Do you let your thoughts flow????

Or keep your thoughts to yourself????

I have always tried to stick with the mantra: If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. The times in my life I have gotten in arguments have been the times I opened my mouth and let my thoughts slide out.

Some will say they are sticking up for themselves or putting people in their places that deserve it.....not letting anyone walk all over them. And while I agree...I know how upset I get when I argue with someone and it just seems best to keep my thoughts in my head and vent them out some other way, like a journal or my hubby.

Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions about everything. Even though many people swear they are not judgmental, I think we all are. It just depends on if we have the strength and courtesy to keep our negative thought to ourselves instead of sharing them with the world.

Some people may view me as a pushover at times...but I disagree. I like to think I can rise above and be the better person. It's not worth my time to argue over every little thing. I pick my battles. I think that's what makes a mature adult..someone who can ignore other's behaviors and just go on with life.

One prime example: my daughter's dance teacher had originally wanted the girls to wear fishnet stockings with their costumes. Some of the other moms thought it looked "slutty" so the teacher did away with them. Yeah, I could have gotten on my high horse and explained that they are not slutty, just a form of hosiery that gives a little bit of interest instead of plain tan tights. But I didn't, because it's not worth my energy to start an argument with women who's opinion I am most likely not going to change anyway.

Usually you can't change people's minds once they've made them up...so why should I waste my breath, and upset myself in the process? I am the kind of person who holds onto things like that, replaying arguments over and over in my mind for days, wondering if I could have phrased something different, made my point better, or backed off sooner. It often ruins my sleep and takes my mind away from my work during the day. And it's just not worth it to do this to myself over small trivial things.

So what are you: a let it all out there kind of person, or like me, a keep your negative thoughts to yourself kind of person?

Do you love me???

As much as I love it, today I'm not talking about this iconic teach-Baby-to-dance scene from Dirty Dancing!


Today I'm talking about author and book love.

When you read an awesome book...it takes your breath away, makes you cry and laugh...or if mysteries are your thing, keeps you stumped til the end then blows your mind when you find out who did it. Books often have a profound affect on us...sometimes we can't get them out of our heads and think about them for days and weeks afterward. We can't wait until the author releases the next book in the series or releases anything else in general.

But what do you do after that?? Do you show the author your love???

Many authors have email address for readers to contact them at. Many have blogs and Facebook pages, they Twitter or use whatever type of media they like most. But how many fans actually show tell them how much they adored their book??

Let me tell you, we LOVE it!! NOTHING brightens my day more then hearing that someone loved my book and can't wait for my next one. It reassures me that I am actually doing the right thing here by continuing to pursue this dream.

Wanna show your favorite author even more love?? Pop over to Goodreads, Shelfari, and Amazon. You can leave a comment/review for every book listed. Great reviews help more than you can ever imagine!

Book Clubs???

Do you belong to a book club????

I always thought doing one would be so so fun!! I love to read and if I found the right group of people to read the kind of books I like to read, it could be really great. But these days, my time for reading is really unpredictable...some days I can read a lot, others not at all. And now that I do Zumba for cardio instead of the elliptical and crossramp at the gym, I lost my reading time there. I'm not sure if I could read a book within the time requirement. A once a month club though...I could probably handle that.

But on the downside, I'm not sure I could read much else aside from the book club books. And I have a lot of books I want to read..and what if the book club did not want to read them??? I have friends who are authors and I want to read their books. I'm sure I could add the books to the idea pile for the book club. But who knows how long it would take to get to my picks. And what if they want to read a genre I really don't like? I'm really not into vampire type stuff and it would be a real chore for me to get through it. I know...."have an open mind" and I do...but I also know what I like and I've tried certain genres before and they're just not my thing.

I am on Goodreads and I thoroughly enjoy it. I rarely read book reviews there before reading a book....I hate the spoilers. But I love reading other people's thoughts after I read the book...and replying to the comments made. It's sorta like being in a book club...but with a lot more people.

So, tell me about your book club. Pros, cons...do you enjoy it???

Movie Monday!!

Today is my hubby's 36th birthday!!! And in honor of him, I was gonna feature his favorite movie.....but I don't know if I could say anything nice about it.....


We watched this movie on our first "date".... we had gone to the mall and then back to his house to hang out. It's just not my thing.

So I'm trying to think of some other movie that we love together or something significant. All that comes to mind is the very first movie we went to the theater to see together. Now....this movie is definitely not on my list of all time favs, but I do love it!! Not sure if it's necessarily because of the content of the movie or just the nostalgia of it being our first movie date together!!


Clueless came out in July of 1995, just after I had graduated from high school and merely weeks after starting to date hubby. I totally had the little pleated skirt with the thigh high stockings!! The midriff-baring sweaters and shirts!!! The fashion trends from this era were so fun!!! I so wanted everything Cher wore in the movie!!!

This movie is a feel good kind of movie...the spoiled rich girl decides to use her popularity and money for the better good. You can't help but love Cher, even in the beginning when clothes and shopping are her life. She is just a lovable character from minute one! And I think that's what any author or writer wants...they want their characters to be loved, flaws and all, from the very beginning.

I loved Alicia Silverstone in many movies (Ever see Blast From the Past?? I may do a Movie Monday on that one!!) and I think Clueless was really her big break...after this, everyone knew who she was. The movie started some other pretty big careers too: Brittany Murphy (May she rest in peace. I so miss her!!), Paul Rudd (Yeah..think back..he's the kinda cute yet dorky older step brother who Cher falls in love with!), Stacey Dash, and Donald Faison.

So...were you a Clueless fan?? And more importantly, did you wear any Clueless inspired clothing??? :)

Paint it Purple!!!

This is the first ever blogfest hosted by Erin Kane Spock at Hold On To Your Bloomers!!

The rules are easy: Post a short segment of your work-in-progress. Then paint it purple!

I am not working on anything brand new right now...but my plan for spring/summer.....before copy edits start for Karma Kameleon, I am revamping Spellbound! (Yes, I believe I am a glutton for punishment...I just can't shelve this story!! But that is how A Bitch Named Karma found a home!)

Spellbound is a story that's been around for a long time. I really love this romantic women's fiction story...there really is a lot of depth to it and the characters. But obviously, the story has it's issues and I'm trying to work them out!! In this scene, Roda, my MC- a wedding florist- is at the church for the wedding rehearsal with her most difficult client ever, who has demanded she remake one of the floral pieces she has already made for the wedding. She's on her way out to her van to get her tool kit so she can remeasure the alter.

Here is the scene as written in my story:

While contemplating the answer, Roda lost her footing on the hundred-year-old marble. Her stomach flip-flopped, and sheer terror and panic filled her to the core as she toppled backwards, her purse crashing to the floor. Her one-hundred and ten pound, five-foot-two-inch body hit the staircase with a thump that sounded like it weighed about triple the amount. She slid all the way to the bottom, her behind hitting each stair, as the contents of her purse spilled down the stairs next to her like a jug of marbles had been poured down them.

And now, my purpley re-write!!!

While painstakingly pondering the thought in her head, Roda's kitten-heeled, sandal clad foot clumsily slipped out from under her, the church's hundred-year-old marble slicker than Father David's hands on All You Can Eat Wing Night at the local K of C. Her stomach flipped, flopped, and rolled like drunken sailor on fire as bloodcurdling terror and heart attack-giving panic filled her body and oozed out her pores. Her five-foot-two inch elf-like body flew backwards at a rate of a hundred miles per hour as her ginormous purse was tossed high up into the air, then sailed back down alongside her. All one-hundred and ten pounds of her smacked the ancient staircase with a thump so loud it sounded like she weighed as much as an elephant with a half dozen clowns on it's back. As if she were on a Giant Slide at a traveling carnival, she slid down the stairs as sharp jolts of pain slapped at her behind with each rocky step while the contents of her gym-bag sized purse spilled down the stairs beside her like a million brightly colored tiger's eye marbles had been poured down them.

So..what do you think??? Pretty purple, huh?? ;)

A Contract!! A Contract!!!!!

I love love love publishing contracts!!!!! I hope this never stops feeling this good!!

I submitting Karma Kameleon, the sequel to A Bitch Named Karma, to my editor at Lyrical Press a couple weeks ago. She is usually pretty fast with this kind of thing, so I didn't expect it to take long to hear from her. But it still felt like forever and I told myself to just chill out. I knew she was reading it...she told me she was...but nothing. Nadda. No clue on if she was enjoying it or not. So I was super nervous.

But then the other day I checked my email, and there it was...a contract for Karma Kameleon! Usually my editor tells me ahead of time that she is recommending something for contract! But not this time....total surprise!! And I loved it!

So excited!!!

And check this out!! A local paper did a story on me! Click here!

Warning......I need to rant here.....

I am so so so so so so sick and tired of hearing/reading that people "Don't like eBooks." And "I love the feel of a book in my hands." "I love the smell of paper." "I can't snuggle up with an eReader."



First of all, ebooks are here to stay, so let's just deal with it, people! LOL! The world's technology is growing...fast. If you don't get on board, you will be left behind. Everything is going digital- music, movies, books. It's just the way it is. Am I completely happy that physical media will one day be a thing of the past? No, not entirely. But it is what it is and there are far too many supporters of digital media to halt the progression. Look at music....do you know even one teen who owns a cd player anymore?? I sure don't. They all have ipods. Their entire music collection is digital.

I didn't know much about digital publishing when I inked my initial deal with Lyrical Press, a primarily digital publisher, almost 2 years ago. But I quickly learned. And as soon as I could afford one, I got a digital book reader. And I adored it from moment one.

It is completely easy to read, so enough complaining about eye strain. E-ink technology is fantastic...just like looking at a real book page. If the reader plans to read entire novels on a computer screen or iPad, yeah that would cause some eye strain, but not the dedicated eReaders. They are completely easy on the eyes.

They are convenient too. I love taking mine to the gym. No way would I be able to hold any kind of paper book and walk on the treadmill. With the eReader, I can leave it on the ledge and when I need, quickly press the page flip button. The ability to change the font size is a huge plus too, especially when I switch to the elliptical and do more bouncing. The larger font allows me to still be able to read.

You can't snuggle up with an eBook??? How easily can you "snuggle" with an 80-pound, 6-1/2" x 9" hardcover?? Okay, so 80 pounds is an exaggeration, but you get what I mean. Those suckers are heavy and I have a REAL hard time holding one and laying in bed with it. But my eReader, so light and thin, and there is not one moment that I get a cramp in my hand from holding it.

And "the smell of paper"? Really? Let's just think a minute about ALL THAT PAPER. All those trees....all the people who don't recycle magazines and newspapers when they're through. All the books that I imagine get tossed in the garbage. It's beyond time to Go Green. And it needs to be done in every little place we can. Many eReaders have the capability to download newspapers and magazines, limiting the paper we waste.

Okay...I think my rant is done. :)

Book fair...book fail......

Last weekend was the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair. The event is held inside a beautiful renovated church:




This was my first local event. Last year, my promotion was concentrated on internet-based stuff- my blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc... But one of my goals for 2011 was to get myself out in my local community more. Show Buffalo that I am here and I am awesome!!!

Yeah...didn't really work so well.

The book fair is open to authors, publishers, book and paper crafters, etc... Basically if you do something and it uses paper in some way, you could participate. I had attended the event a few years ago and there were a ton of really talented people there. I couldn't wait to participate!

So I planned my table, and with my friend having to back out uncontrollably at the last minute, the table was all mine. So I decided to make it sexy. My books are sexy, so I made sure my table represented that:




And I dressed accordingly. I wore a fabulous dress and painted my nails red, and I wore a cute pair of shoes. But as the other tables around me filled up, I started to feel extremely out of place. My decor was wrong, my attire was wrong.....my book was just wrong. At one point, I was adjusting my dress (I admit, it was a little low cut) and looked up to see the woman across from my table glaring at me. She quickly looked away....but it gave me a good idea of what she was thinking. Me and my book did not belong there.

I had some people come by and say they thought my title was great...or the cover was striking, or the blurb sounded good.....but none of the comments led to sales. I did sell some books, but most were to my friends who came to support me. Only 1 book was sold to a non-friend.

But instead of letting myself get too depressed.....the St. Patty's party at a friend's house after the book fair helped...a lot!:


I told myself that this was just not the right venue for me and my work. There is nothing wrong with my work. I just need to work harder to find places where my work will be appreciated.

Hopefully what I have coming up will help. I spoke with one of my favorite little independent bookstores and we will be setting up a book signing. I did an interview last week with a small newspaper and that will run in next week's edition.

Movie Monday!!!

Today's post is a musical!!!!

I am a huge lover of music in movies. I LOVE a great soundtrack!! But what made this movie even better was the fact that the actors also sang every song and the songs were part of the movie, not just background noise!!


I remember when Chicago came out...at the time, I honestly did not know anything about it. I had heard of it, kinda knew the era it was...but all I knew was that it was a Broadway show. But then one day I saw the video on VH1 for All That Jazz. Holy Crap!! I was COMPLETELY hooked and just had to see this movie.

Just amazing!! The songs and music...the theatrical performance numbers!! I loved the way the scenes flipped between real life (like inside the prison) to the fabulous stage performance that was going on inside their heads. The music in this movie is phenomenal....it's one of my favorite movie soundtracks of all time, and All That Jazz is still my favorite on the album.

And the costumes. Wow!! I so want to have some reason to wear something like one of them some day!!! I came kinda close in my dance class a while back...a cute little costume with a fringe skirt!

Catherine Zeta Jones was unbelievable and though I'm not a huge Renee Zellweger fan, she was good. And Queen Latifah...LOVE her! Who knew Richard Gere could sing?

So, what are your thoughts on Chicago???

Man I feel old sometimes....

So the other day I was driving in the car and Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" was on. Cool song, but I wasn't a huge PJ fan. Many of my friends in high school were. I was more into pop and hip hop...loved me some TLC!!

So anyway, the song ended and the DJ said that Pearl Jam has been together since 1991....TWENTY years.

I thought about that...twenty years. Wow....that's a long time. Wait a minute...holy crap!!!! I was a freshman in high school TWENTY years ago.

Wow.....

When you think of two decades, it sounds like such a long time...twenty years is a loooooong time. And it doesn't feel like I started high school twenty years ago. I don't feel like I'm as old as I am. I still have fun, I still go out and do things. I still wear awesome clothes and I think I am pretty cool!

But wow...when you hear stuff like this, it really puts time into perspective. Will the next twenty years of my life fly by and I'll be saying "Holy crap...I started high school 40 years ago???" My daughter will be almost 30, my son, almost 25. They'll be adults, no longer needing me. I wonder where my writing career will be then, how the publishing industry will have evolved. How will our world be different...will we have found cures for diseases and ways to better combat natural disasters? Will our environment be in a better place than it is now. I sure hope so.

But the most important question of all, will I still think I'm cool? :)

My son, the bottomless pit!

My son is a bottomless pit. I know this is no surprise...most growing boys are. But mine is only 3. I've watched my teenage nephews inhale food like air. Growing boys need a lot of calories. But I never thought it would start this early.

My oldest is 8, a girl. She's always eaten like a bird. That's what I was used to. They're be feeding frenzies from time to time...that's how I knew she was growing. My son used to be like that too...but this latest growth spurt has been going on for weeks and weeks.

Healthy eating is something we encourage in our house, though we do splurge from time to time. But for the most part, our kids eat a well balanced diet with lots of good stuff. My son ate a pb&j sandwich, a kid's yogurt cup and a small handful of BBQ chips for lunch. (the chips are a rarity...it was only because they were left over from a party we had over the weekend.) Before that, he'd eaten breakfast, and had half an apple and some fruit snacks for snacks. I'm wondering when he'll ask for something else. Usually he wants some cheese at some point.

So at least I can feel pretty good about the food is he eating. And he was at the doctor's recently...his weight is below average. I've been lucky my entire life and have never had to deal with being overweight, and I definitely don't want my kids to. Developing healthy eating habits early is very important to me.

Oh, I just heard him open the fridge.

"I want somethin' mom."

He brought me a pudding cup.

"I'm hungry. I'm hungry again!"

Okay, now I'm hungry for my lunch. Just nuked some leftovers from dinner last night...a tasty low fat zucchini pasta! YUM!!

What's on your menu for today??

Do you care what people think of you???

Do you care about your image?

I have days where I tell myself I don't care what others think and I'm gonna do what I wanna do and to hell with everyone else.

But that is really not me. I honestly do care what others think...but not to the point where it makes me change the way I do something.

For example...whenever I know someone is coming over, I make sure my house is tidy. Unfortunately, the life of a mom and author does not lend me tons of time to just keep my home spotless all the time. If you stop by unannounced, you'll most likely find dirty dishes in the sink, toys everywhere, the dining room table littered with junk. But if someone is coming over, I clean up. It's not that I want people to think I always keep an immaculate home...I just have respect for others and want to offer them a clean and tidy place to visit.

And my appearance...I like to look good. I just do. It makes me feel good to look good. Life isn't about the clothes people wear or fancy hairdos, but taking the time to make yourself look presentable shows you respect yourself. And when people look at me, I want my appearance to say that I am organized, mature, and I know what I'm doing. And if they think I'm pretty or sexy too....well, that's quite all right with me! Can't help it...I love to feel pretty!!! I watch What Not to Wear on TLC quite frequently and it never ceases to amaze me that so many women feel unimportant and ugly. They've given up on appearance and are amazed when they do take a few minutes for themselves at how much better and confident they feel. All women should feel beautiful and have confidence.

As an author who is starting to do appearances and signings, the way I look means a lot. It matters what people think of me. A first impression says a lot, and when someone first lays eyes on you...before one word is even spoken...they can tell a lot just from your appearance.

Last summer I threw a big party at my house for the release of A Bitch Named Karma. I'd invited all my friends and family, my writers group members too. One of my writer friends told me I looked glamorous. I'd chosen a special outfit to wear for the party- a teal-colored ruffled sleeveless top, a dark pencil skirt, strappy sandals and chunky beaded jewelry. She said I looked exactly like the kind of woman she'd want to buy a romance novel from. Her statement meant a lot to me. And made me think. The way you look can even say something about your work. If I'd been dressed in a beige pair of pants, a plain shirt, no jewelry, that would have said something completely different about me. If I wore something boring like that to a signing...would I draw in as many people??

I am attending my first ever book event as an author- The Buffalo Small Press Book Fair. I'll be signing books and selling copies too. There will be many people there from our arts community. I need to look like a fabulous author!!! I need to look like I belong. I need others to look at me and think I look like someone important...someone they should get to know!

Do you have ads on your blog???

Many times I have thought of adding some ads to my blog page. I mean, who wouldn't love to make money just by typing their daily thoughts???? But after some more thought, I decided I didn't want to do it.

I like that my blog is so pretty and ads would only distract readers. I can't imagine stuff littering the sides.

My blog is my only website now, and it seemed unprofessional to have ads on my author website. I used to have a separate site, but it was lame. It was free space that I get from my ISP and the basic templates were very plain and boring. It cost money to use anything that was fun. I was already blogging every day, or every other day. And after a while, it seemed silly to have the website that just sat there...stagnant.I did update it from time to time, but there really wasn't much to put there. My blog is updated several times a week...so it seemed best to make it my main website. And with the ability to add ages, like a regular website, I could add all the info I needed.

But I still have days where I wonder if it would be a good idea. Those days when our budget is tight and some extra cash would be nice.

So, it there anyone out there who does do the ads??? How has it worked??? Any regrets???

Movie Monday

Today's movie is one that makes me cry every single time. Not just eyes glazed over...not a tear or too...I mean waterfalls from my eyes.


I saw The Notebook at the theater...hadn't even heard of Nicholas Sparks at the time. A friend had won tickets to a special screening of the movie before it was released in theaters...she could bring like 15 people and I was one of the lucky ones. Had no clue what the movie was even about, but free is good! I sat in the theater with my hubby and a bunch of other friends, mostly couples. I don't think there was a dry eye out of any of us.

Anyone's who's married, or in a serious relationship, has to identify with Noah and Ally. The great love between two people and to have something as awful as dementia happen to you...I can't even imagine. And hope I never will.

The unavoidable love between two people who weren't supposed to fall in love....who can resist a story of people who come from opposite sides of town? The summer fling that turns into true love.....one that time can't destroy.

And that hot kissing scene in the rain......Oh. My. God. Makes ya not wanna dodge the rain anymore.....

So, what do you think??? Is The Notebook on your list of favs???

Read, read, and read again.... The Galley Proof

The journey to publication is a rough one, as all authors know, and it never really ends. It's always hard...it's just a different kind of hard. But I am in no way complaining!!!! I enjoy the challenges! And I thrive on working hard and seeing what comes of all that hard work.

Right now I am in the final stage of editing for Soap Dreams, one of my short novels that is releasing in 2011. This is the galley proof stage, where my editor has prepared a PDF file of my story. No longer can I make changes directly to the manuscript. This is how the final product will look, unless I make notes on a separate document and let her know what needs to be changed. This is my absolute last chance to make changes or correct grammar and punctuation.

So far I have found one missing period, one period that should be a comma, and an ellipse that should be a period. Amazing how little things like that can be missed! There are some other spots where I am changing a word here and there or eliminating a word, just to make it flow better. Also there is a spot where a dog is mentioned, but after having taken out a dog reference earlier in the story, realized we needed to take this one out too.

I'm going to read through one more time....but I still worry. We've already done 3 rounds of copy edits and a round of line edits. And we still managed to miss these things. Will there still be some we miss?? I hope not...but it could happen.

As far as I know, there is only one line in A Bitch Named Karma where a period is missing. And there's also that horrible formatting error, that even though was fixed after the galley round, somehow it reverted and there was no way to fix it after that. :(

What do readers think when they see these types of mistakes?? I know what I used to think: "Who did this awful editing job???" But I don't think that way anymore. We are all human and mistakes happen. I am more forgiving of tiny typos, but if there gets to be too many, I wonder how much time and work the author and team of editors really put into it. If they didn't want to put in the hard work that is essential to producing a quality product, why should I give them my money and time to read it???

I had enough of that........

This business of book publishing is so so subjective. Something could be complete crap to one person and amazing to another. As authors and writers we know how it feels to be on the receiving end of that. And sometimes it can really suck. Countless rejections letters I've received reading: "It just wasn't for me." Nothing wrong...they just didn't like it.

But as a reader, I am also on the giving end of that too. I know what it's like, and I find myself giving books many more chances than I used to. But sometimes I just have to put one down. But usually it takes several offenses to get to that point.

This most recent book, a romance, had a few offenses that I let slide...one in particular was a part in the hero's POV where he describes in great detail the shoes the heroine was wearing when he met her- as far as to say the exact style-peep-toe platform, also with a Cuban heel (I didn't even know what a Cuban heel was...had to Google it. I thought it was part of the shoe, but apparently it's a kind of stocking.) No guy knows that much about shoes and hosiery...at least not straight men. It was just not authentic to me at all. He could have just said "sexy blue heels" or something...and if the author really wanted the specifics of the shoes and pantyhose for the reader to get the picture in their head, they need to be described in great detail in the heroine's POV.

There were a few more instances like that, but the line that really got me...the one that made me cringe and put the book down (or rather close it out on my eReader):

"He wrapped his lips around her finger and sucked hard as he slowly pulled the digit free, and that secret entrance deep between her thighs clenched like the mouth of a drawstring purse."

Seriously???? A draw-string purse?? There has to be some other way to describe lady parts. And the word "digit" is completely distracting to me. Both of these instances combined completely pulled me out of the sensuality of the scene.

So I moved on to something else...and so far I am quite enjoying it....a romance where the hero is a NASCAR driver.....soooooooooooooooooo not my thing at all.

So what about you....what makes you put a book down?? Or are you one of those who finishes no matter what???

Movie Monday

It's Movie Monday, week 2!!! Wondering what movie should be next....the first was so easy...no brainer. But the next one...a bit tougher. But I'll go with a classic.

This story is one I read first, in college. It wasn't a requirement for a lit class or anything. It was a challenge to read it (all 1048 pages of it) and I just wanted to prove to myself that I could read a book that long. But I didn't expect to fall completely in love with it.


Aside from a few slow chapters during the war, I devoured the book, reading it in my dorm room bed every night (I was a senior and I didn't have too much studying that semester). When I was home on break after finishing it, I rented the movie. And I adored seeing this grand epic come to life before my eyes. This was the early days of Hollywood...no computer generated special effects, no fancy cameras. Plain, simple movie making and I was in awe. Vivien Leigh is breathtaking in every scene and who can resist Clark Gable as Rhett Butler...the original bad boy.

Now, I do admit, I was a bit disappointed...there was so much that was left out. But geez....the movie was over 3 hours already...had to cut some stuff out of a 1000+ novel!!

Trying to pick a favorite scene and I'm not sure I can. I do love the beginning...the barbecue at Twelve oaks...before the war starts. And the icon scene where Rhett lifts Scarlett and carries her up the stairs!

And who can't identify with Scarlett O'Hara, lusting after a man she cannot have???

A few years ago we took a trip to visit friends in North Carolina and decided to take a side trip to Atlanta before coming home. I had heard of a Bed and Breakfast called Inn Scarlett's Footsteps and I checked into it. They had a room available!! Being a northerner my entire life, I had never experienced anything like this before...I'd only seen places like this on tv. And we were actually going to sleep there!!!! We got the Rhett Butler room. We also visited the Margaret Michell house while in Atlanta, the place she lived while she write Gone with the Wind.