Observations and comments on subjects near and dear to me. Some funny, some serious, but to share them with you is an honor.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
An Unremembered Book And the Man who Wrote It
I'd lost track of if for a couple of decades. In the process of transferring summer clothes to winter, I rediscovered the book.
So, thanks to the wonderful world of Google, I found the author. Turns out he died four years after the book's publishing date of 1970.
So I'm talking about thirty years ago. Ouch!
Anyway, for those that remain followers of my blog and my reading habits, you KNOW I love me some paranormal romances and that includes wolfies.
I'm not too sure about copyright laws after thirty years have passed but I wanted to share one of the stories from the book. And yes, Amazon actually does have it for sale. Imagine my shock.
I'm going to refer to Page 134, Chapter 30 and it's about The Wolf Queen.
I think the facts predate the 1921 movie called the Silent Call so you can appreciate how far ahead he was for his time.
His name was Larry Trimble. His idea was to use real wolves in movies. So he put a call out and trappers, hunters, zoos and ranchers sent him the most aggressive wolves they found. The book refers to the wolves as grey tails. Larry picked out 23 of the best lookers of the lot and he transported them all to their new home in Canada. He had a big area set aside as a stockade to house them.
As we readers know, pack status had to be established and amazingly enough it was NOT a male alpha that emerged but a female! We rock.
Anyway, Larry Trimble named her Lady Silver and was determined that she would be the first female wolf star of the cinema. Isn't that cool?
What's even more amazing, he did it.
How? After the pack dynamics were established, the man MOVED IN with the wolves! Yep, he was the first human wolfman. *grin*
He didn't even go in there armed. Nope, he just ate with them and hung out and watched them. And get this, to go to sleep the wolves dug holes!
I never knew that!
And so this Larry guy, he does the same thing but he's got a sleeping bag to help him out. I'd say he was cheating but hey, we humans don't have fur so I guess it was okay.
So there he was communing with the furred set and he started sharing his food. They'd eat it but they didn't trust him yet. Not until Lady Silver, the alpha female, came up to him and gently took the food from his hand. That was my favorite part. I really loved this story, can you tell?
Eventually, not only did other wolves follow the Alpha's lead, but when they dug their holes to sleep at night, they did it close to the human! He was IN!
And get this. The next part of the story? Larry shocked the heck out of his workers by taking the wolves OUTSIDE of the stockade! He was Brave! He was Courageous! He was nuts. But he did it and he proved that they could be trusted because he slowly introduced to them other dogs and people and environments. The next was Hollywood and stardom.
Larry Trimble ended up making movies with real wolves doing incredible scenes that no one ever accomplished before and no human or animal was ever injured. Incredible isnt' it?
This is the kind of story that appears throughout the book,
Not So Dumb: Animals in the Movies by Raymond Lee. Sure I paraphrased and left a bunch out but I shared the parts that spoke the most to me. Can you see why I am so excited I rediscovered my book?
And because I enjoy werewolf romances this really resonated with me. Oh, there are tons of stories in the book about famous dogs, cats, birds, elephants, chimpanzees, and of course dolphins - hello Flipper! But it tickled my fancy that a man was so enamored of wolves and believed they could outshine the ol' German Shepard, that he did what had never been done before. And proved that the wolf wasn't inherently a blood crazed killer of sheep and man.
Pack dynamics are a wonderful and amazing thing and somehow this man, Larry Trimble, without the benefit of 21st Century studies and documentaries, did what men and woman go to college to learn how to do.
He came to be trusted by the wolf. He became Pack.
Come on romance writers out there! This has the makings of an AWESOME PARANORMAL ROMANCE!!! And it partially can be based on fact. How cool is that???
I have to say, the idea of it is a FAVORITE THING!!
Friday, October 01, 2010
I have to put this somewhere, why not here?
So, I'm putting it here.
Healing the Fox by Michelle Houston. Published by Phaze Books.
It's M/M just so you know. 18 pages
The Blurb: When an injured fox comes into the wildlife rehabilitation center, Scott knows he isn't an ordinary animal, he's a shifter. Taking him home, Scott does his best to care for the injured shifter, and finds himself falling in love.
Knowing it would be selfish to ask Christian to stay, Scott has to decide if he will let Christian walk out of his life, hoping that his love will return.
My Thoughts on the book:
The most courageous thing a person can do when they love someone is to let them go when it’s the best thing to do for them. No one said it didn’t hurt or that it was easy but it’s what true love would do.
That’s the internal conflict that ends up fueling this story. Scott works at a place that rehabilitates injured wild animals. Never did he suspect that he’d find one of his own kind is such a scary and possibly fatal situation. I think he started falling in love then because of the care he gave and how sensitive he was to the other fox’s needs.
The story follows a slow and beautiful build-up towards true emotion and depth. The payoff is when the fox recovers enough to shift back into human and Scott meets Cris for the first time. Cris comes across as shy but I suspect that it’s mostly from his own burgeoning feelings. It has to be a lot to process. He also has a life agenda that had to have been weighing on his mind. He might have been in his animal form for most of it while he healed but the man inside observed and understood. I believe that because of the first action Cris initiated in the kitchen. He intuitively knew what to do to make a good impression on Scott and he was right.
The man-love is hot and yet sweet because Scott’s emotions are involved and they’re conflicted on top of it. He really wants to do the right thing but in the end he chooses the best thing. The writing of those scenes was well done and should make erotic romance readers happy. Actually the overall writing voice and style was well done. No complaints.
Healing the Fox is the perfect book to read for those looking for a short shot of woohoo. It is romantic, has characters whose feelings come across as real and even has a tender happily ever after to warm your heart. I enjoyed the story and am glad I read it.
Monday, September 13, 2010
You guys are funny
HAHAHAHHA
Guess I was the invisible woman!
Friday, August 20, 2010
My Friday ARGH
It may not go where you think and your words will come back and bite you on the ass. I know I need to lose weight but getting my ass chewed is not the way to do it. I've sent an apology out but have no idea if it will be received well or not. I hate this. And LAST Friday was Friday the 13th, so what is today's excuse?
In a lighter note, I saw a little dog about eight feet from my car on Wednesday night. I thought it was a dog. It acted like a dog.
A car was heading towards me on the street, the canine stepped to my side of the road and waited for the car to pass. I inched along not knowing what it would do. I stopped my car completely and when it turned to look at me, I realized it was a fox, not a dog. HOW COOL! And it slowly loped across the road after it looked both ways and realized I wasn't moving. Smart little fox! I was tickled pink to see that. He/she was so CUTE!
My pole beans are too high, they are taunting me. I look up and there they are dangling there, teasing me and I can't get them. I will plan MUCH better next year.
My kids found some baby snakes. Played with them a bit. They are cute when they are no bigger than a pencil.
LOTS of woolly bear caterpillars lately. And they are so furry! Does that mean we are going to have a very snowy and cold winter? That's OK because by the end of next week, we will have a NEW WOOD STOVE! I'm thrilled! Excited! Happy! - we've saved and planned a whole year for this. We have someone that it going to fix the chimney and another company that will deliver the stove. It's finally all coming together. And the new stoves have a place to COOK on! I can't wait to try it... then again, I will wait. Why rush winter?
I'm reading a really good book called His Captive by Diana Cosby. Great Scottish historical romance. Usually I can finish a book in short order but life has been getting in the way and I've not been reading like I usually do. But so far, it rocks. She's a new to me author too. I love discovering new authors.
Next week will be the week before school and school has already reared it's demanding head. I have orientations, uniform fittings, meetings with nurses, MD appointments and band camp to deal with. ARGH!
The ONLY movie I was able to bring my kids to see was the new Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore and it rocked! When asked what their favorite part was, they thought about it....and said THE WHOLE THING! That was a first. There wasn't one part they could pick over another. I guess if I had to pick a summer movie to see, I chose well. :-)
So, that's my update. Life is a roller coaster and sometimes ...well... I'm in the dip. Can't wait until it travels back up so I can see where the heck I am.
Have a great weekend!
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Random Pictures
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Looking Back Before Looking Forward
On top of Mt. Killington, VT |
I was looking at my 2007 posts and I can't believe how busy I was!
I did quizzes, notified readers of contests, discovered a book review site, told jokes and plastered a lot of pictures everywhere.
What happened?
Oh yeah, I was no longer a stay-at-home-mom. Huge difference. I went back to work in the fall of that same year and everything went downhill from there.
And it languished. But I can still share pictures!
A quiet moment to reflect |
Peeking through Killington's woods |
May you find your serenity today.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
A Baby Bunny Visits
Our litte furry visitor |
This sure beats getting up close and personal with a snake.
**VBG**
Monday, August 02, 2010
Things Change
I think I may be able to separate my identities afterall
::fingers crossed::
but Now I may have to find a new fairy.
LOL
Where's the Fairy?
You see, I have this other persona that has become a big part of my life and as that person, I have been itching to comment back but I can't as me,myself. Stupid BLOGGER will not let me separate identities and for some reason I can't have a separate profile. For those of you who have been with me almost since 2005, you'll know me as me. I usually write you off grid anyway in one form or another so this change should not be a big deal. So, M's isn't going to make much sense with new viewers because the name now starts with an X.
As with my new moniker, its actual representation is that flower. It's what I am. Well, no not really, not unless I was an alien. *gg*
So, that's that.
In other news, I was Mz. Suzy Homemaker this weekend. Saturday I made buttermilk blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Sunday I made French Toast for breakfast. Later on, I premade for future use a HUGE batch of lasagna and put it in the freezer. Then I made New England clam chowder - yes from scratch and corn bread, not from scratch. I love those little Jiffy boxes. It's another reason why I need September to arrive fast.
Why? Zumba. After eating all the rich food and having an unnaturally sedentary lifestyle, I need that commitment to movement. I need to Zumba but working nights prevents my attending. I work during when the classes are held. I miss it because I've noticed a massive difference in how I feel about myself and my energy levels. Although this month, I'd not be going anyway. Our instructor and owner of the studio has had major surgery. She'll be back in September. Guess we'll all be starting fresh.
Oh, I picked my first ripened on the vine tomato and it's exciting. My squash plants are languishng, poor things. I have ONE cucumber however and my pole beans are doing great. Speaking of Pole Beans...what possessed me to use poles 12 feet high? I never gave it a thought that I'd have to GET the beans waaay up there!! Must have been a blonde moment.
Have a great week and I hope you don't have any blonde moments of your own. ;-)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
LIfe is flat
This morning I woke up chipper and alert. I had my cup of coffee and then my granola cereal. I was putting the finishing touches to my hair and my DH says,
"I hope you're not planning on going anywhere this morning."
Well, yes, yes I was. "Why not?"
"You have a flat tire. A completely flat tire. "
"WHAT?!?" ::cue screech::
I rush out of the house and sure enough - completely without air is my poor, flat as a pancake, tire. The rim is practically touching the dirt it's so flat. ::heaves sigh::
Thank goodness for AAA and their handy dandy tire changing service. SO, instead of taking my kids to see a movie, they get to go to a testosterone laden place to have my tire fixed where grease and oil is the scent du jour.
I suppose it could be worse. It could have been more than one tire, right? ::knocks on wood:: deep breath ::knocks on wood again::
I don't want to jinx myself, you know?
Gee, hope your day is rolling along just fine. Mine will be - and why are those little donut tires so cute?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Highland Games 4th year
Monday, July 12, 2010
Things in general
Picturesque, isn't it?
In general:
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Coffee - a morning ritual
Sunday, June 27, 2010
That's just GROSS
Monday, June 07, 2010
Time - it's a kid thing
If you are a parent, then you know.
Time is measured by how much your kids change year to year. They are the visual marker of time's passage.
Until they stop growing out of shoes and clothes, they keep you hopping, wondering and running.
On Sunday, my nephew graduated from High School. I remember when he was 2 years old (I have the cutest picture of him back then )and now he's 18. He's changed and grown and matured to become a very level-headed, handsome and funny young man. And he can do a stare contest like no tomorrow. lol.
It made me proud to be his aunt, and it astounded me that I'm so ....well...old. But that's what life's journey is all about. We don't stay static and kids insure that.
Hope your day is full of wonderful revelations too!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Storm blew this way and that
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
A London Werewolf in America - I read it
I recently read a book whose very title had me interested in reading it.
I saw the movie, American Werewolf in London years ago. So what kind of story could the reverse be about? A fine romance, if I may say so. I liked it enough to write a review.
What do you think??
Title: A London Werewolf in America
Author: Pat Cunningham
Publisher: Siren Bookstrand
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length - #pages : 227
Review: The answer to what does a werewolf and a witch have in common is nothing and everything. Finding out what they do have in common and how they get to that point is a great read.
Darinda is the heroine. And she does earn the title of heroine because of all the things she has to do to keep herself alive as well as the hero. She doesn’t do martial arts, she doesn’t use a gun nor does she have to act like she’s got something to prove. She’s an ordinary woman living in a supernatural world and she just happens to have a bit of magic about her. Her familiar is deceptive and affective – just wait until the plot gets really hot – her friends are varied, funny or helpful, and she has a way with cards. She also has bucketfuls of integrity and loyalty which serve to not only garner respect from this reader as well as the hero, but serve to ratchet up the sensual tease and heat during the courtship. Not that she sees it as that, nor was it meant to be a mating intent. Just by the way she acts, the decisions she makes and the friends she’s made, she put herself in a position to be accepted by the very people who shun humans as being less than them. Darinda perseveres because she’s got guts, class and doesn’t run from the truth of her feelings. I enjoyed her character.
Roderick is a werewolf. In this world that Ms. Cunningham has created, humans are considered inferior but no less important as diversions, technological and societal movers and shakers which allow the supernatural communities to blend in and benefit from -- much to the detriment of some of the characters in this story. As for Roderick, he’s a misplaced alpha being forced to do as his mom says. His mother makes Mommy Dearest look like Mrs. Brady from the Brady Bunch. How he managed to stay sane and not become a bully is a testimony to his character and the strength of his inner alpha. I absolutely enjoyed the slow, gradual buildup of his character’s falling in love with Darinda. Being a guy, Were or not, he messes up and thinks with his partner ‘down South’, which presented this reader with some wonderful insight into both Roderick and Darinda.
The conflict is internal – want vs. oath, and external – who is trying to kill everybody? The mystery dogs their footsteps and Darinda ends up doing a lot of the sleuthing. It was refreshing to see a woman in a strong role without losing her femininity or brains. The villains are well couched in distraction and misleading clues, yet the author drops little hints along the way. Not that I figured it out until Ms. Cunningham wanted me to. It was a fascinating reveal. And something happened that totally caught me and one of the characters completely by surprise. I enjoy being astounded.
I thought the writing was tight, the dialogue flowed smooth and true to character, and the sensual dance between Roderick and Darinda as they fell in love was page flipping – will she or won’t she? I thought the secondary characters were well placed and described, and each contributed to the plot and story overall. I giggled when it was revealed just who Darinda was named after. In fact, her pixie buddy and her cat were oftentimes amusing and great fun in the scenes they appeared. I smiled many times throughout this story.
If this were to appear on a review site: I'd rate it a 4 1/2 on whatever scale they use if it's 1 out of 5. So, I'd say I was pretty happy with it. And when I'm happy with/about a book, I share. It's one of My Favorite things.
:-)
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tim Hawkins- Old Rock Star Songs
Last time I zipped
First, what is it with all the scam comments my blog is getting? How annoying.
Second, What is it with winter? Give it up already! Let the seventy degree temps reign.
I re-read Raising Havoc by Lori Foster. It's as great the second time as the first.
I just bought, Coyote's Mate AND Lion's Heat by Lora Leigh. AND Sandra Hill has FINALLY come out with a new Viking one, Viking in Love. Woot! I love her sense of humor. That new line about Pink Ice was ..eh.. ok..but her Vikings have always entertained me. My only groaner is that I cannot read these yet. I have to save them for when I go on vacation. Do you have ANY idea how hard that is to do?
I've been reading the Cat Star Chronicles by Cheryl Brooks and I cannot get enough of them. They rock my world. Then again, Terry Spear is nothing to sneeze at. She has wolf stories that make me care about the characters. Enjoyment abounds.
I have been going to ZUMBA for over two months now and I LOVE TO ZUMBA!!!
I lost 8 pounds from doing it but it's the contagious and outrageous fun and excitement generated by the owner of the studio that really inspires me to try harder and Woot and Holler and Yahoo louder. She's an amazing lady.
She just got certified in Zumba Toning and after my first class my butt screamed for three days! Yeouch! but of course I went back for more.
I just got word that she's planning a surprise ladies night with food and everything. She's just not saying what the highlight will be. No, not anything with men dancing, darn it. It's going to be a saucy but nice surprise. I'm just thrilled to do things that are geared towards women. It's great being a mom and all that but I like to do fun things for me. If I feel fun, I AM fun.
Oh, yes. The Neti Pot. Don't anyone scoff at its use. It works. Sounds weird and gross but dang if it doesn't work wonders.
I'm on Facebook. I think you know that. And I'm a Bejeweled addicted nut. I don't play the apps like I used to but that Bejeweled Blitz is only a minute. Who doesn't have a minute or two or TWENTY to play? LOL - yeah, time creeps away from you when you play that game.
Oh, I had another short 1200 word story Epubbed. And I have a great WIP that I'm working on. Maybe I should say it's Good ... it'll be GREAT when I finish it. LOL
Well, that's all the conversation I have to impart today. Except for wishing that SPAM comments would just stay the heck away from my blog. Sure I don't post as often as I used to but it is STILL my blog and I don't like trash being posted in my comments. I don't think ANYONE does...why can't they leave us alone?
Pesky rodent spammers.
Bronx cheer to them all.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
zipping through
OH my Gosh, they are making the A-TEAM into a movie? And they sort of found actors
that have hints of the originals?
And oh my gosh, who IS that ripped guy they showed in the trialer?
OOOH WOW!
I HAVE to go see that movie!
and that new Jackie Chan movie looks funny. Reminds me of the Pacifier a bit, but that's OK, I liked that movie too.
Happy New Year.
Hope you are staying warm. It's been cold and windy and not conducive to snowman making, or snow balls.
I'm currently reading the latest Kim Harrison book. It's taking me awhile because I'm fitting it in amongst other things going on.
I'm joining Zumba soon - I go for my weigh-in this Saturday. It's a six week course and I hope it makes a difference for me.
Some totally stupid jokes to share::
***What do you call a fish with no eyes?
A fsh
***Two snowmen are standing in a field. One says to the other : "Funny, I smell carrots too".
I love Redneck jokes:
***You think taking a bubble bath starts with eating beans for dinner.
My Favorite Cat Quotes:
Anything not nailed down is a cat toy
Cat - a small furry organism with a tropism for where it's not wanted
Cats are smarter then dogs. You can't teach eight cats to pull a sled.
Cats are intended to teach us that not everything has a function
Cats are Zen made Fur -- Jo Godwin
Cat Creed: Everything here is mine
Dogs come when called. Cats take a message and get back to you
**********
I fell on the ice last week. My Chiro said I 'bounced'. That means I gave myself whiplash. Have to go back next week after swelling goes down. I can't wait until winter is over. Ick.
I sewed a button yesterday. OK..so what you say. BIG so what, sew what? LOL
I'd been buttonless for over 2 months. It took me that long to sit in one place long enough to have the patience to sew a button. And hem the coat and restitch the cowl flappy big part on the coat. I love my coat though. It's big, long, black and wool.
It looks like I should walk around with a latern and respond to being called
John Coachman.
LOL
And , a question. Do Moose Tracks go in single file like a cat's???
OK..zipping back out. Hope all is well with you!
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