teeth out of the abominable snowman? What
would happen if a nefarious evil dentist was an enemy of vampires? And being
an evil dental genius, captured a vamp and pulled out his fangs ..... would they grow back?
If the dental evil guy uses novacaine on said vamp, (if it works) how would it sound when said vamp tries to talk with numbed lips? Without fangs, would he then be stuck gumming his "food"? Would he have to resort to "'Meals on Wheels"? Could you fit a vampire with dentures? *grin*

OK, see what happens to the brain when I'm up past my bedtime ...???? Better quit while I'm still in your good graces *grin* Good night!

Random thoughts

It's right before the holiday. Plans are being made to
enjoy it. I'll be joining the "road rats" that scramble
towards a destination guaranteed to tire us out so
much that we'll need a vacation to recover from the
vacation. That's one of the marks of a sucessful outing.

I've been reading Wicked Nights by Nina Bangs. I LOVE her sense
of humor. The character of Eric MacNair is Yummmy!
Eric the Evil makes a great pirate...*grin*..what a fun read!
Love the inclusion of Chocolate as a sensual prop, a vamp
with a sweet tooth was a great twist. I have only 4 chapters left , so
I'm still waiting to see if the chocolate covered cherries ever
get used *waggle eyebrows* Favorite parts so far are:
Air Force One ...that was pure giggle magic ... Sweetie Pie
and Jessica, appreciate the plants and their unique plant food *grin*
the confrontations between Sparkle and Asima- fun but too
short ...Kinda would like to have a story about how THAT
feud came about ....."from virgin bride to "flaming tart" hahaha!

I can't wait until we find out about Brynn (how's that pronounced??) and
Conall.
Speaking of "How's that Pronounced" here's my RANDOM THOUGHT;,
when names are Gaelic or Fae (is that the same?) or Interplanetary,
Why can't authors put in a phonetic glossary of how the reader should
pronounce the names? In this case, is Brynn pronounced as "Brian, Brinn (as in win)
or Brine (as in wine)?? Sometimes I find myself changing the pronunciation in my
head many times throughout a book. I went through 2 books in a series saying in
my head "Queen Andace (as in race) for Queen Andais until one book actually
had a glossary and I found out it should have been An -day-us.
Am I the only one who has ever asked this? Is there an answer out there
in the Blogosphere???
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY
And thanks for stopping by!

A Quick Blurb About Surfing The Blog

I realize that I've already written something for today, however,
I just have to share this.
I was surfing my blog profile. Didn't know I could do that.
Noticed under "Favorite Movies" that the little pointer thing turns into a
hand. Curious as ever, I clicked on it to see what would happen, wouldn't you??
What pops up was a list of folks that listed the same thing as me. I guess
that is to help connect people with similar tastes ...like a dating agency?
I had clicked on 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. Love those "Sabin Women!" , anyway,
listed is their "interests"... taking a gander at what people like, my eyes
widened a bit with the logic line on this one ...get this ... this person likes
"Jesus, writing, God" ..etc..so far..so good,
then not too far from that I read, "hate, pain and things that go "Boom".
Wow! What a jump. And this person likes to write? I have to wonder,
"about what?" Any ideas????? *grin*

Author MIA ????

OK, I'm starting today with voicing my personal mystery.
I am writing to seek help to "solve a mystery" and a Solved Mystery
definitely is a favorite thing ... But not just for me, I think. By putting it here,
maybe through serendipity , someone will visit who may actually know the
answer to this.

I tried writing and asking directly to a particular author, picked at random, and was told that the one I'm asking about was unknown, hence, my blog. A tool with untapped
potential. (I hope)
Who is this author?
MICKEE MADDEN
Why do I want to find her? To ask a question.
What is the question? Where can I find the 6th and final book of the Baird house
Everlastin' series????
Why do I want to know?? The suspense is Killing me!!! I want to know how the
Fae queen and and her bespelled (unknown to her) estranged Fae King husband
get their happy ending!!!

Reader, Have you ever read the series? If not, and you are a paranormal romance
fan .. This fits the bill. It has ghosts that fall in love (Scottish ones even and they
don't even have the decency to do it the way you'd expect), murder, past life
regression, fairies, pychics, gargoyles, treasure, magical dirks and
some of the most fun and loving relationships. (6 couples in all)
OK, maybe I'm going overboard here. I've jumped through hoops to
read her 5 books so far. The first is called Everlastin' .. anyway, some
books I can't get in print, so I used my local library system.
They even found one for me at a library in Kentucky, and I'm in New England.
Time Everlastin' (5th one) ended up being a trade paperback by PageFree Publishing, Inc.
No editor or actual person to contact, it seems to be a self publishing company.
On the internet I found an address which I
mailed an inquiry to 4 months ago ...Still waiting for a reply. At the end of
Time Everlastin' (which I bought from Barnes and Noble as a trade paperback
.. they only had 7 in stock in the total of their warehouses) there was an
email address. Great you say? So did I, but the address didn't work. Also
the author puts in this tasty tidbit "Look for Dreams Everlastin', the 6th
and final book in the Everlastin' series, due out in 2004", well, its May 2005.
I've talked with librarians, book store owners and Googled , but no luck.
I sincerely, hope that nothing unfortunate has happened to Ms. Madden.
Maybe its only that she's taken a breather from her muse? A little info
would grant me patience and understanding. I really don't mind waiting,
that is part of the process. Anticipation building is good, that is why there
are trailers for movies months in advance. I guess that is what I'm looking
for, a trailer that says "Don't give up hope! Its coming, All the
answers you've been waiting for!, The final happy ending that sears your
romantic senses !"....Something along those lines.
Have you ever had a dilemma like this? If so, how did YOU solve it? Networking?
I suppose this blog could be shorter, but it's been bottled up for
months and it's a relief to be able to put it in a place where it can be seen,
(again, I hope)
THANK YOU for taking the time to read through this. And whatever
personal mystery YOU have in your life, I sincerely hope it gets solved
in a much quicker and satisfying fashion.
Of course, I realize that if this is the worst/best mystery that I have in my
life thus far, I should consider myself VERY lucky .... the fates are very fickle...
Have an awesome day!!!!!

Quick Tuesday

OK, Today is a quick blog jot. I was up until 11:00PM trying to finish Goddess of
Spring by P. C. Cast. I did NOT want to put it down until I finished it. (that's
a bad habit of mine, drives my hubby nuts). I really liked her version of Hades
and in fact ALL of the Underworld. I don't believe anyone has ever delved
into what it would look like and what should it look like to make it into an underground or in this case, underworld paradise. It almost had me seeing the Hanging Gardens of Babylon ( gee, I hope I got that right) . They were supposed to be lush and incredible. Its like
has not been seen again. But Hades sure knows how to plan a garden. Since I
like gardening so much, I can relate. I guess the only thing I was unclear on is the
ending. She leads a full mortal life, dies, and goes to join Hades. She is named Queen of the Underworld. I thought a goddess had to have that role. A observation was made by Lina that her new spirit body was different than the norm she was used to seeing in other new spirits. Is that because she was "touched by a goddess" and that little "touch" allowed her to become and be accepted as Queen of the Underworld? Or was the love of Hades responsible? No Matter, I loved the story!
Anyway, that constitutes my Favorite Thing for today.
Happy Day!

Geesh, Monday Again??

Where did the Weekend go? Hope you , the reader, had a great one!
What a joy and surprise when I checked my little 'ol blog and saw I
had one comment! With baited breath, I waited for it to load , who
could it be??? And there was a comment from SHANNON!!
Thank you so much for YOUR kind words! I have to say that I'm
glad I followed you over from Katie's blog too ... your site is also full of
great info . Your Elvis-inspired road trip and other topics you mentioned
as stories you've written about sure peaked the curiosity meter! 2007 can't
come fast enough! *grin*
Today's brain burp : E-books - I went on a quest (as much as you can with a
5yr old tagging along *grin* ) to see if I could locate an E-reader . Two of the
main sources in my local area for electronic hardware not only did NOT sell them
in-store, but their online catalogs didn't sell them either. I was told that my (hmm
maybe I shouldn't say store names?) local electronic store carried one brand a
LONG time ago but was a nonseller. They don't intend to give it a second try.
Yes, yes, yes, I know all about Adobe Reader. Unfortunately, I have an ol' Win 98
that gets more ancient for every month that goes by. At some point, at some
time, I Blinked! Lo'! Adobe 7.0 is now the norm and my little Win 98 can't
support it or run it. I'm also a part time Jafra consultant and this change now means
that I can't access my business tools online. How frustrating is that!??
How did I get onto this binge of a quest you may ask? Ellora's Cave for starters;
Jaid Black and other writers of the paranormal with Habanero Spice. I would love to download their books. The sneak peek of chapter excerpts has wet my appitite, but I
remain unable to satiate my hunger *growl* Worst case senario -buy the trade paperbacks.
I really believe that E-books are poised to take off. Am I before my time? Am I imagining
this trend? No. Don't think so. If anyone remembers the first photocopy machine
stories, initially, they were flops too and wicked expensive. Someone along the way
revisited the idea of photocopying, not sure just what was tweaked, but the applications
for business use must have been represented by a better PR person because look at it now!!
My opinion is that E-Books and E-readers are having the same cycle repeated.
And the upswing is now. I want to be onboard - from a readers perspective anyway.
Any ideas where I can get one and ...this is the crux ..reasonably priced?
Patience .... it's only the start of the week .... Barnes & Noble here I come .....

Blogging Nirvana

Wow, it's Sunday. Kids are watching Pokemon and I'm here. I was visiting
Nina B's blog, and a commenter, Nicole, said that she wished there were sites or
message boards for paranormal romance discussion. The Blogosphere is great for all the authors. There are some high powered writers there and as I've perused it, I've had all kinds
of thoughts. I think that they are fascinating ladies; talented, humorous, creative and supportive of each other. Excellent qualities. When I've clicked on the "comment" section to maybe voice a question or make a comment, I've felt intimidated. I look first at all the other
responders and I feel my comments have no place. Are my insecurities showing???
They are ALL authors as far as I can tell, and I most certainly am not. There is a sisterhood,
a familiarity within their special niche that comes through. It is beautiful to see and
after doing a Google Search for Groups in Paranormal romance, the Blogosphere is
greatly needed. There was so much negativity on the sites I checked out. The term "chick lit" was an insult. On the Blogosphere, some authors referred to their own works that way and that is fine! But do they realize that the term does not have positive connotations everywhere? Heck, I'm sure they do. The work of Christine Feehan, whom I adore, was totally trashed
and dismissed like it wasn't worth the paper it was printed on! And Dara Joy, who I also enjoy,
was included in that dissing. So, what does that make ME!! I read their stories, buy their
books and think highly of their talents. All I know is , I like what I like. I think of paranormal romance as a flower with the sub-genres at its petals . A flower has Many petals to create that beauty, and so it goes, with paranormal romances; for every petal, there is Variety, versatility and vitality. Anyone who snubs this flower from the creative muses must surely buy only hothouse plants. It is like gardening in a monoculture,-stagnation. Ask anyone who gardens . They know that spontaneous or volunteer plants show mother nature at her most creative....And enduring. I love surprises! Don't you?

Favorite wishes

OK, things I would wish for ....hmmm, I'd say it would have to be what was
expressed at one of my favorite authors blogs I visited today. (Nina Bangs) I would wish
for a site that caters to fellow fans and authors who write and read paranormal
romances. I enjoy paranormal, which I think can include, time travel, Sci-Fi romance, djinni, Vamps, Werewolves, the fae, ancient gods and goddesses and I hope if anyone EVER finds their way to this blog, they'd add any I was missing . *grin* I believe they are coming into their own but as yet, there are not too many places to share a common enthusiasm. I know that of my family and friends, I'm the only one who reads books by these authors, so I don't have anyone to share my likes, dislikes, excitement or disgust (as when something happens to a character that you felt should have gone differently)

So, today, if I had a wish, these are the authors that I would love to have a discussion group address:
The first one I ever read was The Selkie so this author goes at the top of the list because,
for me, she started it all. And the list goes in order by whom I read, not alpha
Melanie Jacksion
Kathleen Nance
Claire Cross
Angela Knight -whoopee!
Saranne Dawson
Stobie Piel
Clark Hays & Kathleen McFall -only wrote 1 so far, but it was memorable
Christine Feehan - biggie in my book *grin*
Donna Kaufman - I have fun with her stories
Jayne Ann Krentz- when she writes as Jayne Castle -I enjoy the alien ghosts
Anne Avery
Angie Ray
Glenna McReynolds -haven't heard from her in awhile. I'm waiting
Flora Speeer
Dara Joy - Love those familiars!!!! Traed HAS to have his chance someday
Amanda Ashley
Jan Zimlich
C.J. Card
Nancy Cane
Lynsay Sands -Love her humor
Susan Krinard
Karen Fox - lots of fun reading hers
Jennifer Malin - "As You Wish" was a great backwards/forwards time travel
Sherrilyn Kenyon - I run out of words to describe the fun, Love ASH! & Simi Too
Catherine Spangler
C.J. Barry Love the "UN" books!!!! Can't wait for the new one in June 2005!!!
Laurell K. Hamilton Both the Anita and Merry series are addicting!!!!
Eugenia Riley - Waltz in Time was nice
Susan Squires -Most are good, but Body Electric just didn't do it for me
Susan Grant - She created a fascinating world
Emma Holly - Wowza
Sandra Hill - What a riot - LOVE the time traveling Vikings!!!!
Jenny Lykins - Nice time travels with a few surprise twists
Elizabeth Hallam - only read 2 Spirit Catcher and Alura's wish -enjoyed both
Maggie Shayne - a little dark with the vamps but her anthologies are terriff!!
Kristine Grayson - what fun reading!!!! Too bad I can only find 5, are there more???
Donna Boyd - Werewolves - if you are a human, its depressing, no one ever lives!!
Katie MacAlister - Love her blog/journal/ DGMS and her books are awesome!!! *sigh*
Linda Lael Miller -
Karen Harbaugh
Rebecca york aka Ruth glick
MaryJanice Davidson -Oh my Gosh, what a hoot reading these, what a great imagination
Charlaine Harris - Another great imagination with suspense, humor and romance -wowee
Julie Kenner- Great talent! the world of "Aphrodite" was great- more books please!
Kimberly Randell- only read one called In the Midnight Hour - great Ghost story
Karen Marie Moning Oh if you like highlanders and magic -Read these 6 books!!!!
Nina Bangs - Love her world, Ganymede and Sparkle! Great Blog, nice person-great humor
Lisa Cach -she has a few I would highly recommend,
Gena Showalter - I've only read 2, but I know that is not enough, what a great talent
Victoria Chancellor - Across the Rainbow was a beautiful time travel
Chloe Hall - only found one to read - Ariel's Dance - that was so fun!
Constance O'Day Flannery - great Shifting Romance!!
Kay Hooper - The Wizard of Seattle was cool
Susan Sizemore - Great, Can't wait for her next book!!!!!
Jo Beverly The Lord of Elphindale - that was different
Ann Lawrence
Colleen Shannon
Mickee Madden! I'm stilling waiting for the 6th and final Baird house series book!
Judi McCoy - I have fun reading her stories - time goes too quickly
Johanna Lindsey - Heart of a Warrior was so cool!!
Ingrid Weaver - A Wish and a Dream great pixie story
Donna Fletcher - Magical Moments was cute
Garthia Anderson - Spellbound in Seattle - Awesome!
Jo Ann Ferguson - A Phantom Affair had not the ending I expected, which is good
Nora Roberts
Helen A. Rosburg - Ellie and the Elvin King -Now this has to be the most different book ever created! It was illustrated !!
Jill Gregory
Ruth Ryan Langan
Marianne Willman
Adrienne Burns -so cute - love Mini and Rueban I wonder if they'll be back???
Lynn Bailey
Robin D. Owens - oh my gosh - I adore this series - I feel for Holm! Cant wait for next book!
Jaid Black - well, I've only read her mainstream books but I know about the others -Wowza
Gloria Harchar - I enjoy reading about the pixies Largo and Allegro
Judie Aitken - only read A Love Beyond Time but it was memorable
Kristin Hannah
Helen A. Rosburg
Candace Camp
Vickie Taylor - her contribution to the anthology "Bite!"
Julie Elizabeth Leto - Surrender from the anthology Essence of Midnight good story
Rowena Cherry - only read the one Forced Mate but it was a good one!!
Connie Flynn
Jeanne Savery
C.J. Adams and Cathy Clamp - new on the scene but awesome, can't wait for more!!!!
Patricia Simpson The Dark Lord was different
Marjorie M. Liu - new on the scene- I LOVED the story and look forward to more, more,more
Hannah Howell - read Nightriders from "The Eternal Highlander"- I Loved it!!! great romance
Cheryl Sterling - new author- great future - can't wait to visit the fae world she created again!
Karen Whiddon
P. C. Cast - The theme is magical creatures/people - unique and imaginative -great read

Whew is that enough or what??? If there was a message board that dealt with all these authors and their many books they've written, not to mention the ones we are looking forward to, that's enough conversation material to last for the next 6 months! at least.
So, that is my wish list ... Now if only there WAS a discussion group out there that knows most of these authors, like Tigger says ...."fun,fun, fun,fun TTFN!!!!!

TGIF

Yes, the end of the week.
My favorite things this week were ongoing. Visiting 4 of my favorite authors
blog sites and reading about their excitement when they've finished writing a book,
sold a book or celebrating when their book has just hit the bookshelves. It helps me see them as real people rather than just a name on a book cover. I realized yesterday, that I
was too verbose at one point. Looking back, I am a tad embarrassed. I have so much
fun writing with the hope that they will respond. I am the only person who reads the books of the authors that I do, so I am not able to share the excitement or talk about what I liked or didn't like with anyone. Being able to converse with either the author or others that respond to the journal or blog site is my only outlet. May seems to be a busy month for most authors I've
been visiting. I think summer 2005 is going to be a readers paradise. I can't wait!!!

Thursday May 19th

Today, my favorite thing is learning. Sometimes you learn things you wished you didn't have to. I went to my adult faith formation class last night. I found out what a "Goth" person truly is and what a -I'm not sure of the exact word, but a sanguinist(?) along those lines is , I don't mind reading about characters sort of like them in romance/horror/fantasy books. I know the difference. But I found out there are some young tweens and teenagers who are choosing it as a serious lifestyle. NOT healthy. I also learned some things in my local hometown that exist that I wish didn't. I'm not even comfortable writing about them HERE! I've got 2 kids. Last night just seemed to make the job of being a parent a little harder. They have to grow up and go to school. Once in school, you can't control their exposure to the world anymore. *sigh* The only weapon is education of and communication with, parents and child. It sure beats putting your head in the sand.

Monday 5/16 and a new week

Great start to the new week. I received a comment on my Very First Blog!! I was so thrilled, I squealed in glee and did a "tippy tappy dance" while my 5 yr. Old looked on. He had no idea why Mom was so happy, but he's happy that I'm happy. Of course, it may have had something to do with who the comment was from. *grin* OK, so a LOT of it. My favorite thing today is visiting a friend. Had a great time this AM. Our 2 kids got along great! She even showed me 2 quilts that she completed. They were intricate and beautiful. She is really amazing! Oh, and I got try almond butter and a chilpote pepper hummus(?), anyway, both were really good, so now I have to hit Trader Joes' and buy some. That's another favorite thing for me, trying something new and great tasting. Thanks LM!! OK, and since my first note was about favorite authors, I have a few more to add ...P.C. Cast, Marjorie M. Liu, Robin D. Owens and Mickee Madden. Speaking of Ms. Madden, her final Baird House book, Dreams Everlastin' is MIA . I can't find it anywhere. Seems even the internet hasn't any info. I'm stumped. It is the 6th and final book in the series and unless I can find it, I will never know how Blue and Reith reconcile. *sigh* That's all for a Monday. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, my first time

OK, I have no idea what I'm doing. But this is cool. My favorite things are Books and contacting my favorite authors and Actually getting a response. Sure beats the old days when you wrote to a fav. pop star or actor and always felt your letter got "lost in the pile". With the advent of Email, that has changed Everything ... mostly for the better. Right now, my favorites are C. J. Barry and Nina Bangs, Katie MacAllister and Laurell K. Hamilton. Thats all for starters. *grin*