Happy Hunksday!

Got the idea for today's hunky guy from an adorable chick flick!! DVR'd it the other night and watched it. This guy isn't drool-worthy, per say, but he's just got this-boy-next door sex appeal. And that smile....heart melting!

Loved him in The Notebook, 27 Dresses and of course, Enchanted, too! And he had me laughing hysterically in Death at a Funeral. I'm not all into Xmen and whatever, but I'm sure he was hot in that too!

I present, James Marsden:

Day 3 of Questions!

One final question!!! Hope you're not too bored yet!!

Question #6 comes from Kristi Faith: "How did you meet your husband?"

We actually met at a family type campground...both of our families camped their seasonally every summer!! Instead of writing the whole thing out, here are some posts I wrote a while back about "our story":

How I Met Your Father: Part 1

How I Met Your Father: Part 2

How I Met Your father: Part 3

How I met Your Father: Part 4

More answers to your questions!

Here are some more of your questions! If you haven't posted a question yet, please feel free to go to last Friday's post and ask away!

Question #3 comes from Stephanie Faris: "What are your biggest dreams when it comes to your writing career?"

My biggest career dream is to just share my story with readers and have them tell me how much they loved it and identified with my character...they laughed, they cried...it had everything they wanted and more! I'd love to be able to make a decent living doing what I love..I won't lie...we can use more money than we currently have!! LOL! And I'd love to walk into a book store and see someone pick up my book, read the blurb, then add it to their pile of purchases...that would just be so awesome!!

Question #4 comes from Bethany Mattingly: "As a kid we all think of what we'll be like as adults. What did you think you'd be like? How close are you?"

When I was a kid, I always imagined myself as a mom with a tidy perfect house. I saw myself making dinner and having it on the table for my husband- a tall blonde man with glasses who wore a suit to work. I honestly don't remember myself having a job...my mom stayed home with us kids for many years...she didn't get a job until we were older and even then, she didn't start til after we went to school and was home when we got home. That was just what I knew back then. And in all honesty, my life is somewhat similar. I did work for many years in my chosen field but knew all along that I wanted to be home for our children. I ran a business out of my home for several years but ended it to devote my career to writing instead. I have the two kids but the husband is a little different...nothing like I ever thought I'd end up with actually!! He works in law enforcement and wears a uniform to work...he has dark hair and perfect vision! LOL! (and never ever in my teen years did I ever think I'd end up with the quarterback of the football team superstar jock!) And as far as the house goes...yeah, I do like to have a tidy home (though housekeeping does come second to writing!!) and I enjoy making all kinds of fun recipes for dinner!

And the last for today, question #5 comes from Elizabeth Monroz: "Do you have a regularly scheduled time or word count that you spend writing? If you get stuck, do you take a break?"

I have two modes, creative mode and editing mode. I have trouble doing both at the same time. But when I am in all out creative mode, I stick to a 1000 word a day goal. I do not make the goal every day...life happens. But there are many days I far surpass it..even double it. So those days make up for my short days and when I evaluate my monthly word count, I am usually right on track. This July I added just over 30,000 words to my MS. And I most definitely take breaks. I have to. When i get stuck. I minimize the document and pop in on Facebook or Twitter, I check my email. Depending on what's there, the break is anywhere from 2-5 minutes, and then usually I am good to go. Sometimes I may pop in at a few of the message board communities I belong to for 5-10 minutes...and I come out feeling refreshed. I'll take several little breaks a day. And I admit, I take more frequent breaks while editing...my eyes go buggy staring at the screen, so breaks are necessary!!

And now your answers!!!!!

Huge thanks to everyone who posted questions on Friday and through the weekend!! Please feel free to post more questions!!! This is really fun!! Click here to be taken the the post!!

Question #1 is from Teenage Bride! "What inspired you to become a writer?"

I've always loved creating things...scrapbooks, crafts, meals, stories, even choreographed dances. Even as a child I spent most of my time doing those types of things instead of science experiments or sports. I always kept a diary and wrote and illustrated little stories too. As I grew up, ideas would pop into my head from time to time...random things at random times. I would say to myself "That would make a really great book or movie!" Then one day...I actually wrote the idea down and then expanded on it...and thought about where the entire story would go. I remember feeling so unbelievably accomplished after writing eleven pages (single spaced). That's when it sparked for me. I abandoned that story and went on to something else a little nearer and dearer to my heart...and that only fanned the tiny flame. It grew into a full out bonfire and it was official...I loved writing fiction!!

Question #2 comes from Jenn Johansson: "Do you think you've had a "big break" yet in your career? If so, what was it?"

I call it my medium break, though I hope it doesn't come off sounding like I don't appreciate it, because I SOOO do!!! When I originally started dreaming about becoming an author, I of course saw my book in my hands, on bookstore shelves, on best seller lists...I saw myself at readings and books signings with a mile long line of fans! (and possibly a movie deal too! LOL!) Bottom line, I saw my story being adored by lots of people. So when I started my quest for this dream, I took the traditional route. I queried agents. And I queried some more. I revamped and queried again. And I let my story sit and wrote another one. I went back and reworked it again after a significant amount of time had passed. And I queried yet again. But I still was sitting at the starting line. And then I happened across some small independent digital publishers. I submitted, even though I knew very little about digital publishing. And then, just like that...I had a publishing contract in my inbox. I adore my publishers, Lyrical Press...they are an amazing group of people!! They were very small when they started out and are growing every week it seems! I know they have the potential to become very very big!!!! I hope to grow with them. But I do still crave seeing my book in a bookstore. Nothing will ever take that desire away. So for as much as I am thankful for this amazing chance I've been given, I will still try to grab the attention of an agent. :)

Be nosey! It's okay!

I've done a few interviews and I absolutely love them!!!! It's so fun to answer questions and share my life with readers and bloggers. There were lots of questions about my writer lifestyle and about my books and other projects and even some fun questions too! I like to describe myself as an "open book", pun intended! I don't know if there's any question I would shy away from!

So what I want to do for next week is answer the questions you want answers to!! I've seen this done on other blogs numerous time and I always think it's a ton of fun!!!! Bloggers always come up with great questions!!

So give me your best questions!!! Post them in the comments and depending on how many I get, I'll post the answers all in one day or break them up into 2 or 3 days worth of posts!

Thanks! Can't wait to see what you guys come up with!!

Happy Hunksday!

This week's hottie I discovered a few years ago while watching an Amanda Byne's movie titled "She's the Man". LOVE that movie!!! If you haven't seen it, basically Amanda's character wants to play soccer on the boys team but they won't let her so she transfers out of school and takes her brother's spot on a different school's team....and pretends to be a boy. She then shacks up with our featured hunk, her assigned roomie in the dorm, and of course, falls madly in love with him.

He's been in several other movies since then and I was reminded of his hotness once again the other night while flipping channels and catching "Step Up".

May I present, Channing Tatum:

I SOOOO hate feeling useless!!!

This has been me for the last two weeks. But worse.

I started writing a whole long story about my medical history and how exactly I came to my current status, but I figured no one really wanted to read all that. So long story short, I've had low back issues for years and had it under control with monthly maintenance with my chiropractor. Things were good, unless I did something stupid or had some kind of accident, like now.

And this one has been the worst ever. I have never ever been in this much pain...and I've given birth to two babies. It's been completely debilitating. Constant pain, zero relief. I even had to have my husband help me get my underwear on.

The pain was not this bad the whole of the last two weeks...it just got bad a few days ago. But I've been taking it super easy the last two weeks, which means the laundry hasn't been done, and the house kinda resembles a pig sty. I did what I could, but when I took a turn for the worst, I couldn't do anything at all. Luckily hubby can take time off from work, paid, because of the Family Medical Leave Act. So he's been here to take care of the kids and do some housework and such. While I lay here completely useless.

I can't tell you how absolutely awful it feels to lay here and not be able to help with anything. I'm not one to ask for anything, ever. If I want something, I get up and get it. But the last two days, I couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom without asking hubby to help me get off the couch. I know he doesn't mind and I actually think he's taking some pride in all this...helping me. He hasn't complained once.

I am better now though. Went to my primary physician because I just didn't think my chiropractor was helping me in this situation. My doctor gave me a prescription for some steroids, and I can honestly say, with only one dose, I am already feeling a lot better. When I woke up this morning, I was actually laying there feeling zero pain. Haven't felt pain-free in days. I'm not one to right away run for pain meds and I'm glad she didn't actually give me any pain pills. She did give me a muscle relaxer to use at night, but it didn't actually do anything for me.

So, I'm happy to report I am on my way to feeling useful again! Have you ever been in a situation where you felt useless???

Just because it's cyberspace, doesn't mean you can be nasty

Ug. Nothing makes me more angry than people getting nasty in cyberspace. Can't we all just get along???

I am a member of many online groups and communities, some writing related and for the purpose of networking, some just for fun. Today I was on one of my just for fun communities and answered a post. I got a private message that was kinda nasty. So of course I go back and reread my post...no it was pretty nice...wasn't being nasty...don't think it could have been taken as anything nasty...just a straight up informative comment...sharing what I found on another website. No reason what so ever for this person to reply to me nastily.

So I replied back...taking the high road and kept my reply simple. No point in fueling a fire with some cyber stranger.

Do you often experience this online?? What do you do?

I am so desperate for new shows!!!!

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ready for the new season of shows to start tonight!!!!!! I love to laugh and I love to be entertained. The writing on my favorite shows is spectacular and I just cannot wait to see brand spanking new episodes!!!

Anyone else ready for new shows?? What are your favs??

And what about new series??? I am looking forward to Outsourced!

Deals and Bargains Galore!!!!

I admit it...I am a shopaholic. But at least I have the good sense to only buy things when they are on sale with an awesome coupon! And 90% of the time, I limit myself to things I absolutely need.

So in the mail a few days ago I got a mystery coupon from Kohl's. Had to peel it open to see my discount: 15, 20 or 30% off your entire purchase. Lucky me...it was 30%!!

I went today and got some really great deals. Everything I bought was already on sale. And Kohl's lets you use coupons on everything in the store! Hubby needed a new dress shirt and tie, so he picked those out. My son needed pants for fall/winter. He outgrew all of his from last year. So I grabbed him two pairs of jeans, a pair of khakis and some loungy type pants. And also a couple hooded sweatshirts. I browsed the shoe department and got my son a pair of shoes, so he has something other than sneakers to wear. And I found a fab pair of black boots for me :) I needed a new pair of slippers and a new purse and also some sports bras. I browsed the jewelry department and I am such a sucker for cute necklaces and earring sets. And they were on sale for $10 plus the extra 30% off!!!!! But I told myself "no"....I really didn't need them. And then when I was all cashed out, I received $40 in Kohl's cash to use during the last week of September, I think. If you're not familiar with Kohl's cash...basically, it's like a $40 gift certificate...no minimum purchase...use it on anything I want in the store!! :)

But my shopping addiction isn't even limited to clothes and shoes...I even love food shopping. I'm sure I'm in the minority on that one! I just love buying things an coming home and filling my pantry! It looks so nice when it's fully stocked!! And I love having lots of different foods to eat! Hate when it's toward the end of the week and there's nothing left that's any good!

**Edited to add...had to go back the next day cause I got the wrong color tie for hubby. And he saw their suits were on sale....for $100, jacket and pants. Plus the 30% off (cause I got to keep my coupon and reuse it!! How awesome is that???) Hubby has needed a new suit for years!

Happy Hunksday!

Before you go check out today's delicious piece of man candy....you MUST read my latest review for A Bitch Named Karma!!!! Click here!!

Without further ado, today I present my most favorite Desperate Housewives Husband...Mike Delfino. Never has a plumber been sexier. He's a little older than most of my Hunksday hotties...but that's okay! Can;t wait for the new season to start!!

Enjoy...James Denton!

My first book review! Cinders!

This is my first book review ever!! YAY!!!

A few months back, fellow blogger Michelle Davidson Argyle had asked for reviewers for her soon to be published novella, Cinders. I jumped at the chance. After having been a follower of Michelle's Blog/Website and The Literary Lab for some time now, I knew Michelle was fantastic!! So I jumped on this opportunity.

I've never read a fantasy type story before, but this one intrigued me right from the start. I am such a huge lover of fairy tales, and I was very interested to know what happens after the fairy tale ends...if the "happily-ever-after" really happens. For Cinderella...it had all been such a whirlwind and once the dust settled...she wasn't exactly sure she liked what she had been given.

In Cinderella's new word, everything is blanketed in magic. How can she know if her prince really loves her? And can she live the rest of her life never knowing the answer?

In Cinders, Cinderella decides that she can't live her life that way. And if that isn't bad enough, her fairy Godmother has been imprisoned for black magic. Cinderella secretly visits her and with her help, she now has a spell to break the other spell.

Michelle is such a great writer...she knows how to pull a reader in and creates such a vivid world for them. And I think for this genre, it's even more important. In all honesty, I am not real up on my history of that time period and I don't read much historical fiction, but that didn't matter. Michelle's descriptions gave me no trouble in imagining the world she'd created.

I don't want to give the story away, so I won't say much more, but you should definitely check out Cinders and Michelle Davidson Argyle!

Check out the book trailer:



Click here to view a list of options for purchase!

And another thing that makes Michelle and Cinders so interesting, she self published the book, promoted it...even photographed the cover, all on her own. The model is a friend of hers who created the gown herself!

What do you like to read about in a blog post??

I follow a ton of blogs and do my best to read and comment as much as I can. But when I scroll through my blog list, I'll be honest...the title has to catch my eye and interest me. My blog reading time is often limited.

There are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many posts offering writing advice and some of them are truly invaluable. They are great sources for all writers in various stages of the journey.

But sometimes I kinda get bored with those posts.

I like reading about writers and their lives...not to be nosey or anything, but I like to read and know that I am not alone in this journey and I like to learn more about people...not just writing related things.

So what attracts you to a post???

I started my weekly Hunksday posts a few months back and I have to say, it is quite fun! Life can't be all business...we need to relax sometimes.

Character Names????

To me, character names are very important. You can tell a lot about a character just by their name. When I was searching for a name for my main character in A Bitch Named Karma, I needed something strong and sassy, bold. Mary or Sue or Elizabeth just would not have worked at all. I liked Lexi, which is short for a more traditional name-Alexandra, but no one uses her full name except her mother. And that fits too. Her mother is always trying to push her ideals of a perfect life- a traditional life- onto Lexi and she wants no part of it.

I finished reading a book last night...a cute romance that I really enjoyed. But I had issues with some of the character's names. The main character was Flora, and that did fit..she was very shy...very withdrawn...it was okay that she didn't have a real common name. But the two men in the story, Logan and Conner, to me, those names just sounded too new to be grown men. All the Logan and Conners I know are little boys.

So maybe it's just me on this one. But when I search for names, I also take a look at the top 100 names for the year the character was born. Usually I want to avoid ultra common names, though sometimes my character calls for that too. But I just don't like names that would have obviously been way off for the year the character was born.

Just my thoughts!!

Make sure you check out my latest interview!!! Louise at Wise Words interviewed me!!!! Thanks so much Louise!!

And, here is a FANTASTIC contest over at A Blissful Life! Definitely check it out!

I'm speechless.........a fantastic review.

I read this review and I was really left speechless. So many times I've been asked why I write...why I do what I do..what inspires me. This review is exactly why. This feeling is so amazing... I think back to when I first started A Bitch Named Karma...it was supposed to be funny and spoofy and in the very beginning it wasn't meant to be a real story. But then I got into it and this amazing story developed. It became so much more than I'd ever imagined.

Check it out at My Inner Fairy. Summer won my 150 follower giveaway and read the book with lightning speed. Give her lots of blog love!!

Happy Hunksday!

I never got into Grey's Anatomy..but I saw the commercials and such and I kinda knew the gist of it all. And yeah, McDreamy was cute all right...but he didn't quite do it for me. But McSteamy....yeah...I'll take some of that. Valentine's Day...him AND Bradley Cooper.....OH. My. God!

Eric Dane is this week's hottie!

It's my Birthday! It's my Birthday!

I have to say, 32 was a good year for me. My first novel was released in both digital format and print by Lyrical Press. I had a piece published in a world-renown anthology series, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and also a small local anthology about my hometown, Voices from the Herd. I signed contracts for two other stories with Lyrical Press. I took not only one, but two trips to my favorite place on earth, Walt Disney World, one of which was a much needed alone trip with hubby! I attended my first ever writer's conference and met a ton of fantastic people.

And now I am 33 (well, not yet...I believe the exact time was 3:31 pm.) I wonder what this next year will hold for me. I know what I'd like it to hold.....more writing success including more contracts and the attention of an agent!

And of course, more trips to Walt Disney World!!

I love interviews!!!!

Please stop by Savannah Chase's blog today and check out my latest interview!!!! She really asked some great questions!!!!!

Another awesome interview!!!!!!!

Jen at Unedited is so so AWESOME!!!!! I simply adore her!!! She interviewed me for her blog! Please check it out!! Give her some blog love and follow her if you aren't already!!

Happy Hunksday

This week I chose another hunk that is rather new to my list. I first remembered seeing him in Wedding Crashers, but he was a total doucebag, so he wasn't real appealing to me. But then came The Hangover and holy cow.....he was hot in the beginning and then just as hot later on, all dirty with a bloody lip.

Bradley Cooper...tasty!!!









And now that you're all hot 'n bothered, here's something sweet....Bethany at Aspirations is celebrating her 100 followers by giving away some awesome prizes!! Please check it out!!!

I was interviewed!!!! So so cool!!!

I just love doing interviews!! So so fun to talk with other writers and share my journey and why I do what I do!!

Please check it out here...Sondrae is just awesome!!!!!! Follow her!!!