What Grabbed My Attention

I know I've been absent from the Saturday Seven - I needed a bit of time to come up with something to write about.

It's not always easy to find a different angle that has yet to be done. I think I might have found it.

As you've probably guessed from my previous posts, I have a HUGE bent towards the paranormal, fantastical and fantasy.

What grabs me often is the title of the book, or the back-cover synopsis or even the authors themselves. Rarely does the book cover alone make me buy or read a book.

This first book to pop into my head was How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrilyn Sparks. The title inspired me to pick it up, the back-cover synopsis prompted me to buy it. I have read practically every book Ms. Sparks has written. What a ride that series was. Now, she has a new series and, because I was so happy with the previous one, I gave it a whirl. Yes, it's the author herself that had me buying into the new series. She still rocks!



This book broke my rules of not making decisions based on a cover. Karen Marie Moning's Kiss of the Highlander showcased only the bottom of a man's face. For a long, long time, book publishers only showed this model's arms or in this case, his lips. How often does a reader get a visceral reaction just from a man's lips? I did. Oh, wow did I ever.

I read every title in that series and couldn't wait for more ... until she shifted focus with that Fever series she has going. I read it because of the author. I kept reading because of the mystery of one of the key characters. I stopped reading it once the two protagonists finally admitted loving each other and that made me happy, but at the same time, the book had taken a dark turn. I haven't read another book since. Every back cover synopsis or blurb I've read since confirms my belief that the series is too dark, hopeless and unpleasant for my tastes.

For this next book, Undead and Unemployed, I thought the title was clever. The synopsis was also unique which is good because I was never a fan of the cover artwork. So, the title is what made me pick it up, and the heroine, Betsy sounded original. The book was funny, punny and a hoot. So, I got the first book in the series, enjoyed that too and continued to read the others in the series for quite a while. I stopped because Eric, the hero, drove me nuts. The feeling like their relationship was on a never ending gerbil wheel finally got to me. And I stopped. Until I reached that point, however, I laughed and giggled during every book.

The next book that grabbed me wasn't based on the title or cover but the synopsis. Slave - The Cat Star Chronicles by Cheryl Brooks sounded really unique. A few survivors from a planet that no longer exists because some dude with Darth Vader syndrome blew it up? Add in that the heroes' very interesting sexual talents were ... definitely different. I ended up reading the entire series and I enjoyed every single one. I was actually sad to see the series end.


And then there was this, Pooka in my Pantry by R.L. Naquin. How could I pass up a title like that? How about the first book, Monster in my Closet? Then came Fairies in my Fireplace. I have read every single book in that series and it was totally engaging. They take turns being humorous and serious but always highly imaginative. Sure, the titles grabbed me but the stories kept me.

An unusual book caught my eye one day, Infected: Prey (Infected, #1) by Andrea Speed. In that book I met Roan and fell a little in love with the character. It's M/M, yet not. What I mean is, this book was more a mystery with lots of suspense, investigations and unique challenges for the main hero, Roan. To a reader it's quite clear that Roan and Paris are two guys who really love each other despite or in spite of their health challenges. Due to a virus, hence the 'infected' reference, Roan can turn into a ferocious lion. The cost is rather high and debilitating. But the guys' physical expressions of love and lust were mostly behind closed doors. I think what hooked me was the best part - there was PLOT, substance and damaged, fallible characters that made an impact. I've gobbled up the books in the series since. The book had the best synopsis hook and I'm so glad I discovered it. So title and synopsis were the key elements that grabbed me.

Last but not least was this title that grabbed me, Size Matters by Robyn Peterman. The cover was certainly quirky, but it was the synopsis that clinched it. When I read Hasselhoff, Bigfoot, and Sasquatch hunters, it was an immediate buy. How could I not? I laughed and laughed and had a riot of a good time reading it. I tried other books in the series because of this one, but none had the same high-powered comic level Size Matters did.

So, those are samples of what, as a reader, grabs me most. I think the conclusion is, it's a toss up between title and synopsis.

What about you? What's your favorite hook?

Oh, and please visit the other contributors to the Saturday 7 - it's a great way to discover new reads!!!

Car Attitude

See this here car?
I was driving behind it the other day and simply HAD to snap a picture.

If you click the pic, it should load larger so you can see the wonderful descriptive graffiti on the bumper.

I love people's sense of humor about their cars, don't you?

A Cute Kitty Video

I found this on the great DDD's post. It's really cute and since I'm a cat lover, well, it's a natural addition to this blog. It's a favorite thing. :-) And a joke for you: A woman was helping her husband set up his new computer and, at the appropriate time in the process, told him he would now need to enter a password - something he would use to log-on. Her husband was in a rather devilish mood and thought he would try for the shock effect to bring this to his wife's attention. So, when the computer asked him to enter his password, he made it plainly obvious to his wife that he was keying in: P ....... E ....... N ....... I ....... S ....... His wife fell out of her chair laughing when the computer replied ***PASSWORD INVALID...........NOT LONG ENOUGH*** I love this kind of silly humor, don't you? ON the personal front. Not much happening. Discovered a new author I really like, Patricia Briggs. Quite a nifty piece of world building she's done. Her heroine, Mercedes Thompson...she's spunky and unique. I like this series so far. The interesting thing is this author doesn't zero in on only one person...there are offshoots which helps a reader look at different aspects of the same world. I think that is what is keeping me hooked. TTYL

I laughed so I snapped it up

I was perusing a blog buddy's blog that I visit once a week or two and today I found this and I couldn't stop chuckling. Not totally from what it says but
where my mind went...











After Reading this? I thought to myself....

In what local-yokel town and in what state was this taking place in?

And I totally can imagine the renowned Mr. Jeff Foxworthy taking a gander at this and thinking to himself... "Hmmm, she just Might might be a Redneck!"

ROTFL.
I crack me up.

Hiatus time once more

**snort**

Like I've been very busy here?

I know - you're right, my blog used to be so lively. I hope to enliven it when I get High Speed because then I can do things I've never done. It will be like playing with Blogger all over again.

OH my Gosh! Today's picture at Whipped Cream's Yahoo group is HAWT!

And it's "caption me" Friday there!

Sign up and take a gander at the scrumptious inspiration. Talk about Hero material! In fact, put YOUR two cents in.

whippedcream2-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Has anyone read The Buckhorn brothers by Lori Foster? What did you think?

And then ....

There is DUCK

And then there is :

ANOTHER USE FOR DUCT TAPE ...I have to tell you that I have never seen a better use for duct tape. Makes you want to require everyone to carry a roll for emergencies

Win and Laugh

To everyone who took my poll, Thank you!
I am amazed but I suppose I shouldn't be to see that deer comprised the biggest response of animals seen while driving while MOOSE came before bears. That was surprising. I thought there were more bear than moose, but it seems not.

This new polling feature on Blogger is fun.
:-)

BTW - I'm a little late in mentioning this to my romance reader readers out there. Did that make sense?

Did you hear about the April contest at LASR?

If not, check this out:

During April, we are giving away a book every day. Most will be print romances in various genres, and there may be the occasional eBook. Either way, you'll be getting some great books to add to your keeper shelf.
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Contest Rules:
To enter, leave a comment on the book you want to win -- but you only have ONE DAY in which to enter for each drawing...the day it is reviewed. The drawing for each book will be held the morning after the review posts, so make sure you get your entry in on the correct day. The books available for giveaway will be marked with a yellow chick. For a second chance to win, find the same chick somewhere on our main website and Email us to tell us where he's located.
NOTE:
Print book giveaways are open to US and Canada residents only. eBooks giveaways are open to anyone worldwide.

A couple of books that I reviewed are going to go up as part of the contest too. I hope my reviews inspire entries. I only chose books that either had me laughing or biting my nails in suspense but they ALL have HEA's.
Romance isn't romance without one.
IMHO
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Again, for those that have NO interest in winning and reading romance books, I'll share an email funny that my uncle sent me....

Talking vs. Spanking

Much of America thinks it's improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to help my kids regain control of themselves when they have one of 'those moments.'

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride. Some say it's the vibration from the car, others say it's the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, IPod, etc. Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,
Your Friend

I've Been Cyber-Claimed by a Cat

It's true. Honest!

You know Bailey?, one of my blog buddies?

Well, she has four kitties. We both have MySpace IM.

When we chat, we like to use their sound effects, limited as they are.

One that we utilize and which works incredibly loud is the 'smooch'.

We accidently discovered that Bubba responds to my cyber-smooches, muchlike if I were right there calling him.

And last night, I was cyber-playing with Bubba and Bailey said he was rubbing all over the screen.

HE WAS CLAIMING ME!!!

I was so tickled pink! I mean, here I am, a person allergic to cats in general (I pet, hug and get scratched anyway, I"m a glutton)

and I get to play with a kitty hundreds of miles away! And with no sneezing and runny eyes?

How cool is that?!!

Yep, when I MySpace IM with Bailey, I get a Very Big Grin on my face cuz I like sending smooches to Bubba.

Oh, and she nicely sent me the CUTEST picture of the furry dear so I can put in on my computer.

I had a happy moment last night.

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In other news:

More serious, so you might want to quit reading now if staying in a happy mood is important to you.... because I will now VENT my displeasure.

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I only sent one Christmas card out - to my little sister.

I finally went shopping yesterday and was ready to drop by the end of it.

It was nice to finally be free of the shackles that bound me for a month.

Son was discharged from the program.

We had an attempted IEP meeting Friday morning.

The school is fighting me.

THANK GOD FOR MY ADVOCATE!!!

The school liason tried their hardest to NOT allow me to have in writing my request that my son be allowed to be in a special program even in light of the fact that he is NOT to return to the only program they're willing to put him in upon his return. There are NO supports for him there. Yet they claim that what they have is enough. Is it geared towards teaching children with Aspergers? No.

But still they claim it's 'enough'.

NOT!

Anyway, back to the special program - we requested that he be allowed to be entered into the SCIP program for 8 weeks. They declined. Said that they couldn't, that it wasn't possible.

My Advocate forced the issue, reiterating that I still wanted it in writing that I requested it and they very reluctantly allowed the formal request to be included on the IEP meeting summary.

In the meantime, the LLP program they have him in is all they'd offer.

Oh, I take that back; they generously offered a tutor to come to my home for 2 hours a day in place of schooling.

Like THAT IS A SUPPORTIVE EDUCATION FOR A CHILD WITH ASPERGERS WITH SOCIAL SKILLS AND MEDICAL ISSUES?????

That is their bright idea for him while THEY come up with a plan to teach him. No time line given to accomplish that BTW.

So, like, I'm supposed to lose time from work and he lose ground in learning for what - Weeks?? while they see if....Grrrrr, I am NOT able to be gracious with my wording the more I think about what went on in that meeting.

What I find disturbing is that their offer came after they admitted that they do NOT have the ablitiy to provide everything we asked for that WOULD give him the education he needs. AND deserves. I'm supposed to be OK with that.

Because it's the holidays, my hands are tied.

The fact that the psychotherapist that helped us so much is gone - on an emergecy medical leave of which no one knows if he's alive or dead and have had no contact with since this journey started - is causing a major stumbling block.

I have to find a NEW child psychotherapist AND child psychologist. And I have to do it yesterday. The school demands letters and info from a therapist I no long have and one yet to be assigned.

It's a very difficult position to be in right now.

The unknowing, the uncertainity, the feeling that I will possibly have to miss work and my child's educational needs are sorely not being met and will continue to be unmet because my child won't be allowed back to school come January 2nd, is daunting, disturbing and frustrating.

And I think I rambled and perhaps wrote out of sequence, sorry about that. But I'm venting, writing as the thoughts come to me. Sharing my fears and worrys.

How the heck have other parents gotten the educational compliance they need for their children with Apergers?

Is it like this in every school district?

Doesn't anyone anywhere OFFER services without a price in blood and migraines? Not to mention serious funds having to be invested in pursuing what's best for our children.

*sigh*

It's the Christmas season; a time of miracles and hope.

I need both, but I'm also willing to work for my child to make it happen.

HUGS to all parents out there who have to deal with similar issues.

How do you keep your sense of humor alive???

If you read all this, you need something to pick your mood back up...here you go.

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Help! Get me Outta Here!!! I don't wanna be clean for Santa!

And if you want to see a pic about what said disgruntled kitty could DO with dear old Santa..click here for this cute pic!

I wanted to actually HAVE the pic, but it wouldn't load.

LOL

TTFN!